Pastel Paradise // Tropical Summer Nail Look

So I did these nails whilst swatching my latest Essence haul (swatches here) and I knew they'd all go beautifully together to create some wonder tropical looks; including this one!

This was pretty easy but the large brush on Essence polishes make it hard to free-hand circles and shapes cleanly (especially as the formula is a bit gloopy). But it turned out fine in the end.

I started off with 2 layers of Sugar Blush, then placed random splotches of Bubble Trouble followed by Isn't She Minty. The stamps are from Paradise 01 using Ghosted and then I used a dotting tool to place random dots of Don't Leaf Me and Swirl Pool. I topped it off with a layer of Smudge Proof top coat, and then a matte top coat.

I think using a dark grey instead of black made this much better.

Polishes/Tools Used:

- Essence // 05 Sugar Blush (sheer pink), 40 Isn't She Minty (light green), 04 Bubble Trouble (pastel pink)

- Essence // 42 Swirl Pool (blue), 19 Don't Leaf Me (teal green)

- Twinkled T // Smokey (dark grey)

- MoYou London // Paradise 01 Stamping Plate

- MoYou London // Smudge Proof Top Coat

- Barry M // Matte Top Coat

Match That Mani // Strange Bird Cleanser

This look came about when I was in the shower one day and using my favourite cleanser. I've always loved the design on the bottle and have been wanting to do a matching look for a while.

I didn't want an all white base for this look and finally settled on Cuccio - Mystery in Milan however as I started painting I could smell the tell tale sign of formaldehyde. I managed to peel back the little on sticker on the bottom and yep, it's barely even 1 free. The shade isn't even that old. It's a shame as I like the shade and it doesn't have the black specks in it that all new Cuccio shades have but I hate the smell.

Anyway, this was a super quick look to do. Just 2 coats of Mystery in Milan followed by some lines in Cantaloupe first, then some more detailed stamps in Ghosted. I topped it off with a smudge proof top coat. 

I then added a matte top coat as I can never decide between matte or glossy. 

I'm glad I went with an off-white base though as I think the pure white would of slightly ruined the look. This way it also looks like a chic fall look as well.

Polishes & Tools:

Base:

- Cuccio // Mystery In Milan (off white)

Stamping:

- H&M // Cantaloupe (orange)

- Twinkled T // Smokey (dark grey)

- MoYou London // Artist 29 Plate

Top:

- MoYou London // Smudge Proof Top coat

- Barry M // Matte Top Coat

SWATCHES: OPI // Orange You A Rockstar & V-I-Pink Passes

Found recently in TK Maxx for £2.99 each. I already have what feels like 1000 pink/peach polishes but I just can't stop buying them.

Orange You A Rockstar // pink/peach satin crelly

Collection: Neon

Release: Summer 2019

Coats: 3

I love the formula on this; it's a crelly and super easy to apply but it has a satin finish so it can leave streaks if you overwork it.

I wouldn't really call this a neon due to how sheer it is. After 3 coats I can still see my nail tips slightly peaking through. I think the satin finish is a disservice to this polish though; I love it with a super plumping top coat.

V-I-Pink Passes // magenta satin crelly

Collection: Neon

Release: Summer 2019

Coats: 3

This one is much brighter and more in the neon realm. It also has a crelly satin formula which I think all of them in this range do. I also have Dance Party Teal Dawn which I swatched here.

Watch out when removing as this really stains the skin and edges of the nails. It took me a while to get it all off.

SWATCHES: Sally Hansen Color Therapy // Well Well Well, Make My Clay, Glow What Fun & Bronze Reflection

I bought these many years ago in a beauty outlet shop for £1.99 each. I was enticed by the bottles and low price. I had never actually used any of them because when swatching them on sticks just after purchasing, I noticed how slow they were to dry so I put them in my "if nothing else matches the colour I'm after, check these" cabinet.

That day finally came when I was after an off-white that wasn't too beige, not too pink but not too white and I ended up choosing Well, Well, Well. 

Well well well, I did not have a good time with this polish. So I decided to swatch the rest of this range I bought properly to see if it was a bad formula or just that shade.

The entire color therapy line was released back in Summer 2016, later than I thought. I bought these around 2018, I'm surprised they were discounted so heavily after only 2 years.

Well, Well, Well // Off-white creme

Coats: 3

The first coat of this was extremely patchy and dragged. It also doesn't self-level and towards the tips it separated. The second coat was worse, this polish does not like being applied on top of itself and it felt like I was scraping the polish along the bottom layer. Again it pulled away from the tips to create even worse dark patches.

I finally left it at 3 coats as it was starting to look lumpy and you could see visible drag marks in it. It's also strange that on me this is definitely an off-white, slightly beige shade but on others it looks stark white.

I was not impressed with this formula. It clung to the brush stick and then ran down in large blobs just when you didn't want it to. I found it difficult to control and probably won't use it again.

Make My Clay // Light Olive Creme

Coats: 2

This one has more of a thin jelly formula and was much easier to apply. I does some dragging at the tips but no where near as much.

I absolutely love the colour though. It's a beautiful, pale muted Olive that would suit anyone. This is such a great background for christmas nails, I just wish it would dry faster.

Glow What Fun! // Warm Gold Shimmer

Coats: 2

This is much thinner than I was expecting. I'd almost class it as a shimmer topper. First I wore it on top of Make My Clay and it worked surprisingly well. That turned out to be the perfect base for it and you could tell how thin the polish actually is. Also made the gold a bit darker and richer.

Bronze Reflection // Green to Purple Duochrome Shimmer

Coats: 3

Without a black base coat this is a weak brown shimmer that goes slightly garbage-river-green at the tips; lovely. Ok, I'm being to harsh on this shade. After 3 coats is ok, better when you're outside and the shift is easier to see. With a black base coat you can see the purple more but no matter what, it will never look how it looks in the bottle which is a shame. Because the in the bottle it's beautiful.  It's just a lot of effort to get it looking good when you could just purchase Cowboy, Bye by China Glaze for a space worthy, purple/green/holo shimmer.

SWATCHES: Essence // Sugar Blush, Bubble Trouble, Isn't She Minty, Don't Leaf Me & Swirl Pool

I headed into Wilko's the other day for some plant pots and plant feed and walked out with these new essence polishes as well (as you do). It appears Essence stopped their "Shine Last & Go" range (a quick dry "gel-look" formula) a year ago to this "gel nail colour" formula with a few new shades. Do not be fooled though, it's the exact same formula just with a re-brand.

I saw these 5 and together they look like a pinterest room palette; perfect spring/summer shades for monstera/leafy looks.

05 Sugar Blush (formerly 05 Sweet as Candy) // Sheer Pink Nude Creme

Coats: 2

First up is a nice sheer polish. It does have some streaks which isn't ideal for a sheer but they're not all that noticeable. I think this would work well as a rose quartz polish. For a sheer it is quite pigmented and after 2 coats, you'll have a nice off-white/pink hue to your nails. I liked this paired with Barry M's plumpy top coat for proper gel-looking nails.

04 Bubble Trouble (formerly 04 Millennial Pink) // Light Peony Pink Creme

Coats: 2

Next we have this pastel pink creme. Another streaky formula that doesn't quite self-level leaving an un-even finish, even after 2 coats.

40 Isn't She Minty?! // Light Pistachio Green Creme

Coats: 2

One of my favourites in the bunch; this goes super well with bubble trouble! The formula on this one was ever-so-slightly better but still gloopy and difficult to manipulate. I also noticed some cracking as it dried. If you love this colour than I'd recommend Wild Mint by Barry M. It's slightly lighter but has the amazing Gelly Hi-Shine formula.

19 Don't Leaf Me // Dark Teal Creme

Coats: 1

This one recommends a base coat on the bottle; I imagine due to horrific staining as it's a beautiful teal shade. This is an exact dupe for both Essie Stripes & Sails and OPI Teal Me More, Teal Me More. With both of those shades retailing at £7 or more, this is an extremely affordable alternative; even if the formula is terrible.

42 Swirl Pool // Sky Blue Creme

Coats: 2

I really like this shade; it will definitely cause staining though so double up on the base coat. This was the easiest to apply. It still had streaks but there was no cracking and minimal dragging. 

// Overall Thoughts

The formula just isn't great as it drags and can be difficult to apply smoothly. For £1.80 each I can't really complain too much though. I'm still not a fan of the giant brush; it can cause too much polish to get on the nail resulting in a "thick" look. It's also an awkward shape with too many bristles at the edges causing polish to flood the cuticle area.

I don't think I would use these as base colours (apart from Sugar Blush) but as nail art and stamping polishes. They aren't opaque enough to be proper stamping shades but they do well enough and hold their shape when picked up.

It's really annoying because the entire range has some beautiful colours but I think I'd rather shell out a couple more pounds and buy Barry M...unless there is a sale on.