Wednesday 15 May 2013

Essie Turquoise and Caicos Swatch and Review

Hi guys, I hope you're having a lovely week so far. I am a bit moody today because now I know what all my fellow Canadian nail bloggers complain about - the shipping costs to Canada! I won't name any names here but I was so choked this morning when a certain site advertised $8 shipping to all orders in the US yet when I wanted to check out, it charged my not only $28 for shipping, but an ADDITIONAL $11 for "international handling"! Absurd! I am so heartbroken and now I am left trying to get my US friends to ship it to me! Ahhhh!!!

So onwards with some actual polish, today I have an oldie but a goodie. This is my very first Essie polish! Essie Turquoise and Caicos which is a timeless vintage seafoam green pastel turquoise, with dusty subdued desaturated tone. I won't lie but this formula was a mess. It took three coats to build to full opacity, but even then, application was patchy. Because this was my first impression of Essie, I was not impressed. I absolutely love this shade and funny enough, as much as I own these kinds of shades - I don't own anything quite like this. Very similar, but not with that desaturated dusty tone that I adore. Here's 3 coats of Essie Turquoise and Caicos:

Essie Turquoise and Caicos Swatch

Essie Turquoise and Caicos Swatch

One thing I noticed about Essie Turquoise and Caicos - I felt like it was close to a Tiffany blue, but the name. THE NAME. Turquoise and Caicos. Tiffany and Co. Is this possibly a play on getting something close to Tiffany blue? Here's a hint - welp, it's pretty close in real life, but in my white light controlled light box, you can see that there is a difference. Alas, the hunt for a true Tiffany blue continues.

Essie Turquoise and Caicos Swatch

And last week I showed you guys what a glitter topper looks like on top of Essie Turquoise and Caicos. Here is China Glaze Glitz N Bitz over top. Hides the nasty patches! I kind of dig it like this:

China Glaze Glitz N Pieces (over Essie Turquoise and Caicos)

China Glaze Glitz N Pieces (over Essie Turquoise and Caicos)

China Glaze Glitz N Pieces (over Essie Turquoise and Caicos)

I know a lot of people who own this polish - what do you think about it? Hit? Miss? Is the shoddy formula worth this unique hue of pastel turquoises that we all love so much?

7 comments:

  1. WHAT??? $39 for shipping & handling to Canada?!? That's INSANE!!! I really don't get it.

    I had the same issue with the formula on this colour, I needed 3 coats for full opacity and I found it streaky.

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    1. Absolutely absurd right? It was an obvious gouge and made me sick. (It was for FAB dot com by the way.)

      Formula was awful! But... I still like the colour... ;__;

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  2. Gorgeous result! The shipping costs are less than gorgeous though...

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  3. Oh Fab, I checked out the RH polishes there too awhile ago with the robot collection. it does suck! hopefully you can find an american friend to ship to you. This Essie is pretty but I feel like there are a lot that are similar so I'm not set on getting this specific one. For Tiffany Blue have you checked out CG's For Audrey?

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    1. I personally am surprised I don't have For Audrey yet but I think I'll be grabbing it soon. Nail Polish Canada recently docked down their prices for China Glaze so that's an incentive!

      I actually did find an American friend to send it to, thank goodness!

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  4. The formula for this is SO BAD - but the color is so perfect, its almost worth it. I hope you don't mind, I linked my latest blog post to your site - I just did a post on this color (more of a long rant over the formula problems). I've heard For Audrey has a better formula, but the color isn't that close. Looking forward to reading more of your stuff! :)

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    1. Hear hear, the formula is AWFUL. I hate it. Three coats for a creme? I will definitely have to take a look at your blog and see your photos! I love this colour but I didn't like putting it on, hehe. I also have China Glaze Aquadelic but again, not exact. I like the dusty tone on this and don't have anything close yet! Everything is more vibrant.

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