Nail Science Throwdown-- Seche Vite v Essie Topcoat

Seche & Essie To Dry For, originally uploaded by nail.color.love.

As I'm sure you all know by now, I am an Essie fanatic. However, up until recently I have been a Seche Vite loyalist. After all, the stuff is quick-drying, can take some serious wear-and-tear, and it's just downright glossy. HOWEVER,

Given that Zoya is having their Earth Day promo, I went out and ordered a boatload of Zoyas (those coming soon). Much to my dismay, I found that my Seche had serious wear problems. The culprit? Cellulose Acetate Butyrate.

See, Cellulose Acetate Butyrate is known for being a quick-drying, glossy, tough substance. It's denser than water and used for the glossy finish on a lot of stuff. And I mean a lot of stuff.

But for whatever reason, Zoya doesn't work with it. So I found this Essie quick-dry topcoat. And friend, this stuff is the bomb!

Instead of using CAB, it uses Nitrocellulose. Fun science lesson: Nitrocellulose is a super-flexible, super glossy material. Because solvents evaporate completely in nitrocellulose, it means it dries fast. And because of it's rigid molecule structure, it's hard-yet-flexible. OPTIMAL.

And I don't just mean ideal. That was poor word-choice. I mean optimal. This stuff is used to varnish wood floors to "bring out the grain" (don't believe me? click the link!). I mean, I'm practically dancing at this revelation.

So, sorry Seche, but I think I'm a full convert now. Essie just gets the job D-O-N-E.

Only downside-- Nitrocellulose is sort of explosive. No, really. It blows up. But have no fear, the nitrogen content in this topcoat is low enough that it doesn't constitute explosive.

Neons! -- Essie's Pink Parka

essie pink parka (1), originally uploaded by nail.color.love.

Hi there! I went on a total nailpolish binge the last couple of days so I'll try to upload some swatches as soon as possible. Today, however, I present to you Essie's Pink Parka

In short, this is what Pink would look like if it joined a rock band. It's pretty rad.

Pink Parka is a neon, so it's difficult to have true color-parity in pictures and it dries matte. I've tried several different lighting combinations in order to help give you an idea of what it looks like-- but you'll just have to try this one for yourself if you truly want to experience the fantastic that is neon.

essie pink parka (2), originally uploaded by nail.color.love.

I know the darkness of the photo is really annoying but it's the closest I could get to capturing the depth of color.

essie pink parka (3), originally uploaded by nail.color.love.

essie pink parka (4), originally uploaded by nail.color.love.

The formula was pretty great, as per usual. Although Pink Parka isn't marketed as a matte, it is one, so I have to say-- Essie nailed the matte thing. Unlike the OPI mattes that tanked, Essie's formula dried at a good pace and refrained from looking chalky. All in all, I'm pretty happy with this polish.

That said, I do prefer the glossy look of most polish, so I slapped some Seche on top to see what it would look like.


essie pink parka w/seche(1), originally uploaded by nail.color.love.


essie pink parka w/seche(2), originally uploaded by nail.color.love.

Anyway, that's all I got for today. I'm totally digging these pinks.

nail/color/love -- Essie's Lovie Dovie

Hi!

I started this blog because of my acute obsession with nail polish.

So today is post number one. And it's about color.

I first got obsessed with nail polish one day when I was thinking about a 6th grade art class where I was trying to paint a white vase. Have you ever tried to paint a three-dimensional white object? It's pretty difficult. See, you can't just use white paint. It looks flat. So in order to paint a white vase you have a use a dizzying array of subtle colors-- blues and yellows, reds and oranges-- in order to create three-dimensional-ity.

I'm not sure how I happened upon this thought (after all, it was the 6th grade), but afterward I kept looking around at the color in the world around me, trying to imagine how I would paint it on a canvas.

About this time, I was due for a haircut, and when I entered the salon, a single color caught my eye. I was hooked.

So when I'm not reading, writing, working on my BA, teasing my cats with laser pointers or traveling to see family-- I'm searching for color. And when I find a really cool one, I plop it on my nail and smile at it for a few days.

So today I present to you my first set of swatches.

From Nail Swatches

Today I nailed (hah-hah, nail joke on a nail polish blog) Essie's "Lovie Dovie" from their Summer 2009 collection.

Essie is probably one of my favorite polish brands. I know, I know, she's [in]famous for doing muted beiges and pinks; but her polish wears like iron, her formula is more-than-ace, and when Essie nails a color-- man, does she nail it.

Not to mention that whole feminist angle. She's a self-made entrepreneurial machine. And I gotta say, I respect that.

Lovie Dovie is no exception. While the brush is a little skinny for my taste (most Essie brushes are), the formula is to die for and the color of pink (yes, pink, you Essie-haters) is a nearly-neon (though not quite) lavender-y creme pink. And it looks good.

From Nail Swatches

From Nail Swatches

From Nail Swatches

Anyway, carry on, have a good day, and check back with ya in a jiff!