Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Stars on Show

When I saw the Essie Winter 2012 collection last year, the one polish that caught my eye was Leading Lady. I was keen to get my hands on it, but never found it in the shops here and didn't want to resort to buying it online, where the price of shipping wouldn't make it worthwhile. The brand released a very similar polish this year called Toggle to the Top which rekindled my interest in Leading Lady. Essie recently launched in Priceline pharmacies, which unfortunately triggered in me a major Essie phase. Not only did I buy 4 polishes from Priceline, I also decided to place an online order for more Essie polishes with a friend. One of the polishes I bought in my haul was, of course, Leading Lady.







Leading Lady is a deep ruby red flecked with dense red glitter. It's completely opaque in two coats and imparts a shiny, jelly-like finish which adds dimension to the polish. The composition reminds me of what I imagine a colour like Ulta3 Brandy Wine or OPI The One That Got Away would look like with an ordinary red glitter painted over it. The tone of red is dark and full-bodied enough that it almost borders on vampy. This is by no means a subtle or quiet polish. It's loud, a little dramatic and appropriately festive for the upcoming holiday season. What I like most about it is how the glitter looks suspended in the polish, as if sandwiched between semi-translucent layers, rather than merely sitting on top. It gives the polish much more complexity and depth, and leads to a shimmering, starry effect that's positively dazzling in direct sunlight.

35 comments:

  1. I love polishes like this - it's like an automatic jelly sandwich! It's gorgeous, sort of reminds me of China Glaze Ruby slippers and all those other red-glitter-jellies. I need to get my hands on one!

    x Tashi
    http://shiwashiful.blogspot.com.au/

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  2. I'm drooling. Literally, my mouth was agape. This is so pretty! x

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  3. Absolutely love glitter polishes that have that jelly-glazed finish! I'm on the look out for a wine coloured red - something fun for the holiday season! This just might be it!

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  4. I absolutely adore it!!! Beautiful for this season! Getting it for sure!

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  5. How festive an beautiful. It looks like there's a glass sheet on top of the polish. Such a great shade, I've love this in a navy or teal!

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  6. ruby red slippers for your nails... this is one gorgeous shade :)

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  7. Such a Christmassy shade! I can't wait to arrive to Sweden and get some Essie polishes :)

    xx

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  8. OMG this nail polish *-*
    I've been looking for a nice Red nailpolish for Christmas. I wanted something that would, actually, scream Christmas.Thanks to you I think I just found it. I guess my Essie Nailpolish Wishlist just got bigger.

    Thank you very much for the amazing post!
    Please take care, have a nice day!*

    beauty-with-love.blogspot.com

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  9. Oh my god this is gorgeous! Is it easy to remove? That's my only qualm with glitter polishes! xxx

    StudentBeauty

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    1. It was a pain to remove like most glitter polishes but worth it in my opinion! :)

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  10. That is a stunning nail polish, especially for Christmas :)
    Amy x | A Little Boat Sailing

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  11. That's such a stunning shade, perfect for the holidays! I love how smooth it looks xx

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  12. Very pretty nail polish, and its name is well-suited too! It's very glamorous. I would definitely wear something on my nails for Christmas or New Year's.

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  13. This is gorgeous :) Especially for Christmas and New Years! xx
    xtouchofbeautyx.blogspot.co.uk

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  14. Gorgeous shade, perfect for the upcoming holiday season :) xx

    beautyvisions.blogspot.com

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  15. Oooh it is such a gorgeous shade and very christmassy! It reminds me a bit of one OPI polish from the James Bond collection last year!
    I like ESSIE nail polishes even though they are not very consistent with the quality imo, but still they are good for the price!

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  16. That's so so stunning on you! Love the squishy look of the finish and how the glitters peek out from it. Totally festive and appropriate for the holidays! :D

    ~ Yun

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  17. This reminds me of a-englands polishes. I just discovered them and I'm in loveee!

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  18. That colour is so gorgeous, so perfect for Christmas! Love all your photos :) x

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! Likewise :) Your blog and photos have such a pretty and calming look to them.

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  19. Ohemgee this nail polish is perfect for this season. So Christmas-y! *_*

    Shang J. | The Feminine Crusade

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  20. This nail polish has been on my wishlist for ever!

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  21. WOW! I love this! It definitely does have a jelly finish, which I've never seen in glitter polishes.. Oh god, why did you do this? I'm supposed to be on a nail-polish-purchasing-ban!

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  22. Definitely a very festive polish, so dorothy and her ruby slippers!!

    à la foliee

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  23. Leading Lady is gorgeous! As you have pointed out, the illusion of glitters in between layers make the polish look very nice. It's time for me to dig out my red polish to match the season too hehehe.

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  24. Oh my oh! This is just amazing nail polish! I really love red tones on nails even more when winter is coming. Have to have this! :)

    http://happinessvictim.blogspot.com
    x

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  25. Wow, this shade is stunning, and also perfectly festive as well :)

    Jordan | Boho Vanity

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  26. Oh my gosh, this shade is GORGEOUS!! I've been going through a major essie phase lately (which is shocking to me because I really don't care for the formula) and I think it has to do purely with the fact that the shade selection is so decadent. Especially for the holiday season!! I have their holiday shade "hors d'oeuvres" on my nails right now and it's so sparkly and gorgeous like the one you're wearing *__*

    ♥Cassie
    thriftthick.blogspot.com

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  27. I'm definitely going through an Essie phase at the moment too. Looks like a lovely colour for Christmas x x

    zoetrope2468.com

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  28. I love this nail polish! So beautiful :)

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  29. Ohh what a beautiful colour, it's so perfect for this season <3

    Jennie xo | sailorjennie.com

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  30. Such a pretty colour, it's what I would imagine Mrs Clause to wear haha :)
    http://wwwclairabelle.blogspot.co.uk/

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