Essie's Summer 2012 polish collection is a set of five bright, colorful cremes off-set with one oddball shimmer to make it a full six. The shades are:
Essie All Tied Up. The weird one! It's a medium rosy-fleshy-mauve with gold and copper shimmer. It's a little bit of a mature color but I don't think it's ugly, just a weird fit with the collection. Reminds me a little of an older Essie shade: Meet Balls.
Essie Bikini So Teeny. This one is really cool. It's a light blue that looks both pale and vivid at the same time. It has a bit of purple tone in it and also a dash of chunky but barely visible silvery shimmer. I don't think my picture conveys just how interesting this color is, you really should see it in person and get the full effect. It's gorgeous.
Essie Cascade Cool. A light pink with a little hint of lavender in it. Creme finish. Adorable.
Essie Fear or Desire. A light yellow-toned orange creme. Dries darker than bottle color.
Essie Mojito Madness. A green creme. It's lighter than most similar green cremes out right now, but it's not pastel. It's bright but not neon. It's not too yellow or too blue. Just a nice, vibrant, easy to wear, in-between kind of green. 
Essie Off The Shoulder. A medium pink creme. Leans warm. Kinda boring.The formula on these was good. I didn't have the streaking problem that I had with the last collection, but the texture was a little runnier than usual. Still, no trouble with application. All applied smoothly and dried quickly. Good opacity, too. I did two coats and that's all they needed.
I almost feel bad for poor All Tied Up. It looks like such an outcast standing next to the other bright, summery colors! But, otherwise, a decent collection with some nice brights. I think Bikini So Teeny is the most interesting one in the set. If I had to choose only one color to get from this collection, it would be that one. I'm also impressed that Essie did another green! Not something they've done often in the past few years.
This collection is available now.
Actually I love All tied up more than the rest of them.. Weird..
ReplyDeleteGreat collection and lovely swatches. I love Bikini So Teeny, Cascade Cool and Fear or Desire
ReplyDeleteI love Bikini so Teeny, but have you tried to top-coat it? it gets a shade darker with top-coat :(
ReplyDeleteMojito Madness is so gorgeous! I love all of them.
ReplyDeleteI like the oddball All Tied Up as well, but I'm wondering if it's too similar to OPI's Gouda Gouda Two Shoes to justify owning both. I'm enjoying the looks of the orange and green though. I'll have to cruise by the display and check it out. :)
ReplyDeleteTo me, only the green one looks innovative and thus interesting. Pale blue has been done to death not to mention others
ReplyDeleteI have Fear or Desire, but I desperately want Mojito Madness!
ReplyDeleteI have the green and was impressed with the formula, usually me and Essie disagree with each other. I agree All Tied Up looks a lot like my very old bottle of Meet Balls (lol) but with some shimmer!
ReplyDeleteBikini So Teeny is my favorite polish this summer; I've used it three times since I bought it, and I usually don't go back to a color that much that soon.
ReplyDeleteI am so very sad as I am a sucker for blues...I bought Bikini So Teeny and it bubbled up (I let it dry thoroughly between coats) and an entire half of one painted nail peeled right off the next day! None of my other Essie's do this, I used the same base and top coat I always do. Looks like it's going back :( I love the color so this is a real let down for me!
DeleteJoans1976, that sounds like a case of oil/moisture on the nail, not a defective polish. Give it another try after properly prepping the nail before you send it back (if you love the color).
DeleteThanks Scrangie! I will give it another try :)
DeleteCascade Cool is right up my alley. Bikini So Teeny sounds like a good dupe for Revlon Cloud over white, which I find totally impossible to work with. Thanks for your swatches, as always!
ReplyDeleteI need mojito madness! Beautiful swatches as usual!
ReplyDeleteMojito Madness is so gorgeous!! I think it looks similar to OPI What's with the cattitude :)
ReplyDeleteBikini So Teeny looks gorgeous on you! It's probably the only color of this collection I'd consider buying.
ReplyDeleteI recently heard of Meet Balls through Stupid Polish Names, and all I can say is WTF? ANyhoo... gorgeous swatches as always. :)
cute colors! bikini so teeny is pretty!
ReplyDeleteI love Bikini so teeny, I have a fondness for blues! would love to see how it compares to OPI Whats with the cattitude
ReplyDeleteI really like this collection! Bikini So Teeny looks AMAZING on you!
ReplyDeleteBikini So Teeny is in my opinion the best!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Scrangie, for swatching an entire collection! It's a lot of hard work, and I appreciate being able to see all the colours in a single post.
ReplyDeleteI've seen this collection in person, and I agree that Bikini So Teeny is the star - gotta love a cornflower blue! :)
I have to say I quite like all tied up, know what you mean though about it being kinda mature.
ReplyDeleteAwesome swatches as usual, Scrangie!
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know how Cascade Cool compares to MAC Ice Cream Cake? I'm trying to find a good dupe without the formula and application issues Ice Cream Cake had. They look similar but seems like Ice Cream Cake is more vivid of a pink. Any ideas?
As I've already said on various blogs: I adore Bikini so Teeny and Mojito madness!
ReplyDeleteInteresting ... I only got all tied up!!!
ReplyDeleteOpinions differ obviously ;-)
I may buy fear of desire!
ReplyDeleteI picked up All Tied Up. It was weirdly compelling. it IS very pretty under stamping, and just nice in general. It reminds me of an Estee Lauder color I had ages ago that I used up and loved.
ReplyDeleteI bought bikini so teeny specifically seeing it on here. I had been eyeing it but I have so many polishes its...sinful? I dont care though, I love it!
ReplyDeleteAll the displays I have seen with this collection only had 4 shades in them. None of that odd for this collection shade and none of the lighter pink. Hate when they do that! I want to see the full collection but Walgrees, Rite Aide and 2 out of town CVS's had all the same display - 4 shades.
ReplyDeleteI bought the blue and the green. I can wear this blue because it has that hint of purple in it. If not for that it would be like every other powder blue cream that leans too chalky white and I cannot wear 'em.
ReplyDeleteOh wow I am totally in love with 'All Tied Up'. It looks amazing!
ReplyDelete