Essie Cocktail Bling Collection Review, Photos, Swatches

Christine — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 11:00:48 +0000

Essie Nail Lacquers in Brooch the Subject, Cocktail Bling, Bangle Jangle

Essie Cocktail Bling Collection

Essie Cocktail Bling Collection ($8.00 for 0.46 fl. oz.) is comprised of six shades: Brooch the Subject (creamy cashmere cameo), Cocktail Bling (precious pale gray jewel), Bangle Jangle (lavender amethyst), School of Hard Rocks (midnight malachite), Bobbing for Baubles (deepest darkest sapphire), and Size Matters (blazing hot ruby red).

Brooch the Subject is a neutral light-medium beige. This is one of my new favorites when it comes to nudes, because it doesn’t lean warm or cool. It’s opaque in two coats. It’s not as peach as Rescue Beauty Sheer Nude but not as cool-toned as MAC Quiet Time.
Cocktail Bling is a really cool-toned gray lavender with a cream finish that’s opaque in two coats. Zoya Caitlin is similar in family but it is several shades darker.
Bangle Jangle is a pink-lavender cream that’s opaque in two coats. It’s much warmer compared to Cocktail Bling. It’s darker than MAC Little Girl Type and Zoya Marley but not as pink as Essie Nice is Nice.
School of Hard Rocks is a muted, almost gray-tinted, teal. It’s more of a dusty teal that leans green. It’s opaque in two coats and has a cream finish. MAC Blue India was the only comparable shade I could find, though it is bluer.
Bobbing for Baubles is an inky deep, dark bluish purple cream. It’s opaque in almost one coat, though I did two for swatches. Despite tons of blue polishes swatched, I couldn’t think of a dupe for this one–it’s that purplish tint that makes it difficult I think!
Size Matters is a deep red cream that’s opaque in two coats (though almost in one). China Glaze Winter Berry and MAC Get Noticed are a touch brighter and lighter.

Essie does cream polishes really, really well. It’s like if I want a certain color in a cream finish, I’ll look to Essie first. The winter collection is fab from start to finish, because every shade is a delight to work with–smooth, even application with polish that’s not too thick or too thin. It doesn’t streak, bubble, or later on, chip. I get minimal tip wear with Essie’s polishes, as it is a solid lacquer. I also loved that Cocktail Bling, School of Hard Rocks, and Bobbing for Baubles didn’t have any similar shades that I could think of–it’s tough to be original!