Essie Where's My Chauffeur vs. Essie Turquoise and Caicos: Comparison Swatch Review

Ever do that thing where you really wanted something, resisted, and then went back for it after realizing it's a great idea, only to find out that it's sold out? Well, that happened to me. I wanted to get a Star Trek science shirt for the premiere next week but right when I went back for it, it's sold out. Now I am searching far and wide for a subpar version and can't find anything. Apparently Canada not only is sparse for nail polish but it sucks for costumes! Dang - by any chance, do any of you lovely folks know where to get Star Trek costumes in a jiffy in Canada? (Wow, that was nerdy desperation right there!)

Enough banter. Let's get onto the real good stuff - back to nail polish. I have a certain kryptonite when it comes to shades of polish. I cannot for the life of me resist pastel turquoise shades. I have so many! So over the next little while, I'll show you some comparisons to show you that sometimes that subtle difference makes a difference! Today I've got Essie Where's My Chauffeur against Essie Turquoise and Caicos (which I'll post next week).



I photograph my swatches and polish in a controlled white light environment, but in stores, both of the shades look similar to one another, being influenced by tungsten lighting, natural lighting and so forth. I love them both but there are stark differences to the polish addict and subtle nuances noted by casual viewers.

I'll get into specific formula applications another time, but in general, Essie Where's My Chauffeur is more creamy and opaque yielding complete coverage in two coats. Essie Turquoise and Caicos is a little more patchy, requiring three coats for full coverage. Here are my swatches - Where's My Chauffeur on the index and ring, and Turquoise and Caicos on middle and pinky:







They clearly come from the same family of pastel turquoise teal permutations, but Essie Where's My Chauffeur is more vibrant and aqua leaning, whereas Essie Turquoise and Caicos has a dusty tone, and leans towards a seafoam green undertone. I love them both and I think that they aren't similar enough to be coined as dupes. Different shades and tones for different applications!

What's funny is that I did this the night before I received Essie In The Cab-Ana which again, looks MIGHTY similar to Where's My Chauffeur. Perhaps another Essie showdown comparison in the future? Hope you enjoyed this kind of thing and find it useful when shopping!