Thursday, April 16, 2009

Essie Summer 2009: NEONS!!!

I just got the new Essie neons and HOLY CRAP! These are BRIGHT!!!!!!!

First, a disclaimer and then the swatches. Since these polishes are neon, they don't photograph true to life. I have not yet found a way to capture the true glow of a neon polish. They do weird things to my camera. I have tried my best to get the colors accurate, but these will look much, much brighter in real life.

I'm trying out different types of lighting for these, and a couple of them turned out pretty good. Some are taken in the shade or in a dark room, so that's why my skin looks grey... No, I am not a zombie. Yet.


Edit:  Check out Siobhan's awesome swatches of this collection at The Nailphile!




Flirty Fuchsia. Neon pink. Sunlight pictures of neons never come out, I don't even know why I bothered. This pink has almost a touch of red to it- it's a deeper pink than Punchy Pink but it's just as bright!




Funky Limelight. Neon highlighter yellow. This is a true highlighter yellow. It's officially my new favorite yellow. This is retina-searingly bright, in fact, it gives me a bit of a headache just looking at it!




Perky Purple. Saturated neon purple. This might actually be my favorite type of color. No matter how many neon purples I own, I just never seem to get sick of them and always find myself wanting more! This is more of a deep purple in real life, but super bright. It's a lot like Essie Bermuda Shorts from last year's neons.




Punchy Pink. Uber-bright neon light pink. This is the lighter of the two pinks, and it seems more on the cool end of the spectrum. These pictures can not possibly portray how cool this polish is. It is ridiculous.


The formula on these is perfect. Thin, pigmented, smooth, totally flawless. I had zero application issues. These are right in line with the Zoya neons formula-wise. In fact, these are even thinner and smoother than the Zoyas, but not as opaque. They are slightly on the sheer side- one coat of polish lays down a lot of pigment but to build intensity you really need three coats. All of these pictures are three coats of polish with one coat of Seche Vite. Since it is the nature of neons to dry matte, you will need a topcoat if you want a glossy finish.

I am going to say it right now: Funky Limelight is the best neon yellow I own. It's the brightest, the smoothest, the least streaky and just plain incredible. Backup-worthy. I don't usually like to choose 'best' products because something better usually comes along, but no, this is THE. BEST. Period.

Overall, I am totally thrilled with these. Yes, these are pretty much your average neons, but they seem a lot brighter than most of the neons I own. The other thing that has me so excited about these is that, hello, they're ESSIE. Neons. Essie. Safe, sheer-pale-pink-nude Essie made these obscenely bright neons. Wrap your brain around that!

I would have liked to see a blue and green to round out the collection, but I can deal with just four awesome shades. I can't even see clearly because of the spots in my eyes from looking at these. It's like looking at the sun. Wicked.

68 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Carly, I'm not the one who is mean here- you're the one who came to my blog to tell my my nail art was
    "awful" , "scary", "bad" and "sloppy." You were very rude and hurtful to me and I'd appreciate it if you could stop being so nasty. I don't really care if you don't like my designs, no one likes all the same things, but there was no need to be rude. You hurt my feelings.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey where did you get the neon green from. i cant find it anywhere and mywife wants it so bad

      Delete
    2. Hey where did you get the neon green from. i cant find it anywhere and mywife wants it so bad

      Delete
    3. Where can i find the neon green my wife loves it but cant find it anywhere can you help email me

      Delete
  3. Funky Limelight even looks blinding in the pic. I can't imagine how intense it is in real life! Awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Whoa! Love these swatches! I will keep my eyes peeled for Funky Limelight, but I doubt I could miss it. If it's in the store it looks like I'll see it.

    On another note, do you know if the Jello/Essie colors will be released in stores or are they just to be given away as contest prizes?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Deb, it is insane. I think you could land planes with it! lol :D

    Abigail, thank you :) I think it's so bright you could see it from the store across the street! ;-) And about the Essie Jello colors- I have no idea! This is the first I've heard of it, I am dying to know more!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Confusing comments! Love the colors and they all look gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  7. i think i'm going to go blind.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your pics and Nailphile's pics of the yellow and punchy pink are completely different! Guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow to see what it looks like on me.

    Also, I saw the yellow in the store, and I took an involuntary step back. Because it was scary-bright. I'm such a coward!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Don't mean to step on nobody's foot, but ah--

    As a nail blogger myself, I don't know if others know how hard it is to master nail art. For most of us, this isn't our day job, obviously, it's a hobby. I appreciate others' pictures and blogs because in general, we're taking time out of our lives to share something we really love. It seems really petty to have haters come out and talk trash.

    But then again, I've been told in the past--"If you don't have haters, you're doing something wrong."

    Scrangie, you're definitely on my top 3 nail blogs. I always look forward to your posts; the pictures are great and the commentary entertaining yet informative. Keep it up!

    ReplyDelete
  10. These are beautiful on you! Do you think they'd be flattering on a cool skin tone?

    ReplyDelete
  11. I just wanted to add that your blog is absolutely amazing and one of my favorites. I obsessively check it every day for updates. :) Thank you for making the time to give us your swatches!!!! :D

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow, those are bright! I love them all and I think I need more Essie's in my collection. Uh-oh!

    ReplyDelete
  13. HELLO ESSIE...that highlighter yellow is in-freakin-sane. How many coats did you use? I remember reading at Nailphile that Siobhan used SEVEN coats...it looks pretty awesome, but SEVEN coats awesome?! I don't know if I have that kind of patience!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Lucy, haha sorry :) I'm glad you like them!

    Dori, pretty bright, eh? :)

    Kimchix3, yep, I noticed! I think her picture of Punchy Pink is better than mine, I had a really hard time photographing it, they just never seem to come out right!

    Anonymous, thank you, thank you so much. That means a LOT to me. You're a sweetheart :)

    J, definitely! I have a very cool skintone and I think they look pretty great on me. And thank you!!! That makes me happy :)

    Mary, Essie rocks! I used to hate them but they've improved *so* much over the years I've been totally reformed!

    ReplyDelete
  15. The Asian Girl, I did three coats. My nails are pretty short right now so I didn't have much Visible Nail Line after three :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Scrangie I saw the other comments that were posted under my name that you did not appreciate and I totally agree. I think somebody hacked my account because that was not me! I don't know what else to say.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Scrangie, I can not express how much I love your blog. I'd been nail polish obsessed several years ago until discovering your blog and I'm back in action! lol

    I swear, your swatches can have me convinced to buy every single color you wear lol.

    Anyways, I'm a little dissappointed with the neons because I didn't feel like they were different enough, but hey, I guess there are only so many neons you can come up with lol. I think I'll have to get that high lighter yellow color . . .

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thanks for swatch. Very bright colors!!! But I`m not sure, am I going to buy anything.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Great swatches as usual Scrangie!
    I agree with Savannah; your swatches have me convinced to buy almost every single color you wear :D Keep it up, and don't let those very few haters get to you. I adore your blog :D

    ReplyDelete
  20. OH my god! They're super cool! I can't wait to get them. All of them damnit!

    Really great pictures (as always dear)!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh! Funky Limelight is so bright that it looks totally harmful and offensive. :D I love it! But it would definitely makes my skin look like I'm dead (and just un-burried) so I won't make any attempt to purchase it.

    While you were wearing all the neon colors have you tried to go on a room with a black light on? I'm sure Funky Limelight would look awesome under those lights, popping up like crazy.

    By the way, Scrangie you'd be an unhappy girl here in my country (France). No Essie anywhere in stores (I knew about this brand - and many others - on your blog!), and OPI nailpolishes are very hard to find (needless to say the choice of colors is very reduced) and overall very pricey (15€ in general for a bottle which makes 20$ for a bottle). Happily, the internet is here.

    And to finish, as soon as you're doing something well and have a faithful audience, you can't avoid haters I suppose. It's hurting I know but best is to ignore them. You should be sure many girls enjoy your blog. You're my favorite nail blogger! So to say!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Can you compare the two neon summer collections from Essie? :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Wow, after seeing this I want to break my no buy, Funky Limelight looks so intense!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Scrangie, they look amazing! I want them all. When is Essie releasing these?

    ReplyDelete
  25. OMG I have to get Funky Limelight!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Oh, that's briiiiight:) Your nails look amazing as always
    <3 to you

    ReplyDelete
  27. Gorgeous nails, Scrangie! I think Funky Limelight would make for a great pedicure.

    Also: Your nail blog is THE BEST.

    Dana Cerise

    ReplyDelete
  28. Thank you for the awesome swatches Scrangie! As always you're blog is a huge lemming factory! <3 Carla.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Yes those Essie are pretty, that's what I think Essie misses I do feel most of their colors are drab (not sure that's the right word, that'd be terne in French) even their last blue collection was to me. But those are very pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  30. hi Scrangie!!

    I just have a quick question for you: How does the Essie Funky Limelight compare to China Glaze Celtic Sun???

    Just wondering because I'm thinking about getting that Essie highlighter yellow

    ReplyDelete
  31. Great swatches, Scrangie! I used artificial light, and your natural light and shade pics mean we covered it all!

    I'm astounded that anyone would be critical of your work here. You clearly put your best effort in, because your pics always reveal incredible results. If someone can't handle reading excellent reviews of the latest products with exceptional TTL pics, then she should go read one of the crappy blogs...

    ReplyDelete
  32. Scrangie your swatches are THE BEST hands down. I have a few others that I check every day but yours are my favorite and I am sure I am not alone here. ANYWHO....I am glad you did these. I saw them the other day when I was picking up some of the electro candy and I hesitated thinking they were too similar to the ones I had BUT seeing these changed my mind and I am going back tomorrow to get all of them :) YOU FRIGGIN ROCK!!!

    ReplyDelete
  33. I totally want this collection now, you do such a good job on your nails, they look flawless! How do you paint your nail polish on so perfect? My fav is the yellow btw ;)

    ReplyDelete
  34. oh my god, I LOVE this! It's like candy for nails :-)

    ReplyDelete
  35. Scrangie, I love your swatches of the neons, and have picked them up based on your pics...yes my addiction has been turned back on again.

    I am so sorry that you have been targeted by haters. It seems that many bloggers, and frankly anyone who posts pictures, stories, or anything on the net will be targeted by someone with something nasty to say. While the net has given us lots of good (your blog and those of many of the other nail gals out there), it also gives a voice to those who are negative, nasty, jealous, and toxic. It is hard not to take their negative comments personally, and anyone with normal human emotions will be affected. Just remember that these people are unhappy members of society, no matter who they are or what they do, and contribute nothing of value to humanity when they make such comments. You on the other hand are sharing your enjoyment of a hobby with the world and that is a great thing to do. Keep up the fantastic work, as many of us appreciate you!

    ReplyDelete
  36. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  37. WOW I love these neon ones!! They are awesome. I just featured your blog in my latest post with images of a few of my favorite nail polishes. I wanted to let you know to see if you didn't mind. If you would like me to take it down just let me know :).
    Oh and ofcourse I gave you credit for all the images.

    I love your blog and don;t let the haters get you down, they have no life and no idea what they are talking about.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Hey Scrangie...just wanted to say that I love your blog. I always find new colors I love on your blog. Anyway, I was wondering what the name of the OPI blue nail polish was that you used to compare the bottle size of the matte nail polishes on the March 30, 2009 post. I apologize if this question is late, I just really liked that color as I was reviewing your older posts.

    ReplyDelete
  39. For some reason i don't like this neon collection - it's pretty similar to last summer collection of neons.

    I must say Essie's nail polishes recently very disappointing :-/

    Scrangie- You are my top blogger , don't give a damn what people tell you. You are great!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  40. Scrangie

    Can't



    write





    heart





    stopped.





    Awesome color on your awesome nails! TFS!

    Scott

    PS dug the nail art, your talent is only outdone by your niceness.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Scrangie, I'm a newbie and find nailpolish application a bit hard, is Essie better than OPI? My polish goes on a bit thick and I get bubbles. Can you give me some tips please?
    I love your blog, please don't let haters get you down. I obsessively check your blog even when I'm travelling, and you have been partly responsible for my nail polish fixation. Even your pictures are perfect. Can I ask what topcoat you use?

    ReplyDelete
  42. Hi Scrangie, I just wanted to tell you that I love your blog and your swatches!
    I was wondering what you use to keep your nails so strong-looking?
    Any special hardener?

    ReplyDelete
  43. woah, Scrangie I def need some more Essie in my collection.
    By the way, i'm not sure if you mentioned how many coats you had to put on, and if i did miss it it was because my eyes got seared by the colors. So Cool!

    ReplyDelete
  44. By the way, don't let haters get you down. They should just go and post their own crap. You run a very good blog.

    ReplyDelete
  45. The pinks are calling my name. I must not listen to them. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  46. I second the request on how Funky Limelight compares to Celtic Sun! I hate Celtic Sun for being so sheer :[ How did you get away with only three coats when Siobhan did SEVEN?!

    ReplyDelete
  47. Yeah, I was wondering how come you could get away with simply 3 coats of Funky Limelight too?

    Anyways, I must say that I've been an avid reader of your blog and I religiously check it out daily, in hope that you've got new swatches haha.

    You provide the BEST swatches by far and no one even comes close IMO (no offence to anyone here). I'm often tied down by school assignments but all your vibrant pictures never fail to make me a happy kid again :D

    ReplyDelete
  48. Woho, I got my konad plates today. Free shipping and 20% off!
    You rock:D

    ReplyDelete
  49. hi,

    can you do a comparision of this years and last years essie neons please?

    love your blog - i have bought so many polishes because of it - esp OPI and China Glaze (which i have only recently discovered and love)

    ps: sounds like the hater was jealous

    ReplyDelete
  50. Scrangie, your nail color swatches are the best that I could find on the net (no offense to others). I just love how your layout and color saturation that I could see on the screen.

    It does help me to think whether it's a color that is suitable for me before I buy them online. :)

    Way to go, Scrangie! Thx for doing this and sharing with all of us that love to polish our nails.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Since you were inquiring about the Essie Jell-O nail polishes, I took the liberty of researching it. I found a link that talks about Essie's team up with Jell-O.

    http://www.kraftfoodscompany.com/MediaCenter/country-press-releases/us/2009/us_pr_03162009.htm

    I also included an excerpt about the team up.

    Leveraging the “red hot” flavors and colors of the new gelatin flavors, JELL-O has teamed up with Essie® Cosmetics to launch two special nail polish colors – Strawberry Açaí (a rich, juicy berry shade) and Raspberry Goji (a deep cranberry/dark cherry color fusion), which will be exclusively available through the “Red Haute Flavors of Summer” contest. To participate, consumers can visit www.JELL-O.com/redhaute and enter a valid JELL-O UPC code to win the ultimate JELL-O “red haute” treat – a summer’s worth of manicures and tasty JELL-O gelatin to help keep cool during “haute” months. One grand prize will be awarded and 2,000 entrants will win one of the two limited-time polish colors, available only through this promotion. At www.essie.com, consumers can get the same “red haute” look with essie® nail colors in “A-List” and “Tomboy no More”.

    Hope this satisfies your curiosity about the Essie Jell-O polishes!

    P.S. I absolutely love in your face nail polishes, especially Funky Limelight!

    ReplyDelete
  52. how is color club lazer pink compared to punchy pink?

    great swatches, btw. best nail blog ever. :)

    ReplyDelete
  53. I tried Funky limelight today with 3 coats, it still comes on sheer for me. I guess I have to do more, i love that color especially your picture. It also glows under a blacklight... i looove it

    thanks so much

    ReplyDelete
  54. Carly, thank you

    Savannah, awwe thank you :) I totally understand- they can only do so many variations on neon, but these have great formula :)

    Charming Nails, :)

    Vanessa, haha aww thank you so much!

    Tamara, thank you!

    Diable, thank you so much! Loved your comment :)

    Sandra, will do!

    Clockwork, it IS! You have no idea. Hahaha :) Blinding!

    AndeeSue, they're out now :)

    Alexlyndra, it's crazy awesome!

    Sanna, thank you, you are so good to me :)

    Dana, thank you so much!

    Carla G. thank you :)

    Meyah, this may be a very good year for Essie colors, judging by the past few collections!

    Gerry, they're quite similar shade-wise, but the China Glaze is very sheer and kind of thick and hard to apply. It has a jelly finish whereas the Essie has a creme finish :)

    Siobhan, thank you SO much. That means so, so much to me coming from you. You rock my world, Siobhan!

    Liz, thank you very much <3 <3 <3

    *Mimi*, lots and lots and lots of practice, haha :)

    Tanya, exactly!!

    Melli, thank you so much. You are so kind and logical. Your comments are so comforting to me. I really appreciate them :)

    Mery, wow, thank you! Don't worry, I don't mind a bit! In fact, I am flattered!

    Kunal, thank you so much! I'm pretty sure it's either Glamour or Fantasy... it might be Fantasy... it's the more holo of the two dark blue Designer Series polishes :)

    Nitzan, thank you! These are similar, but they're much brighter than last year's neons- probably don't need both if you're not a neon lover!

    Scott, thank you, you are a total sweetheart. Your wife is a lucky lady!

    Nayanika, thank you! :) Applying polish perfectly takes practice, but it helps a lot to have only a tiny amount of polish on the brush and also to apply very thin coats. Also, don't blow on them or put them near a fan while they're wet because that can cause bubbles. I use Seche Vite topcoat :)

    Kallima, thank you! I swear by Qtica Natural Nail Growth Stimulator, I can't live without it!

    ReplyDelete
  55. Helenbella, I did three coats for each :)

    Hailey, hahaha :)

    Laura, I did really thick coats for that color and my nails are so short right now that my nail line doesn't show much :)

    Casey, wow wow thank you!! I did thick coats on Funky Limelight, if I did normal coats I would need to do four or five probably :) Seven would have all my bases covered though!

    Sanna, yesss awesome awesome awesome!!!

    edelmc, sure thing!

    Mccstitch, thank you so much!!

    Anna, super super cool, thank you so much for the info! I might try to win one haha :)

    Anonymous, thank you!! They are pretty similar but slightly different... very hard to describe!

    Anastasia, I wore that color all last weekend I love it so much! It is very sheer, I did four coats this week and it was better!

    ReplyDelete
  56. Hey scrangie, i recently purchased "Yell-OH!" from color club and would like to see how that compares to your funky limelight since u say its the ultimate neon yellow. I buy a lot of my polishes from looking at your swatches or from a few other swatchers/bloggers online, never really get to see them in person before i buy, so i would just like to see whats the diff between what i already have and if its worth it to get the funky limelight, if its that much different from yell-oh. Can you also put it up against misa "a sunny smile makes me go wild" and CC "volt of light" and maybe even CG "celtic sun" again, like one on each finger? Just want to get a good fluorescent neon yellow comparison once and for all to peep which is most opaque and glows more, and your just the gal to do it :) thanx

    ReplyDelete
  57. Elleisill, Funky Limelight is the glowiest out of all of those- I can do a comparison but it will take me a long time to get to is because I'm very backlogged right now :)

    ReplyDelete
  58. k, ill take your word for it and will pick it up if i see it or the next time im hauling, but ill still keep checking back for a neon yellow comparison cause its a fav color of mine. Hopefully u can get it in by the end of the year, lol. Thanx :)

    ReplyDelete
  59. these colors are freakin AWESOMIST!!

    i love your blog - your swatches always look professionally done!

    keep up the excellent work =)

    BD

    ReplyDelete
  60. BD Sneakerette, hahaha thank you so much!! <3

    ReplyDelete
  61. I've been using Funky Limelight for a few weeks now, but have to repaint my nails every 2-3 days because the polish keeps peeling off. Not chipping, but the entire sheet of paint coming off in 1 piece. Does anyone have any advice in terms of what I need to do to keep this from happening? Are you experiencing the same issue? I've never experienced any other polish which acted this way. (I'm a long time Essie user and this doesn't happen with their other colors) Help!

    ReplyDelete
  62. Im fairly new to Essie. I have to other Essie colours, but after reading this, i bought perky purple & punchy pink from a seller on Ebay.

    The perky purple arrived today, i applied one coat and it all dried chalky/powdery with no sheen/shine...is this normal with perky purple??

    ReplyDelete
  63. Samantha, I have had that happen with other polishes and it was due to doing too many coats or using too much topcoat- that could be the case with your Funky Limelight :(

    Suzy, yes, that is normal. I actually mentioned it in my post! All true neon polishes will always dry matte. It has to do with the neon pigment used to make them. A quick coat of topcoat will take care of that! You need some Seche Vite!

    ReplyDelete
  64. love love love the neons. i turned a corner at ulta last night and saw them and literally gasped out loud and crouched to examine them further. the best part was that they had just been put up in display, so they hadn't been picked through! i couldn't bring myself to buy all of them, though i wanted to, because i already have a neon purple that seemed a dupe and a neon pink, but i def bought "funky limelight". the only downside is, i had to use at least four coats to get really intense color. it dries pretty quick though, so i don't mind :) thank you for the swatches! i always check here before buying a color to see how it looks.

    ReplyDelete
  65. Lucy, aren't they SO bright? I love them! I have to do four or more coats of Funky Limelight too, but it's so worth it :)

    ReplyDelete

Please be respectful. Refrain from using my comments for unsolicited advertising. If you would like me to check out your blog or product, please email me. Thank you!