I applied just one coat of each for the swatches here. They all provide a unique way to spice up a manicure. Be warned, I may be gone a little overboard on the photos, but I hope you will enjoy the swatches.
Essie A Cut Above (Over Sinful Colors Slate)
This polish is made up of a mix of different sized pink glitter. Most prominent are the large hexagon glitters. I chose to wear one coat of A Cut Above over Sinful Colors Slate since I love the combination of pink with gray. The glitter was easy to apply and spread well. It was surprisingly smooth for a glitter after just one layer with top coat.
| Swatch Details | |
 | Brand: Essie Collection: Luxeffects Color Name/Number: A Cut Above Number of coats: 1 (over Sinful Colors Slate) Top Coat: Yes Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP) |
As Gold As It Gets (over Sinful Colors Amethyst)
This is composed of tiny gold flakes in a milky base. Application was great and I love how it looks over purple. Purple and gold are the colors of my Alma Mater, so this manicure would be perfect for sport games, if I were a fan of such things, but I digress. This is one coat plus a top coat over Sinful Colors Amethyst
A closeup to see the small flakes...
| Swatch Details | |
 | Brand: Essie Collection: Luxeffects Color Name/Number: As Gold As It Gets Number of coats: 1 (over Sinful Colors Amethyst) Top Coat: Yes Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP) |
Set In Stones (over Sinful Colors Timbleberry)
This is basically the same as A Cut Above except with silver glitter. I wanted to pair it with something unique, so I tried it over Sinful Colors Timbleberry, a bright pink coral (although it looks orange in the photos). I was not too thrilled with how this combination looked. Application was good, no problems with the glitter bunching up. This is one coat of Set in Stones with a top coat.
| Swatch Details | |
 | Brand: Essie Collection: Luxeffects Color Name/Number: Set In Stones Number of coats: 1 (over Sinful Colors Timbleberry) Top Coat: Yes Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP) |
Pure Pearlfection (over Sinful Colors Nirvana)
This polish is a pearly shimmer in a milky base. It doesn't photograph as well as it looks in real life since it blinds the camera. I really liked how it looked over Sinful Colors Nirvana and have already used it to add a touch of shimmer to the argyle manicure. Application is great, this is one coat with a top coat.
At a different angle you can really see the light dusting of shimmer...
| Swatch Details | |
 | Brand: Essie Collection: Luxeffects Color Name/Number: Pure Pearlfection Number of coats: 1 (over Sinful Colors Nirvana) Top Coat: Yes Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP) |
Shine Of The Times (Over Sinful Colors Seaweed)
Flakies! What can I say about this polish that has not already been said. It is pure perfection. Application is great and it looks amazing. I think it is a dupe for a few other polishes, but I don't hear anyone complaining. I have already gotten a backup bottle of this and have a strange desire to get more. Is that weird?
I wanted to see what it looks like over a lighter color so I paired it with Sinful Colors Seaweed. It was hard to photograph the flakies over a light color with my standard light settings. They seemed to blend and not show up as they do in real life...
Changed my light setting a bit so the light is not direct. I usually don't use this setting since it creates a matte effect in the photo, but in this case it does a better job of showing off the flakes...
| Swatch Details | |
 | Brand: Essie Collection: Luxeffects Color Name/Number: Shine Of The Times Number of coats: 1 (over Sinful Colors Seaweed) Top Coat: Yes Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP) |
Shine Of The Times (Over Wet 'n Wild Black Creme)
Of course I couldn't resist trying it over black and then just staring at it while slowly wiggling my fingers. I'm sure I looked like a real dork, but how can one resist such colors?
Yes, I wiggled them in front of the camera as well and created this to show the different colors as the angle of the light changes... so gorgeous... :)
| Swatch Details | |
 | Brand: Essie Collection: Luxeffects Color Name/Number: Shine Of The Times Number of coats: 1 (over Wet 'n Wild Black Creme) Top Coat: Yes Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP) |
I hope you enjoyed the swatches. I'd love to know what you think of them. Are you as head over heels for flakies as I am? :)
Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)
