[Purchased, affiliate links used]
Hey friends! It feels weird posting about summer nail polish collections when I am currently wearing multiple layers of clothes with my winter socks on but here we are I suppose. Summer weather has left Connecticut and we’re back to colder-than-I-would-like weather. Which I totally understand that 80F weather is not normal for April for the east coat but man it felt nice for a few days!
Today I will be sharing the Essie Push Play collection for Summer 2023. The promotion for this one hasn’t started yet but all I can suss out is that it’s limited edition and inspired by… playing outside? We have a 6 piece collection featuring all cremes.
I purchased this collection from Amazon, it should also be popping up on BeyondPolish any day now. Use code NicoleLovesNails to save an extra 10% on your order there. As always, I will have links to placed you can purchase these at the end of the post!
Live Swatch Video
My live swatch video is currently live for channel members, it will be live to the public April 25th at 3PM Eastern time.
Essie is a US based mainstream brand. Their polishes are in 13.5ml bottles, 8 free vegan and cruelty free.
Climbing High
Description: a muted chalky black vegan nail polish with yellow undertones and a cream finish
Climbing High as a lover of grey nail polishes, I loved this one! It was deceptively sheer on the first coat but it built up really nicely for me.
I would describe this color as a dark charcoal grey. In very low light situations I could see this being confused with a black. I don’t quite get what Essie means by this having “yellow undertones” I wasn’t seeing a yellow cast in any lighting with this one.
My photos show Climbing High in 2 coats plus glossy top coat.
For the first time in my blog’s history, I have not only 1 dupe but 2 dupes for a comparison! Climbing High is a dupe for China Glaze Out Like A Light and Night Owl Lacquer Howl At The Moon. I couldn’t see a difference in person between the 3 polishes. I put Heather’s Hues Shadow on my pinky just to show how the polishes compared to a true black.
This is. the second “black” Essie has released this year, the first being Home By 8 (Un)Guilty Pleasures collection) so I just wanted to show how the two differ.
Grass Never Greener
Description: a vibrant grassy green vegan nail polish with blue undertones and a cream finish
Grass Never Greener the formula on this polish was amazing! It applied buttery smooth and was a one coater. Of course, I can’t do one coat of anything so my photos do show it in 2 coats.
I love this shade of green! It’s bright, vibrant and just all around beautiful. This is the shade of green I consider the shade of green they would use in a cartoon.
My photos show Grass Never Greener in 2 coats plus glossy top coat.
I thought for sure this was going to be a dupe for something in my collection. The closest thing I could find was Sally Hansen’s Granny Smith Apple, but they’re not dupes. This polish is also more subdued in comparison to my favorite green creme, So Fresh & So Green from Night Owl Lacquer.
In My Sandbox
Description: a milky off-white with pink undertones and a cream finish
In My Sandbox had a pretty good formula. It was streaky on that first coat but about what I expected from a color that is this light. It self leveled really nicely.
I found in the bottle, this does look like a super duper pale pink shade but on me it looks more like a light beige. I am not a fan of either color but this polish surprised me at how even the coverage was.
My photos show In My Sandbox in 2 coats plus glossy top coat. Depending on your application, this could be a 3 coater. I found when I did my live swatches I had a few dark spots.
As I mentioned, when I did my swatches I thought this was a pale beige and not a pink toned white. So all of my comparisons are for other beiges. No dupes in my collection but that’s not a surprise to anyone who pays attention. OPI Do You Take Lei Away? on my pointer finger, on my middle nail is In My Sandbox, on my ring finger is China Glaze Sandy Scales (China Glaze Jurassic World)
Push Play
Description: a rich cobalt blue vegan nail polish with red undertones and a cream finish
Push Play is the shade of blue I will never ever EVER stop loving (or buying). The formula on this polish was absolutely perfect!
This is a fun and bright cobalt shade. Essie’s description makes it sound like this might be a warm toned blue, but I didn’t find it to be. It is exactly what you expect from a cobalt blue.
My photos show Push Play in 2 coats plus glossy top coat. Make sure to wear base coat as this is very pigmented! I didn’t experience any staining with it though.
I knew I HAD to compare this polish to Essie’s Butler Please. They aren’t dupes but they are very close. Butler Please is just a hair more saturated. Since I own so many cobalt blues, I pulled out my most recent acquisition, China Glaze Born To Rule.
None of these are 100% dupes but I fully recognize they are close enough that I probably don’t need them all.
Start Signs Only
Description: a saturated coral red vegan nail polish with orange undertones and a cream finish
Start Signs Only had a pretty good formula. Coverage was good on the first coat and it was just shy of being a one coater.
I am not a huge lover of orangey reds. I don’t think they compliment my skin tone well. This isn’t bad for a color that I don’t like.
My photos show Start Signs Only in 2 coats plus glossy top coat. Again, make sure to wear base coat as this is a very pigmented color.
I pulled out all of the orange leaning reds and Start Signs Only takes the cake for the most orange!
Comparison: Night Owl Lacquer Harvest (November 2023 CoTM) is on my pointer finger, Start Signs Only is on my middle nail, Essie Burning Love (Valentine’s Day 2023) is on my ring finger and Expressie Send A Message (Expressie Word On The Street) is on my pinky.
Sunshine Be Mine
Description: a bright sunny yellow vegan nail polish with white undertones and a cream finish
Sunshine Be Mine I was a little nervous about this one. I went into swatching it thinking that it was going to be a streaky streaky mess, thankfully it was not. It was on the thicker side but application was still really good, especially for a yellow creme.
This is a bright and sunshiney yellow. Coverage was pretty good. It is likely to be a 2-3 coater depending on personal preference and application.
My photos show Sunshine Be Mine in 3 coats plus glossy top coat.
On my pointer finger is Clionadh Cosmetics Lemonade Stand (Retro Essentials), on my middle nail is Sunshine Be Mine, on my ring finger is Night Owl Lacquer First Light.
The color differences between all of these is really subtle. First Light is a little bit more golden, Lemonade Stand is a touch darker and Sunshine Be Mine is the most cartoon sun yellow.
Final Thoughts
So overlooking that none of these colors are the most unique colors that I have ever seen, I thought this was a really beautiful collection. All of the formulas were fantastic and would be good staple colors to any collection.
One of my favorite Youtuber’s JessFace90 mentioned the color story reminded her of the old school Nintendo controllers and now that that’s in my head, I’m a little bummed this collection wasn’t inspired by old school gaming!
My top picks are without a doubt going to be Push Play, Sunshine Be Mine and Climbing High.
Essie
13.5ml, 8 Free, Not Tested On Animals & Vegan
Website | Instagram
Sale Information
The Push Play collection is limited edition and is just starting to pop up online and in store. Each polish retails for $10 for 13.5ml bottles. I purchased mine via Amazon but I did see a display up for this release at my local Rite Aid store.
If you would like to pick up the collection at a discount, do consider using my affiliate code, NicoleLovesNails on BeyondPolish.com. The collection is not yet live on their page but when it is, here is a direct link to the collection.
Essie is also sold at the following retailers: Ulta, Target, Rite Aide, Walmart and Amazon. These links are affiliate links. Using my affiliate links/codes helps me keep purchasing all of these collections to review but as always, no pressure to use them!
