Essie Winter 2017 Collection : Swatches, Comparisons & Review

 

Ahhh! It's finally here!

I've been waiting patiently for this collection to arrive on my doorstep and it came! Look at that gorgeous Pandora ring Essie Canada sent with this collection too! OMG.

This collection is based on ringing in the new year with bling and style.

I know you guys have been waiting for swatches and comparisons so let's get to it! All comparisons are a mixture of ones I thought would be close and ones that were private messaged to me on Instagram. Oh! And I should also mention: this collection was obviously sent to me for free by Essie Canada PR but I always give my completely honest review. 

Social-Lights

This polish was the one I was MOST excited about from the very beginning. It's so unique as far as Essie's go! Essie also tends to have that "hidden shimmer" thing going on in their polishes but this one you can actually see! The formula is really nice and smooth and is opaque in 2 coats. In regular indoor lighting you see a subtle amber glow but as soon as you get some direct light (ie: sun) copper shimmer like WOAH! I'm loving the color, the formula and everything about this polish.

Social-Lights vs. Mochacino vs. Chinchilly

I didn't think anything would be similar to Social-Lights but I did find a couple grey polishes so that I could compare the base color of Social-Lights. The grey base color of Social-Lights is similar to Chinchilly and Mochacino but they are much more warm toned (especially Mochacino). Social-Lights seems to have a bit of green in the grey-taupey base but also seems warm because of the copper shimmer. So no, there's nothing exactly like it, but hopefully this will give you an idea of the exact shade of grey that it is.

Suit and Tied

This is a really warm, peach-toned sandy beige color. The formula is so opaque it could almost be a one-coater but the formula is doing something really weird I've never seen before! As I would brush on the polish, it would start to pucker and dimple and wasn't laying down smooth and level. The dimples stayed in that first coat as it dried. I got it to smooth with the second coat but it was super weird. I even took off the first coat thinking I had oil or something on my nails and dried them out with acetone and it still did it. I needed top coat for this swatch so that it looked good (top coat smooths out unevenness). I may have just gotten a weird bottle because there's been buzz on instagram about what a great formula this color has and it's some people's favourite polish in the collection.

Suit & Tied vs. Sorrento Yourself vs. Clothing Optional vs. Mamba

Every time I saw Suit and Tied online I thought it was going to be a dupe for Mamba but Mamba is quite a bit lighter and peachier. I got a TON of requests to see Suit and Tied next to Sorrento Yourself because the Resort Collection was hard to find this Spring. It's probably the closest one to Suit and Tied but it has a dusty mauve-brown tone while Suit and Tied is much warmer and more red-toned. It's close though if you really wanted to get your hands on Sorrento Yourself.

Be Cherry!

Be Cherry! is a bright pink-toned red and these kinds of polishes used to be my fave. I have so many now that this polish doesn't excite me, but Essie reds always have a perfect formula and this one is no exception. The formula of Be Cherry! is smooth and on point and perfect in 2 coats. If you don't have a red like this in your collection you would not be disappointed if you picked this one up.

Be Cherry! vs. Double Breasted Jacket vs. Style Hunter vs. Altitude Attitude

I grabbed all my pinky reds and they are so so close, although Be Cherry is a bit more cherry red in comparison. But the difference is so slight, if you have any of these you won't need Be Cherry.

Ring in the Bling

Ring in the Bling is a ruby red shimmery polish. Essie says there's "navy blue shimmer" in this one but you don't actually see navy blue. It does give it cool dimension though. It has a really nice 2 coat formula.

Ring in the Bling vs. Ready to Boa vs. Scarlett O'Hara

Last year's Ready to Boa is a lot darker than Ring in the Bling. Scarlett O'Hara is a really old polish that was circulating in Dollar Stores a few years ago that my friend Austrian picked up (and I was able to borrow). It's much more of a cherry red shade with shimmer. In this picture you can really see that navy blue shimmer that Essie was talking about. It gives Ring in the Bling more of a blue, cool-toned hue. 

Ring in the Bling vs. After Sex vs. Catwalk

Two more Dollar Store finds from a couple years ago! These older polishes were the only ones I had that came close. Life of the Party released in the Retro Revival Collection may have come close to Ring in the Bling but I didn't pick that one up.  This comparison shows off the navy blue shimmer of Ring in the Bling again because the other two look so warm-toned and true red in comparison. 

On Your Mistletoes

OMG this color is everything! It's exactly what I wanted it to be. And the formula is stellar! Complete one coat wonder. I love everything about this polish (a creme lovers dream).

On Your Mistletoes vs. Satin Sister vs. Go Overboard vs. Surrounded by Studs

I had tons and tons of requests to see On Your Mistletoes next to Satin Sister from lasts year's Winter Collection and Go Overboard. On Your Mistletoes is more blue-toned in comparison. I actually threw in Surrounded by Studs because On Your Mistletoes has so much navy blue in it, I thought they might be close. And I was right! I mean Surrounded by Studs is more blue with teal shimmer but it gives you an idea of the color of On Your Mistletoes. 

I also took a picture outside in direct sunlight so you could see the differences even better.

New Year, New Hue 

Originally, I hadn't been all that excited for this shade because I have so many burgundies and it looked like a Bahama Mama dupe. But @laurenslist convinced me that it was good and worth getting and she was right! AH-mazing formula! Almost a one coater but totally smooth and opaque in 2 coats and self-levelling too.

New Year, New Hue vs. Bahama Mama vs. Flowerista

This shade has been described as a love child between Flowerista and Bahama Mama so I wanted to check out that theory. New Year, New Hue is actually pretty close to Bahama Mama but Bahama Mama is a bit deeper and more red-burgundy toned. Flowerista is obviously not close but NYNH has the amazing opaque, smooth formula of Flowerista! I do think that if you mixed some Flowerista into Bahama Mama you could come up with a shade that's pretty close. 

 New Year, New Hue vs. Designated DJ vs. Recessionista vs. Berry In Love

The color tone of NYNH is the closest to Designated DJ but Designated DJ is a shade or two darker. Recessionista is more of a red burgundy like Bahama Mama and Berry in Love is a really light reddish tone in comparison.

This collection is so diverse and I really think it has something for everyone. Everyone on instagram has a completely different stand out favourite from this collection which is so neat! Some absolutely love Suit and Tied the best and for others, it's New Year New Hue or Ring in the Bling. For me, On Your Mistletoes and Social-Lights have my heart. I love the uniqueness of Social-Lights. It's different but also a neutral so you could wear it all the time with anything. And the color of On Your Mistletoes is perfection for me. I want a warm and cozy sweater in exactly that shade of oxford blue now.

What's your favourite shade from this collection?


P.S. I'm not obligated to say this at all but I thought I'd mention it in case you were interested. Essie and Pandora teamed up for the launch of this collection (which is why I received that gorgeous ring I'm obsessed with) and they are hosting a giveaway on essie.ca to receive the holiday collection and a $100 Pandora gift card. Check out this link if you are interested!