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Hey friends! Today’s blog post is for the first of many Spring 2023 collections. I am both looking forward to seeing what brands do for Spring this year and also dreading it since you know, spring = pastels, and pastels = nope to me.
This first one is by Essie and it’s called Feel The Frizzle. According to Essie, this collection is inspired by “by a day of indulgent self-care, designed to evoke feelings of optimism and relaxation.”
When I saw the promo shots for these on Ulta’s website, I thought they were going to be neon pastels. Which I can get down with. Sadly, they were pastels without the neon. If I say more here, I will spoil the whole review, so let’s get into the swatches.
If you would like to pick this collection up at a discount, check out Beyond Polish. If you use my affiliate code NicoleLovesNails you can save an extra 10%
Live Swatch Video
Essie is a US based mainstream brand. Their polishes are in 13.5ml bottles, 8 free vegan and cruelty free.
Don’t Burst My Bubble
Description: a periwinkle purple
Don’t Burst My Bubble had a great formula. It felt slightly on the chalky side but overall it had a great self leveling formula.
The base color is a pastel blue, with a hint of a periwinkle tone. I had really hoped that this was going to be a bit more vibrant. It’s beautiful and I do love the color of it so no real complaints for me.
My photos show Don’t Burst My Bubble in 2 coats plus glossy top coat.
Feel The Fizzle
Description: a vibrant light pink
Feel The Frizzle had a really great formula. I was so confused by this one. The promo shot (and official description) show vibrant pink bottle with a subtle shimmer. In actuality, we had a sheer slightly tinted pale pink base with a pink,blue purple color shifting micro flakie.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful color but NOTHING at all like what is shown on the Ulta website. I do with it was a tiny bit more opaque but I do like how it looks built up in 3 coats.
None of the flakies give off texture but the polish does dry down very dull so you will want top coat to give a glossy finish.
My photos show Feel The Frizzle in 3 coats plus glossy top coat. Removal won’t be overly difficult but it will be very messy!
In The You-niverse
Description: a milky bright taffy pink
In The You-niverse had a good but slighty thicker formula. It applied wonderfully and self leveled like a dream. The base color is a pale orchid color. I can kinda see pink here, but it’s a cool toned one that leans more orchid.
I didn’t think I was going to love this color but I did find it very pretty in person. I do think because this one is so light, it could be a 2-3 coater depending on your nail length. I ended up needing a third coat to fix a bald spot.
My photos show In The You-niverse in 3 coats plus glossy top coat.
It’s High Time
Description: a mid-tone mint green
It’s High Time also had a good but slightly thicker formula. It applied great and I didn’t have any issues with it.
This was probably one of the colors that I was most neutral towards. This isn’t my prferred shade of green but I can admit it’s a nice color. I would say the Essie description is accuruate.
My photos show It’s High Time in 2 coats plus glossy top coat.
Ride The Soundwave
Description: a milky sky blue
Ride The Soundwave had a great formula. It felt a little bit chalky but it self leveled really well.
The brand’s description on the base color was accuate (although why you would call a light sky blue milky is a little confusing but I’m not going to hate for creative flare), it is pastel blue.
I do think this is one of the polishes in this release that depending on your application, you could end up needing a third coat. I have nails that were good in 2 and I had nails that needed a third. Don’t overwork this one and be mindful with your brush strokes if you want it to be a 2 coater.
My photos show Ride The Soundwave in 3 coats plus glossy top coat.
You’re Scent-sational
Description: a muted chartreuse yellow
You’re Scent-sational had a great formula. I expected the formula to be a little wonky with it being a yellow and all. However, I didn’t have any application issues with it.
In the bottle, it looks like a standard pastel yellow. I found on the nail, the greenish/chartreuse color came out to play. I don’t know if I would have liked it more or less if it was a true pastel yellow.
I think this one will be a 2-3 coater depending on nail length and maybe application. It seemed to dry down a little bit more uneven/sheer so I had a few light spots with 2 coats.
My photos show You’re Scent-sational in 3 coats plus glossy top coat.
Bonus Skittle
Final Thoughts
So let’s start with the good, I liked the color story. It’s just vaguely ROYGBIV enough for me that I can enjoy all of the colors together. Hence why we got a bonus skittle mani.
Even though these are pastel cremes and I have gone on record for saying that I do not like those colors in that finish, these were all pretty great. A couple of chalky moments but nothing terrible.
The biggest disappointment in this collection for me was just the fact that the promo picture (mind you there were no swatches, just bottle shots) showed BRIGHT and vibrant neon pastels. So yeah, big bummer. I should have known better than to think neon pastels would be in a mainstream spring collection but a girl can dream, right?
My favorites without a doubt are going to be Don’t Burst My Bubble and Feel The Frizzle.
Also for the eagle eyed readers, the purple dot on my palm featured in some of the photos is due to the kitchen mishap. I was testing out a blue velvet cookie recipe and went overboard with the food coloring. I made a huge mess in my kitchen and got food coloring everywhere including all over me.
Essie
13.5ml, 8 Free, Not Tested On Animals & Vegan
Website | Instagram
Sale Information
The Spring 2023 collection by Essie is just starting to pop up for sale. Currently, online I am only seeing it available at Ulta and Amazon (I couldn’t find You’re Scent-sational on Amazon btw). I purchased my set on Ulta. I haven’t seen this appear yet in stores but my local stores are always late to the party.
If you would like to purchase the collection at a discount and help support the blog, consider shopping on BeyondPolish.com and use my affiliate code NicoleLovesNails to save an extra 10%. If you would like to support my blog, use any of the following affiliate links to shop Essie online Walmart, Ulta, Walgreens or CVS. I really appreciate the support!
