Essie French Affair...the nudes (incl. swatches)!

Time for the...more literal beauty blog posts to resume! :)

This will be my little review on 3 of the 6 nail polishes featured in Essie's "French Affair" spring collection - the 3 lighter colours (or non-colours) to be more specific.

Now, as some of you may already know, I've been looking for a good nude nail polish for ages, a task which has proven to be much lengthier than anticipated - you see there are as many definitions of "nude" as there are skintones. And naturally, when I saw that Essie was offering a couple of new fleshy toned nail polishes for spring, I simply couldn't resist! As for the rest of the collection, I decided against them - you see, I'm not usually one for pinks and lilacs and the blue one seemed fairly dupable in my eyes.




So, let me present you with Sand Tropez, Kisses&Bises and Topless&Barefoot from left to right respectively. Let's take a closer look:



Essie Sand Tropez is described as a soft sandy beige, and while that works, I'd say it's more of a light grey beige creme to me (read: greige). Those types of shades are a bit tricky to pull off (especially on my skintone), as they can wash one out (that's if they don't make your nails look dirty), but I feel that this is just the right level of interesting without being offensive. Swatch taken after 2 coats, application was perfect at the second one.



Essie Kisses&Bises is a pearlescent pink duochrome. The pink shimmer in it is less cool (purple) toned than it appears in the photo and provides a metallic effect. It's definitely only a top coat though, the swatch above was after 3 coats and still nowhere near achieving opaqueness. But good for layering, if that's what you're looking for.



Essie Topless&Barefoot needs no references, as I'm sure many of you are already well familiar with it. It's a nude pink beige shade and is probably the closest "fleshy" toned nude I've seen in a while! But while the colour is perfectly executed, the application could have been a little better: it was just a tiny bit streakier than Sand Tropez, to the point that I was tempted to add a third coat, but decided to leave it at 2 for the swatches (nothing like the mess of last year's Van D' Go though, that's for sure)! You can certainly go with 2 coats if you're careful while painting your nails, so all's well! ;)


So, did I find my ideal nude in this collection? Well, no, but that's only because I'm looking for a light jelly finish in a nude nail polish! The two neutral shades are great light cremes and the shimmery dual toned pink makes for a great finishing coat! Overall very pleased with what I purchased and I'll be surely wearing these a lot this spring, since those shades are all the rage right now!

So, have you shopped from this collection?
And what is your go-to "nude" nail polish?

What's your opinion?

  1. I want to get one from this collection for sure, i love nude nail polishes. I have an old Essie one called body suit that is almost over:P

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  2. Nice colours! Sand Tropez will be my next purchase! Looking goood! The pinkish one, although really nice, needs a lot of effort to show off!

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  3. ooh, i like the st tropez shade! i agree, the second is more of a top coat..but a jelly finish? when you find that one, DO post!

    as for nudes, i don't know that i've found a perfect nude for my skin tone. When I do go to the lighter nudes, it's usually Deborah Lippman's Satin Doll (which still has sheen, and is more pink--but I like just one coat), or OPI's Bubble Bath (which is nude for some one much fairer than I!)

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  4. I'm only just venturing into the world of Essie. I have East Hampton Cottage and have ordered Van D'Go (I hope it's not as awful as you say!) I really like the look of Topless and Barefoot too it's such a nice nude. Great post! x

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  5. These colours are so lovely, never tried essie, may have to investigate xx :o)

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  6. i've tried the last one the previous week but it was a bit more pink than i can stand :P in the day light.
    next time i will try on the Sand tropez.

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  7. Topless&barefoot looks great! Definitely worth the hype ;)

    Personally speaking, the nude shades are the hardest to pull off- it makes the skin around my nails look dirty... Which reminds me, must get a hand cream with SPF!
    xx

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  8. The last one looks great - it's my style product:)

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  9. love the 1st and the 3d colors!! they are so natural & nice!! i'm really want them! :D

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  10. Very nice colors!...the 2nd as you said is only for a top coat but a different one than the transparent glossy or matt..I want to test this with an off white base!

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  11. Hi TIna :)
    Great post with the manicures!
    Hmmm I don't own any Essie nail polishes but I heard they have a slightly reduced price line of Essie polishes at Walmart which I've been meaning to check out the next time I get to a Walmart LOL
    I love the Essie Topless & Barefoot. But it's too bad that it's a tad bit streaky. I like my polishes to be opaque - so creme finishes all the way lately. I'm pretty sure I have at least one nail polish in my stash that resembles that kind of duochrome pink of the Essie Kisses & Bises. It is a nice colour to layer with as you pointed out, but I also quite like it on it's own.
    The last nude polish I fell in love with was discontinued awhile back - it was by Rimmel :( I know what you mean about the difficulties of finding the perfect nude shade. I'm all for the bright pinks and excessive glitter though LOL Although I do have many dark shades that are your favourite as well ;)

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  12. I was just looking at these shades today. I really like the topless and barefoot, but it's really hard to find the right "nude" shade with my skin tone - so I can totally related to @fantastic.

    Really hope you find your jelly polish - would love to see it as well.

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  13. I am not really into nudes but I really like how they look on you, especially the second one!

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  14. i am between first and second!

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  15. I think I prefer the first one. It's closer to nude as I have it on my mind. But to be honest I wouldn't chose any of these shades as I like my nude polish to be a little more on the beige side. I got 4 small nail polishes from H&M the other day, where there was a nude, a white, a blue and another mocha-ish color that I can't exactly derscribe (terrible shade, looks like diarrhea to me!). Anyway, the nude color was exactly what I was looking for. I don't think it has the jelly effect you want (if I understand what you mean), but you can give it a go.
    xxx

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  16. These nail polishes by Essie looks so gorgeous. I really want to get topless & barefoot, its so pretty :)

    Xo Christine
    http://christineiversen.blogspot.com/

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  17. I love the look of Topless and Barefoot. Hoping I can still get my hands on it. Thanks for the swatches.
    xx
    Alicia

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  18. The only color I picked up from this collection is Topless & Barefoot and I already have an unhealthy obsession with it! I tihnk it's definitely my favorite nude nail polish ever! :)

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  19. I have been eyeing up this collection and really loved kisses and bises but now I have seen it on I am not so sure so might go for the other two xx

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  20. I love the first and the last ones! Nude nailpolishes look really good most of the time, even if they're a little hard to pull at first. The hardest part for me is finding a shade that works for my skintone! :)

    fashionatemybrains.blogspot.com

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  21. I personally like the first polish best (St Tropez). I am into nude polishes as well, mostly because I have very petite nails and a bright colour would make them look a lot smaller. Your nails look fantastic, though!!
    Enjoy a happy Easter time!! ur Sam xx

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  22. @EllysMakeupbag: I may need to check out if it's still available, I love a good nude, wish the good ones (non streaky) were easier to find!!!


    @Mairyliscious: Εχεις πολυ καλο ματι μπορω να πω! ;) xxx


    @Argyro: Yes, Topless&Barefoot requires a bit more patience and Sand Tropez is a more unique shade too! ;) Enjoy it! xxx


    @fantastic: I just googled the nude ones you mentioned, actually Bubble Bath looks like a light jelly finish, doesn't it? May need to get this myself to try it out, although it's a touch more pink than I'd like (hey, you can't have it all, huh?)! I'll definitely post again if there's any news on my "perfect nude n/p hunt"! :) xxx

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  23. @Jo: Well, hopefully you'll have better luck with Van D'Go than most people (it is generally a streaky pastel)!!! Topless&Barefoot would look lovely against your skintone too, I'm sure! ;) xx


    @Lulu B: Lol, yes, blog reading always gives a good reason to experiment some more! :)


    @evi: Oh, well, in that case you'll like Sand Tropez more, it's definitely a lot more beigish/grey!!!


    @cbsg5861: Yes, nudes are always tricky, skintone and undertones play a huge role. I remember many raving about OPI Tickle My FranceY when it looked like dirty nail polish one me! Online swatches can only get you this far, haha!!! xoxo

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  24. @Supergirl: Lol, if only I had a nude blazer to match...! :) x


    @FashionSugarBubbles: You can't go wrong with sahdes like these, they're pretty classic in my opinion, you can wear them at any occassion!!! xxx


    @Demi: Yes, you're right, I'm very curious to see how it would look layered over different shades - that calls for a bit of a swatching experiment! ;) xxx


    @Natalie: Yes they are! :)

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  25. @Karen Law: I know what you mean about owning a dupe of the duochrome one, I actually have a old discontinued bottle made by this greek drugstore-type brand that looks identical. When I applied Kisses&Bises however it was super super sheer, whereas the other one did have that milky look to it!
    And I hear you on the battle of the nudes, lol! Why are the good ones so hard to find??? I don't get it, we have SO many reds to choose from and not that decent nudes (a good 90% is annoyingly streaky imo)!!!
    Hope you're well doll! xoxo


    @ladyb: Us bloggers need to come up with some sort of Nude N/P Encyclopedia for all skintones, it would help us find a good shade!!!
    I'll make sure to let you know if I come across a good nude jelly! ;) xxx


    @Cel: :) I would imagine you going all crazy creative with a top coat like that! ;)


    @λειντι ντι: Well then, second layered over first then? :))) Heehee! x

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  26. @Arietta: I've been here a week now and with this nasty flu I haven't had the chance to go down town, otherwise I'd have popped into h&m for sure! The nude one sounds nice (lol@your description of the brownish one, who would wear that!)!!! A jelly effect is more transparent that a creme, kinda like a syrup consistency, dunno if that makes sense at all!!! xxx


    @Christine: It is a lovely nude, I haven't heard anyone not liking it!!!x


    @FunnyFaceBeauty: You're welcome - hope I could help a bit, as I didn't see that many swatches of this collection on the blogs compared to other releases! xxx


    @Ebru: Love how Topless&Barefoot looks so good on a huge variety of skintones!!! Evidence of a very good nude shade-wise!!! x

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  27. @frilly-lace-knickers: It surely surprised me too, I didn't expect it to be this sheer! Hope my post helped! x


    @Rita M.: Yep, I know what you mean, some run more pink, others more yellow or more grey, so finding the right nude can be quite the task! Topless&Barefoot seems to work for many though, perhaps you could give that a try? :) xx


    @Sam: Aww, thank you love, I always try to keep them in decent shape, although lately I haven't been moisturising as I should have!!! I'm feeling your "problem": I have very small nail beds as well, which can be really annoying if I ever try to do press-ons or make designs etc! Not enough space, haha!
    Hope u had a lovely Easter! xx

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  28. Sand Tropez looks Fantastic on your skin tone...Its soo pretty!!!

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  29. @resham: Thank you love - yes, it's a bit more unusual than a true fleshy nude and that's why it caught my attention! ;) xoxo

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  30. Topless&Barefoot is such a pretty nude color! <3

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  31. @MSodapop: Oh, absolutely, Essie did a great job with this particular shade!!!

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  32. @Peggy: Yes, Van D' Go is very temperamental, it applies a lot streaky!

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