Julep Maven Varnish in Natasha

 

I've got two different kinds of pictures taken by my iPhone (DSLR was dead! I hadn't noticed till I went to go use it!) of Julep Maven Varnish in Natasha. The top photo is in indoor light with a little sunlight filtered through a window. The lower photo is out in direct sunlight. 

Natasha is very similar to Essie's Meet Me at Sunset. It is very opaque, even with just one coat of polish and has a fairly good sheen to it. The color didn't chip at all during the three days I was wearing it. Really, the only reason I took it off was because I painted my toe nails with Essie's Ole Caliente and ruined my Natasha manicure in the process! 

My only minor gripe was the formula was a little drippy! When I would take the brush and dip it into the bottle and pull it out polish would drip every where! Even when I tried to regulate the amount of polish that got on the brush and the stick it would still run and drip down from the plastic stem. I accidentally dripped a few dots of orange onto my carpet! Oops!

In non-Julep Natasha news, I have got a major sunburn on my chest. Which, for me, is my number one burn spot other than the part of my hair. I need to be a little more vigilant about applying sunscreen if I don't want to age my skin so much! For some reason the burn is just absolutely itchy and it is driving me insane!

 

 

 

 

Essie and Julep Show down!

L to R- Essie Ole Caliente, Julep Maven Natasha, and Essie Meet Me at Sunset

I decided to swatch my three orange-y polishes. Obviously, Essie Ole Caliente is much more of a reddish pink than the others who are a little more "true" orange. I haven't tried out my Julep Maven Nail Varnishes just yet, so I'm not sure what their wear time is like. The Natasha shade was pretty opaque with one layer and went on smoothly. 

In the picture below, Natasha is a little lighter than Meet Me at Sunset. Natasha is more like the color of an orange traffic cone.They are very, very similar shades, almost dupes, but I'm not sure I would categorize them as dupes for sure. I think that Meet Me at Sunset has a little more depth and shine and Natasha might be redder, but only by the tiniest amount.

 Soon, I'll do a long wear test on Julep's Natasha, then we'll see who the winner is! Since, Ole Caliente is much different than the others, it already wins for being a gorgeous orange red. 

L to R: Ole Caliente, Natasha, Meet Me at Sunset

  

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Essie Ole Caliente

 

Ole Caliente is a perfect red orange. It is bright and fiery and reminds me of summer sunsets choked with smoke from near-by wildfires. If you've never seen one of those sunsets, I can tell you the sun goes blood orange, just like this nail polish. Other than the threat of your home burning down or not being able to breathe the air, wild-fire sunsets are very beautiful. 

Like most Essie polishes, this formula is thick and one coat gives almost full opacity. However, I recommend two coats for the best application. The polish went on slightly sticky and streaky, but dried smooth and without flaw. I imagine myself wearing this color on a hot summer night, in a flouncy, yet elegant LBD salsa or flamenco dancing (if I could even dance like that!).

Ole Caliente might just be my favorite polish from Essie's Spring 2012 collection. It is very similar to Meet Me at Sunset, but I'd say this color has much more a pinkishness to it. Meet Me At Sunset is a deeper, darker orange, without any pink undertones. You may not be able to tell in my pictures, but the two polishes are noticeably different in tone and shade. So, I'm excited to wear this color all summer long!