I'm Not Outta Green Yet

 Squeezing one last one into the month!

Here is Essence Outta Space is the Place:

Soft pastel rose pink that is full of seafoam green shimmer. Sunny afternoon with Lily in the background.

Two coats, this has a top coat.

Here in lower light to bring out the shimmer. This is a lamp and some Photoshop to brighten a too-dark photo. (One day I might learn to master even the smallest portion of that software)

From their 2017 Outta Space Stories here is another in a sweet little collection. There really is a gorgeous green shimmer that is outta this world. 

Since it's a bit older, I found that I probably should have thinned it a bit before using, since I had a really thick formula.

Though a tiny bit delicate (in the top photo I wanted to catch the light but after one day I'd already dinged it so I had to hold my hand that way to catch the sunshine) and a bit too thick, I managed to not have to do too much clean up.

Older polish does get persnickety, and that's just a fact; polish thinner is a must. Mea culpa. 

Here are some of the other ones I've blogged:

• Essence Beam Me Up!
• Essence Intergalactic Adventure
• Across the Universe

I think you can still find it on eBay and big South American river, but not sure. 

Long gone on Essence's site. I wonder if the latest craze for eyeshadow palettes has eclipsed their nail polish efforts. I know that the US and EU sites are full of some basic color collections, but nothing seems to pop out as a "spring release." Though, I don't follow the brand assiduously, I have yet to really find one that puts a foot wrong. 

Thanks so much for enjoying greens with me for March 2021 and thanks for reading my little nail polish journal. 

More Essence Out of Space Stories

Essence put out this little tasty tidbit and I have another one of the little delicacies for you.

Intergalactic Adventure

Two coats of this pretty little metallic shimmer and you think you are fine and dandy.

But no!

It's got a soft shift into indigo that really pulls itself off with a gentle "hello" that you really aren't expecting.

Of course these are better duochromes but this one really has a delightful formula and covers so well.

Might be available around the interwebz if you poke around.

Thanks so much for reading my little nail polish journal!

Beam Me Up! By Essence

Essence Out of Space Stories was a fun, little, and affordable collection that came out in 2017. I have to admit that it's about the first Essence collection I grabbed, and I don't think all the ones they had on their US site were the same as in store or on their EU site, so go figure.

Though, I am happy with what I found, even if the duochromes are a little unimpressive after comparing them to my old Sally Hansen and the various indie offerings.

Here is a real win, though, Essence Beam Me Up!

Here in the sunshine it's a red leaning pink with a scattered holo that doesn't really flash as strong as I'd hoped, but it's a pretty shimmer that does catch the light enough to give a pretty semi-rainbow effect when conditions are right.


Here it is under lamp and flash:

Much more pink with the blue correcting light of the flash and a daylight corrected lamp. this is a few weeks later when I wore it again.

Two coats and I was good. The brush was a little small and wonky, so that's a bit of a let down.

Since I had such good luck with application, first coat is a great covering coat, I wanted to try stamping with it.

Here it is over white. I am using my Moyou London Plate Arabesque 03. Moyou, by the way, just rocks.

I had some wobble issues, but the plate stamped beautifully. I used a soft jelly stamp, one I found on eBay. These pick up very well, but man, they will "float" if you are not spot on.

As a stamping polish, perfection!!! It pulls so neon over the white! Surprise win!


Essence no longer carries this line in their US or EU site. In fact their EU site seems to have lines that are not carried here in the US. As a side note the the US site has Catrice makeup. Dang! If only they would carry Catrice polish!!!

Thanks for reading my little nail polish journal!

The Cousin of the One I Haven't Blogged Yet

Essence is a funny brand.

Regionally, they are in only one place that I've been able to find them, but they are also online, too.

Their polishes are small, but also in possession of a very nice formula: dries well, handles, well, covers nicely.

They came out with a Out of Space collection, with a bunch of scifi names and references. Of course I also think it was a sly reference to the tight living spaces popping up in the popular urban centers (90 square foot apartment anyone?) and the tiny house movement.

I sprinted over to the essence website (the US one is dot com) and ordered the set since it had a couple multichromes and a couple holos. I will roll them out over time, mainly because they are no longer on their site and the holos were insipid. Normally I don't do the "where to find" in the beginning, but It is not on the European site, nor on eBay, so it may be a blogsale thing.

There was a really amazing shifter I tried and was agog over, Across the Universe.

Here's a few shots:

Three coats, no top coat.

The silvery aqua is a delight.

It shifts to a soft mauve pink, easily, no contortions needed.

The metallic finish means some brushstrokes, for sure.

What you can't see is the soft teal sparkles that pop out here and there.

So nice!!!

It immediately brought to mind a favorite of mine, Chanel Sweet Star.

I will blog that pretty soon, it's a swoon-inducing polish.

This, though is it's little cousin.


Thanks for reading my little nail polish journal!

The Blogging Year Recap

2016 is over. Wow. When I flip back through pages of blog posts, it feels like so little time has gone by. In fact, 2009 feels a lot like yesterday. (Well things were full of change and hope back then).

I'm still enjoying blogging, and that's key. I hope you are enjoying the polishes with me.

There are many changes in blogging and I don't think social media blogging has eradicated bloggers like me, yet. Yet. The challenges for me is time and accessibility. Instagram is very phone-centric, so I hope the new Sony A6000 will be up for that challenge.

I'm off the SinfulColors mailing list, much to my relief, and I don't have anyone offering me polish. Yay! So while I am not super timely with new things, my reviews will be my own. It's hard to be objective when you have free stuff arriving in the mail, despite disclosures and disclaimers.

This year I plan on trotting out a heck of a lot more indies and more stamping. I have to say I love both and with a better camera it's only my skillset that won't do right by it.

Finally, here are a few of my faves from 2016, enjoy!



FUN Lacquer Anna

OPI Into the Night and RBL Pardonne Moi stamped with white pearl (if I recall!) and topped with Orly Precious Metal

Maybelline Sand Storm stamped with Sally Hansen Frost Freeze

Guppy 77 over Sally Hansen Gray by Gray

Borghese Capriccio Blue stamped with Revlon Captivate

Sally Hansen Model Behavior

Illamasqua Muse

OPI Ro-Man-ce On The Moon accented with Milani Silver Dazzle

China Glaze All Wrapped Up

Petites Banish

Essence Back to Paradise

Diamond Cosmetics Tranquility franken

Nicole by OPI Sing You Like a Bee topped with Hidden Treasure all over Color Club Coastal Creme

American Apparel Tshirt

Dior Equis

Layering: Revlon Snow Bunny franken, SinfulColors Pinky Glitter, and Cover Girl City Lights

Morgan Taylor Making Waves

Dear Readers, thank you for reading my little nail polish journal!

Happy 2017!! (fingers crossed!!)

When You Reach September

The days grow short, but oh so mellow.

Ok, enough mixing lyrics of old standards.

Here is a great little polish from an older Essence Collection, Return to Paradise. It's from 2010 or 11 and pretty old, but I've had this little gem in my collection for a long time and wanted to share it.


Essence Back to Paradise

This is perhaps my new favorite green: dark as a vamp (here in the sun) but not blackened to the degree that "it might as well be just black nail polish" and yet, indoors it will go pretty deep.

Not able to find this online for sale, but it is not dissimilar to the new Essie Off Tropic. I will get a comparison done fairly soon. I found Off Tropic because the Essence is just not around unless I stumble onto a blog sale.

I think polishes like Nars Zulu and other deep greens are beautiful, but this is a deep pine green that pushes a little teal in the bottle, but on the nail stays beautiful pine green.

Good luck if you find it.

Formula is not a perfect one: it's rather thick, but coverage is pretty nice, it could be a two coater. Though I think if I were to reapply any time soon, I'd thin a bit, something I didn't do this time!

Have a wonderful autumn!

Thanks for reading my little nail polish journal!

Flakies, Flakies, and more Flakies

Sun was out, and I had time to grab some shots.

Essence Glisten Up!

This is such a little gem of a polish.

Really gorgeous.

Two coats over Sally Hansen Marble Creme. For a start it's not just a flakie, it's got a pretty iridescent glitter that works soft magic.

Sally Hansen Marble Creme is such a favorite of mine. It's a seafoam green that isn't just a mint green, it's like a grown up mint green.  J'adore.

Petites Dare 

I had been trying out a purple, a shimmer that I've now since gotten ride of because of toluene, etc, blah blah...meanwhile, I wanted to wear Petites Dare to decide about it, again.

I'd blogged it here before over a light blue, but wanted to see what it looked like over a deeper shade. Plus it had been really a minor player once Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure came on the scene.

Fortunately the flakies pop out a bit better, which really helps. 

I did want to show Hidden Treasure over Marble Creme, too.

Many people, I see, seem to think that Hidden Treasure is full of these intense greens and oranges, but pop it over a pastel and voila! you've got a beauty.

This is two coats.

This is Marble Creme after its been evaporated down to almost a solid block and I added thinner and some clear polish to bring it back. It still is a low-pigment polish (kid yourself not, Sally Hansen was a cheap piece of work on pigment on this polish), but it's not a complete bear to wrestle into drying and application.

Thanks for reading my little nail polish journal!

Essence Underwater and Above Par!

Essence again!

This one I can't recall where I got, but I feel it came in a swatch some time ago. Thank you sweet person!

To be honest, when petrol blue is declared a Pantone "color of the (insert season/year/decade) I will be one happy girl.

Here is a petrol blue to wrap yourself up in:

Three coats.

Secret shimmer in the larger incarnation of glass fleck style particles and a rich aqua blue.

Contorting my fingers to get the shimmer just was not finding the sweet spot, so I would call it a Top Secret Shimmer.

Meanwhile, love the formula, love the finish. A quick dry formula, too. Nice!!

Thanks for reading my little nail polish journal!

Magnet Failure

My foray into magnetic polishes began last year with a kind swapper in Europe. I've tried this polish, Essence Nothing Else Metals, several times, but I see that I have no skills for this.

I really think that there is nothing more to do than to post the photo.

Such a bummer, too, that I couldn't get the magnet to really work except for one finger. It is a set if parallel lines, which made a cool checkerboard pattern. 

I tried, and have tried, over several manicures, to weedle out a pattern. Not much luck.

It's a frosty metallic which is a two coater. Loved the color, but a bummer about the whole magnet fail.

Thanks for reading my little nail polish journal.

Forget-Me-Not by Essence

If you like periwinkle, then you will adore Essence Forget-Me-Not

A creme with a secret shimmer. How about that, eh?

Two coats, easy formula. In fact, I kind of regret not getting the mint green one, so nice was the application.

Here is the bottle so you can see the simmer a bit better:

A bright blue emerges, and it's just dandy!

Here is a sun shade comp:

So nice! $1.99 a bottle and a smaller mL amount, but quality is excellent for the price.

And you know, this polish is magical: Every photo I took was a nice one! Wow! :D

Thank you for reading my little nail polish journal!