Essie Resort Collection Swatches, Review & Comparisons
Last summer’s North Fork Collection from Essie was such a stellar sellout success that it’s no wonder she’s releasing the tropical themed Resort Collection that includes a new green and blue for us to drool over.
I have to say, Essie’s colors are starting to win my heart again. She’s introducing more “me” shades and I LOVE it. Granted the Art of Spring wasn’t my style but she has a pretty large fan base to please. I mean I get that she’s known for stunning reds, sheers and neutrals but I’m just not that kind of girl. I guess in NYC speak my nail flavor is more “downtown” than “uptown” so when Essie creates colors like Turquoise & Caicos and Lapis of Luxury, I’m ALL IN! Check them out after the jump! |
Formula & Application: The consistency and texture of these polishes are very similar to the cremes from the North Fork Collection. They have the squishy jelly-ish quality when applying and they level out very well. Seriously, on one nail I had too much polish and I thought I created a polish ridge but it dried perfectly flat and glossy.
My only issue, and it’s kind of major, is with the pigmentation. These apply pretty sheer so I would highly suggest a ridge filling base coat to avoid VNL. With Turquoise & Caicos I used 4 thin coats and at certain angles you could still see my tips. With the rest of the polishes I was a bit heavier handed with the layers and I got away with three coats.
Turquoise & Caicos is a beautiful true turquoise creme. It screams tropics and actually the whole collection reminds me of the St. Maarten sign that greets cruise passengers at the port.
I went on the hunt for T&C’s twin and failed. I have a literal smorgasbord of blues, greens and everything in between and couldn’t find a true dupe. T&C falls somewhere between Essie Greenport and Barry M Mint Green. Surprisingly they all have the same texture and finish.
Lapis of Luxury is a rich cornflower blue creme. It’s got that sky before a storm quality only brighter. I have a sweater this color that is beat down and covered in pills but I keep shaving them off because I love the color so much and haven’t found anything to replace it. Similarly, I haven’t come across a polish this color before either.
Looking at Lapis in the bottle I felt confident that I had a match in my stash. Not so much! China Glaze Secret Peri-Winkle is a deeper more purple version and Maybelline’s Pie In The Sky is touch lighter and definitely more sky blue than pre-storm sky blue. Plus, the Maybelline was a nightmare to apply so even if it was a dupe I’d go with the Essie.
Playa Del Platinum isn’t a grey to my eye as much as it is a greige, like greyed sand which is something you’d find on the shores of Lake Erie. There’s no white sands to be found here people. It definitely fills the neutral void in the collection and while I didn’t find it flattering against my skin I can see this being a very work friendly way to work those greige tones into your wardrobe.
Playa Del Platinum has no close relatives in my collection though it found some twice removed cousins in Essie Body Language and Deborah Lippmann Waking Up In Vegas. Playa is more tan and greyed than Body Language but not quite as browned or dark as Waking Up In Vegas.
Spalsh of Grenadine looks more fuchsia than the magenta it was described as in the preview. It’s a vivid purple toned pink creme. This type of color isn’t really my deal so they don’t tend to take up residence in my permanent collection and since I recently cleaned house, I have nothing to compare this with. Think of it as a lighter, pinker version of SOPI Don’t Go There.
Bottom line: Turquoise & Caicos and Lapis of Luxury scream ALU must-haves. They’re totally unique and very me. Playa Del Platinum and Splash of Grenadine get a pass from me because while I’m willing to deal with the sheerness for an amazing blue or green I’m not willing to put in the time on colors I won’t regularly wear.
The Essie 2010 Resort Collection launches in May 2010 on essie.com and in salons nationwide.
Are you loving the Resort polishes? Which one is your fave? Are you planning to pick up any of these when they hit shelves next month?
Disclosure: A product sample was furnished by Essie. For more information read my Disclosure Policy.
Did you use another color with the lapsis one? I bought it…it looks NOTHING like the swatch, its a much more blueish gray, with no traces of purple.
Hmm, that’s interesting. My bottle looks just like my picture. I’m starting to wonder if there are two different batches on the market. It wouldn’t be the first time a brand has released the same color in two versions. It’s just usually not in the same initial launch. Like Bubble Bath isn’t the same as it used to be and My Private Jet isn’t holographic anymore. This is odd.
I’m with Desy – my Lapis of Luxury is bluish gray. It’s a nice blue-gray to be sure, but no purple.
Mine is a lot like ORLY’s Snowcone.
Mine also is not at all purple/blue. Mine is very much blue – Mine is a grayed blue also. I read somewhere tonight on the web that this is a gel (in a review). I am no expert, but I don’t think mine is a gel at all. It’s very much a cream. So maybe there were a couple different vat formulations released of this color – some possibly that did not have a lot of good QC on them? I love my bottle. It’s just a great shade and I have nothing at all like it in my collection. It’s wonderful on toes in spring/summer too!
Finally bought all four colours today
Now for Playa del Platinum… Could Tickle my France-y by OPI be a dupe?? In my head they look identical but I’m not too sure!!
I have Playa del Platinum and Tickle My France-y. I don’t think they can dupe each other as Tickle My France-y has a hint of pink/purple-ish, while Playa del Platinum is more to grey.
Both seems office-appropriate tho.
i want all of them !!
Can’t wait until I get them!!!
I think Chanel’s Nouvelle Vague is a dupe for Turquoise and Caicos. They are strikingly similar! Try the 4 piece Resort Collection mini kit to see if the colors complement your skin before you buy them>>>thats what I did.
You really think they’re dupes? To my eye, the Essie color is much brighter and vivid.
do you think you could do a quick comparison?
So fun that you’re using swedish word smorgasbord
(Smörgåsbord (Swedish pronunciation: [ˌsmœrɡɔsˈbuːɖ]) is a type of Scandinavian meal served buffet-style )
have a nice day!
I was so excited to find these in my Trade Secret last week. I’m wearing Lapis of Luxury right now and mine, too, looks a ton greyer than your pic…maybe it’s just my monitor…either way I’m in total love.
I was going to wear Turquoise & Caicos first, but hubby asked me to try Lapis (which he NEVER does!) and he was right! I heart it!
Can’t wait to try the rest. Hoping Playa works with my skintone because it’d be great for my the days I need to be more conservative here at work!
I see that another commenter mentioned her bottle being gray as well. That sounds a lot like Sag Harbor from last summer’s collection. I’m really starting to wonder if there are two versions of this color because mine doesn’t look gray at all.
I have Lapis of Luxury on now and I don’t see any gray. I think maybe it’s just a little more muted. It’s a mix of periwinkle and cornflower blue and I think it looks exactly like your picture of the bottles together. Bottom line, it’s gorg!
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I just got the mini four-pack in the mail today and they are all so lovely! Immediately I put on Lapis of Luxury, and it is definitely my favorite. Went on perfectly in two coats and I have gotten tons of compliments on it so far.
I just finished applying Splash of Grenadine, and it came out a lot more purple than your pic – closer to the color of the bottle. I really like it, and it went on great!
Oh ya! Just went out and bought the whole collection on Tuesday as well as some others which brought my collection to 156. These are actually the first Essie brands of my collection as my DIL bought two colours and they require many coats but I just couldn’t resist these colors.
I found a store in the mall right across street from work called Trade Secrets where they sell Essi, OPI and Zoya. I should NEVER have found this store! lol!
I now walk around with my nail swatch reels in my purse just in case I pass by some lacquer. There’s nothing I hate more than buying a color I already have!
OMG…I love these! Now I’m going to go on a darn spending spree when I go to Essie’s site to order. Just found your site today while searching for Beyonce’s nail polish from her new vid. You know your stuff! Looooooove your site!
Lapis of Luxury is the perfect color, but whenever I google it, everything I find it blue, rather than purple.
I really hope my Ulta has the purple version.
MY GOD, I’ve gotten a lot of compliments on my Lapis of Luxury manicure. And half of them have been from men (weird).
My bottle of Lapis matches the pics dead on. I am loving this color! But I do agree that the application is a bit of a pain.
I finally got my hand on the minis of these -my Lapis is definitely a grey-blue, no purple whatsoever!
Interestingly my Splash of Grenadine is also far more muted, almost with a grey hint to it too.
The other two colours seem o be the same.
I would love to be able to track down a purple-hued Lapis, I love this greyed out colour, but was looking forward to the more intense colour.
Is it possible for someone whose Lapis of Luxury that looks blueish gray to post a picture so we can compare?
I chose Splash of Grenadine tonight at my nail salon and I have to say it’s much more muted and purple than your swatch. I wonder if there are a couple of different formulas…
The same with my bottle of Splash of Grenadine!! and my Lapis of luxury got nothing burple on it, both of them are LOT more muted than yours!
My Lapis of Luxury and Splash of Grenadine are also both a LOT more muted than yours! they look kind of murky almost..in some lights they even look a bit frosty. It’s really weird. I love this entire collection though. I bought two bottles of turquoise and caicos lol.
omg, i love that turquoise colour, have been looking for one forever!! and that periwinkle blue is gorgeous as well, love them both! i wish i were you just to paint my nails and come back, because i truly love that turquoise, it’s my favourite colour!! i don’t have essie in my country, so i’ll never be able to get it..
My very first Essie purchase was today and I got Turquoise & Caicos. It was even more beautiful in person than it was on my monitor.
I have CG For Audrey and I was convinced that they were almost identical. But, when I put on TC, I was really surprised at the consistency. It was *sigh*. I swooned .. it was soooo smooth and if there were any strokes that were thinner than others, it quickly evened out. CG is MUCH creamier than TC. I thought TC was a cross between a cream and jelly. I have to say that this is my NEW favorite polish. I’m completely in love and I can’t wait to pick up more Essie polishes!! I’m thinking of getting Hot Cocoa or Mink Muffs or maybe Cool Merino. I *really* want the rest of this set though. So many to choose from!! 
I am inluurve with these colours. i am like the biggest nail polish fanatic everrr:):D
Thanks for the comparison of Essie T&C – I’ve linked you on my blog. The color of this polish is so amazing, and the formula SO BAD, that I’m desperate for a good dupe! Thanks for your work!