Essie VoxBox Review (first base, gel setter, blanc, good as gold)

I received these products from the Influenster Essie VoxBox for testing and review purposes. Continue reading to find out what I think about the four Essie products that were sent to me.

Essie “First Base” Base Coat

I love this base coat. It makes my polishes last longer even if I don’t use a top coat. First Base is really fast drying and easy to apply so it’s a staple for me. I don’t have the smoothest nails but this does a great job providing a nice smooth canvas for my polish even though the consistency is quite thin. 

Essie “Gel.Setter” Top Coat

This is the first “gel” setting top coat I’ve tried but I am very impressed with it. The drying time was a lot faster than expected. Not only that, but I found that my nails didn’t chip as much as it does when I use other top coats (I went a good 4-5 days without chipped nails). I was pretty loyal to another top coat by another brand but after using this, I think I’m making the switch. The application gel-setter is a lot easier than the previous top coat (that isn’t even a “gel” top coat) because the formula isn’t as thick but still does the job. I’ve always been a big fan of Essie polishes so I am glad that they have now have an excellent top coat to match their polishes. 

Essie “Blanc”

I love that Essie Blanc is a true classic white shade (no yellow or pink undertones at all). The polish itself is quite opaque, but it goes on a tad streaky on my nails. I had to use at least two coats to get a nice even look. With that being said, this is one of the better white nail polishes I’ve tried in a long time (good quality white polishes are really hard to find). The brush is easy to work with, and with the right top coat, my manicure can last 3-4 days.  

Essie “Good As Gold”

I don't usually wear metallic nail polishes but I was so impressed with this beautiful "Good as Gold" shade from their mirror metallics collection. This goes on smoothly and is so opaque you could get away with just one coat. The finish is lovely as well. If you love metallic shades be sure to check out this gold metallic as well as the entire metallic collection - they have a gorgeous rose gold shade

I have always been a huge fan of Essie nail polishes and these products did not disappoint. The gel.setter top coat is a fairly new product so if you haven't checked it out yet, I highly recommend you do so.  Essie "Blanc" is the go-to white polish for me whether it is for a french manicure or for a simple white manicure to make my tan pop. Furthermore, you can create many chic nail art designs with "Blanc" and "Good as Good": think, white base with gold polka dots or tips? Or even a reverse french manicure - so glam. So if you are in the market for a good white nail polish check out "Blanc". I hope you found my reviews helpful. As always, all opinions are my own! Happy manicures, everyone! #essienailedit

XO Jenn

imPress Press-On Manicure Canada VoxBox Review

In the imPress Press-On Manicure Influenster VoxBox, I received two designs; one with black lace detail on pink nails, and one that was a plain hot pink. In the pictures, you can see that each container/box contains a handful - 24 nails, 12 sizes, to be exact - of nail press-ons of different sizes, ensuring that you find one for each nail for both hands. I have rather wide thumbnails and the fact that I could find a pair that works was amazing to me. The shape of the press-on nails are of a square shape so it looks like you actually went to the nail salon and got them filed down like that, but minus the cost, time, and chemicals.

I was always under the impression that imPress - or any press-on nails  for that matter - had only intricate designs that you could not do free hand, but the plain hot pink set showed that imPress offers a wide range of designs and colours. I for one do not always gravitate towards nail art or nails with fancy designs so I really appreciate that imPress offers plain coloured ones as well. For days where you don't want crazy nail art on your nails, but still want perfect nails, you can still opt for plain press-ons.

I find these press-ons to be so fun and easy to use. Unlike the nail stickers where you actually have to shape the sticker yourself, this press-on nails automatically gives you a perfectly shaped nail. Sometimes my nails get stained from not using a base and using too much polish, so they look pretty rough, so this is the perfect option to cover that up. Also, this "mini kit" comes with something to prep your nails for the press-ons to ensure easy application and lasting results.

XO Nicole

Essie A Crewed Interest vs. Soulstice Spa Kyoto (Swatches)

Here I have swatched A Crewed Interest by Essie and Kyoto by Soulstice Spa. When I received the Soulstice Spa polish, the shade immediately reminded me of A Crewed Interest, however, as you can see, with two coats of both, Kyoto is more pale and cool. They are definitely in the same family however. In fact, Kyoto was what I had expected or anticipated A Crewed Interest to look. Needless to say I am very happy with Kyoto.

XO Nicole

Read more:
Nail Polish Haul (OPI, Soulstice Spa)
Essie A Crewed Interest

Nail Polish Haul (OPI, Soulstice Spa)

 

I really do not need anymore nail polishes but I was completely intrigued when I saw swatches for one of the polishes from OPI's German collection. This particular polish is My Very First Knockwurst, which based on the swatches I saw online, reminded me so much of Essie's Topless and Barefoot. It looked like the perfect nude for me: not too pink and not too beige, but boy was I misleaded! I swatched this on one of my fingers and it is not a nude at all - it is actually more like a purple shade, similar to OPI's Steady As She Rose. 

I also picked up OPI's Step Right Up! and with the order, I was able to choose a Soulstice Spa polish for free and I, of course, chose the more subtle colour and went with a peachy shade called, Kyoto.

XO Nicole

Essie Topless and Barefoot

 

This has to be one of my favourite nude nail polishes (I LOVE my nude nail polishes) and while it is not the absolute perfect/HG nude nail polish, it is pretty darn close. The reason for this is because it does seem to be a bit too pinky and purple-y for me in certain lighting. If the shade toned down just a slight bit on the pink undertones, then it might be perfect but for now, I love this - it is my go-to nail polish and I will not hesitate to repurchase and/or buy a back-up.

The application of this polish is not bad - you need at least two coats for an opaque finish or you will end up with some streaks with just one coat.

XO Nicole

Drugstore (Covergirl, Burt's Bee, Sally Hansen, now solutions) Haul

Here is another drugstore haul - I made this specific haul on Well.ca. They had all their nail supplies on sale so I took this opportunity to pick of some things that were on my list, particularly the Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream.

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream - I have really dry cuticles and for the longest time, I didn't really do anything to them but recently, I decided it is about time I managed them if I wanted my manicure to look its best. This product was certainly a no-brainer for me as I've heard a lot about this in the past. Not to mention, this is easily accessible at the drugstores, for a reasonable price, is natural, smells great and supposably works great! I have already gave this a shot and I love it so far! A full review will be on its way.

Sally Hansen Double Duty Base & Top Coat 

Sally Hansen Double Duty Base & Top Coat - I have mixed experiences with Sally Hansen products but since I was in desperate need for a top coat and a base coat, I chose this because this product supposedly kills two birds with one stone. The 'strengthening' property is an added bonus.

NOW Foods Coconut Oil

NOW Foods Coconut Oil - I love Coconut Oil for all sort of things - it's a great moisturizer but I really love it for my hair, so when this was on sale, I picked a back up. Apparently, this one does not have the coconut smell - which is great because although I never really mind the smell, I would prefer to be able to use it and not have people ask, "do I smell coconut?" etc. etc.

CoverGirl Lashblast Volume Blasting Waterproof Mascara

CoverGirl Lashblast Volume Blasting Waterproof Mascara - I decided to pick this up again because since it is a stellar waterproof mascara - ie. it does not budge at all! - it would be perfect for the summer months to prevent smudges and racoon eyes.

That is for my small haul - hope you guys enjoyed it! 

XO Nicole

Essie A Crewed Interest

I saw a lot of swatches of this polish and I had fell in love with it. From the swatches, I concluded that it was going to be a neutral (my favorite kind of polish) shade but with a brighter vibe to it because it is a peachy colour. It looks great in the bottle, however, on me, not only was the application super streaky (the most streaky Essie polish I have tried thus far) but the colour was not what I was expecting. Because it was so streaky, I absolutely needed a second coat (most of the time, I can get away with one coat of polish, and I prfer it that way). The second coat did fix up the streakiness but because another layer was added, the polish became more vibrant and opaque than I wanted. In fact, in some lights, I find that it looks more like a neon peach colour!

XO Nicole

Drugstore (Essie - A Crewed Intestert, Prestige, L'Oreal) Haul

I recently dropped by the drugstore to pick up some “essentials”. I had finished using my Maybelline Illegal Lengths mascara and needed a new lengthing one. I had read a lot of good reviews (4.3/5 on Makeupalley!) on the Prestige My Longest Lashes Mascara so this was the mascara was the way to go to replace my beloved Maybelline one. Both retail around the same price.

Essie, A Crewed Interest

Essie’s “A Crewed Interest” had been all the talk recently and being someone who loves neutral nails, I thought this would be great in my collection because it looked neutral enough but also had a more summer/spring vibe to it due to the brighter tone compared to my usual, beige-y, neutral selections.

L'Oreal Colour Riche One Stop Base Coat

Now this L'Oreal Colour Riche One Stop Base Coat was an accidental purchase. I was actually intending on purchasing a new TOP coat but grabbed the wrong one! Instead of a new top coat, I ended up with this weird blue base coat (which doesn’t actually translate blue when painted on your nails - a full review to come soon?)

This was my mini drugstore haul! Let me know what you guys think of these products if you have tried them out !

XO Nicole

ZOYA (Zoya Feel Collection for Winter 2011) Nail Polish Haul

I’m all about neutral polishes so when Zoya’s winter collection, “Feel” came out last year, I was all over it, particularly “Kennedy”. One of my favourite polishes is Essie’s “Topless and Barefoot” and Kennedy reminds my of a lilac version of that so I had to get it.
 

I picked up the more neutral shades and skipped on the blue ones (Megan, Carey and Kristen).

I have never tried any of Zoya’s polishes so it was a giant leap to have hauled four at once but I needed over a certain amount to get free shipping so that was an automatic excuse to haul three additional polishes just to get Kennedy. I chose Brenna because I didn't have any other particular shades in mind and Brenna was a safe, manicure-kind of colour.

XO Nicole

OPI Mermaid Tears and Steady as She Rose Haul

Mermaid Tears, Steady as She Rose

I recently spotted OPI's Pirates of the Caribbean Collection at Winners so I took the opportunity and finally picked up "Steady as She Rose" and "Mermaid Tears". These two shades have been on my "maybe-but-doesn't really matter if i get it or not" list but since we found this at Winners, which sells at discount prices, and I've been looking at the swatches for Steady as She Rose and I saw that it's a "muted" pastel colour, which I love, so I decided why not. I was not a big fan of the collection as I only kind-of had my eye on two shades.. but hopefully they will turn out fine!

Tell me which shades you guys got from the collection! :)

XO Nicole