Essie Resort 2016 Collection Swatches, Review and Comparisons

essie Resort 2016

From Caribbean beaches to African safaris to the North Fork coastline, the essie Resort palettes always promise us a colorful adventure. This year we are off to India with the bold-hued essie Resort 2016 collection. Inspired by the opulent silks, saturated hues and golden desert sands, these four colors are taking us on one vibrant ride.

Formula & Application

essie nail polish is 3-Free (Formaldehyde, Toluene, DBP). The square bottles are embossed with the essie logo and the smooth plastic caps include an embossed ‘e’ on top. Bottles at mass retailers have stickers rather than embossing on the bottle. The brushes are thin, round and shorter than most. The bristles are very flexible, allowing you to easily fan out the brush to cover your nail width.

As I noted last fall, the essie formula seems to have changed from the watery, thin texture we’ve come to expect. They’re thicker and more pigmented. Overall I’d describe them as smooth and self leveling, though there was a bit of a learning curve with the formula. I’m so used to the watery feel of essie, that I needed to adjust my polish game. I found it best to apply a thicker first coat, wait a bit for it to dry, and then apply a thin, second coat. This prevented any pooling, dragging or lumpiness. Since these are more pigmented, I only needed two coats with each.

essie Resort 2016 Swatches

essie Delhi Dance is bold carnation pink creme. essie describes it as “bright sari pink.” It reminds me of the pink from the OPI India collection, though it’s not as dark as Elaphantastic Pink. Due to its cooler tone, I don’t have anything that matches up to Delhi Dance exactly. essie Groove is in the Heart is lighter and more blush-toned, OPI Suzi Nails NOLA is warmer and Kiss Me I’m Brazilian is darker and more rosy.

essie Delhi Dance – Resort 2016

essie Delhi Dance comparison – Resort 2016

essie Going Guru is an energized mint creme with a hint of lime yellow. It’s definitely a warm green, but very wearable. It’s not neon, but definitely bright and eye-catching. I’m happy to report that none of my greens come close to this gem. essie Fashion Playground is softer, cooler and overall more muted. CND Mint Convertible is similar in saturation but leans more blue, while Orly Vintage is decidedly neon next to Going Guru.

essie Going Guru – Resort 2016

essie Going Guru comparison – Resort 2016

essie Nama-Stay the Night is what I would call an intense true blue creme. It’s even more vivid in person and is very difficult to capture on camera. It falls somewhere between essie Strut Your Stuff and Make Some Noise on the blue scale. It’s pretty spectacular, though I did notice a minor amount of staining after wearing it a few days. It was mostly wiped out with a couple passes of remover, so it’s not a reason to pass this one by.

essie Nama-Stay the Night – Resort 2016-1

essie Nama-Stay the Night comparison – Resort 2016

essie Taj-Ma-Haul is a warm clay creme that reminds me of a clay tennis court. It really embodies that desert feel with its dusty, sun-dried mud look. Because this browned orange hue is so warm, it’s not as universally flattering, but if you love unique shades, get involved.

essie Taj-Ma-Haul – Resort 2016

essie Taj-Ma-Haul comparison – Resort 2016

Essie Resort 2016 swatches

Bottom Line: I’m really loving essie’s formula change. The thicker feel and better pigmentation is more consumer-friendly. And this color palette is really fun. While Going Guru and Delhi Dance aren’t groundbreaking colors, they’re well made. The standouts here are Nama-Stay the Night and Taj-Ma-Haul. Both are unique and bold choices that would make for an edgy mani/pedi combo.

The essie Resort 2016 collection officially launches in May 2016 though it’s already popping up online and in stores. Visit essie.com for more info. You can find essie nail polish at salons and mass retailers nationwide, including Amazon.com, Nordstrom.com, Target.com, ULTA.com. essie nail polish retails for $8.50/ea.

Are you into these new essie Resort shades? Which ones do you plan to snag? What is your favorite essie Resort collection of all time?