Essie Braziliant Collection Review, Photos, Swatches

Christine — Fri, 20 May 2011 17:49:47 +0000

Essie Nail Lacquers: Too Too Hot, Meet Me at Sunset, Braziliant

Essie Braziliant Collection Review, Photos, Swatches

Essie’s Braziliant Collection includes six new shades for summer: Too Too Hot (sizzling rich red coral), Meet Me at Sunset (vibrant deep orange), Brazilliant (hot orange with a touch of shimmer), Absolutely Shore (soft sea foam green), Super Bossa Nova (upbeat bright fuchsia), and Smooth Sailing (breezy lavender blue with a reflection of pearl).

Too Too Hot is really more red than red-coral. It has a cream finish, and it was almost opaque in one coat, though I used two for swatches. The red definitely dominates here, though. It reminds me of a deeper Rescue Beauty Lounge Bangin’, less red Zoya Sooki.
Meet Me at Sunset is a orange-red; kind of like a tomato red to me. It’s very vibrant and has a cream finish. I used two coats. It’s darker than Essie Vermillionaire. Zoya Lana seems like it would come the closest but has shimmer.
Braziliant is a rich, darkened orange with white shimmer. I used two coats, but it was nearly opaque in one. MAC Imperial Flower is similar, though the shimmer is chunkier and gold.
Absolutely Shore is a whitish green with a cream finish. I used two coats, but it does have a streakier base, so take your time with this one. It’s a little less yellow-based than Nubar Sprout.
Super Bossa Nova is a brightened, dark pink with fuchsia shimmer. I swatched with two coats, but it was really pigmented in one. China Glaze 108 Degrees is very similar, though the base pink is redder.
Smooth Sailing is cornflower blue with hints of purple and chunkier silver shimmer. I used two coats. I couldn’t find a dupe for this – I don’t have anything quite like it in my stash from what I can tell!

The formula for Essie’s summer shades was excellent overall. I only had a little trouble with Absolutely Shore, which required some patience and a more precise application (aka pay attention)–the first coat will look a little streaky, so I recommend a thinner initial coat followed by a medium-thick second coat. Despite being a lighter shade, though, it is nearly opaque in just two coats. The other five were impeccable: dense pigmentation, not too thick or thin, even flow, and just easy to work with. I typically get a week’s worth of wear out of Essie’s polishes.