Essie Really Red Swatch and Review

Hello, nail polish lovers! Today I have a swatch and a review to share with you. It's of Essie's Really Red.

This is a red crelly polish. A crelly is a semi-creme, semi-jelly polish. Refer to my Jelly Sandwich Manicure Tutorial for more information on jellies. (FYI: In case you don't know, creme polishes are basic ones that you probably make up most of your collection. They are pretty opaque, and have no special effects, such as shimmers.) So crellies are essentially cremes, but with a hint of transparency. As you can see in the bottle, it's a little sheer.

I purchased this at Harmon for $7.79.

This is what it looks like on my nails! This is actually a pretty standard red. I can't really decide whether it's cool or warm. Maybe it's universal! Excuse me while I go on Essie's site to check and see what they say about it...

...Here's what Essie says about it: classic. bold. pure. the perfect shade of truly rich red lacquer – universally flattering in winter, spring, summer & fall. brush it on and paint the town fabulous. 

There we go: "universally flattering in winter, spring, summer & fall." I was right! 

This polish is shiny and pretty, and virtually opaque in just one coat. However, I used two coats. Now here's where the jelliness comes in: On one finger I can almost see the visible nail line, but I really can't... if that makes any sense. So part of me thinks it's opaque, the other part thinks it's more jellyish. I guess that's where the "crelly" comes in. Weird!

Application was pretty easy. I'll admit, I do have some trouble with some of Essie's polishes in that area (for example, Mint Candy Apple is kind of streaky and hard to apply) but this one is great! It glides on with ease. The application is similar to that of Essie Mod Square, but not quite as easy-peasy. But still very nice! 

This red is great if you don't have much experience with reds (like me!). It's not to bright, but not too muted; not really warm or cool (if you're not sure of what undertones you have); not too dark, not too light. You should definitely add this polish to your collection, as red polishes are one of the bare essentials of a nail polish collection. Also! If you have one, I would highly recommend using a base coat with this polish. Granted, I haven't tried to remove it yet, but since reds tend to stain, wear a base coat to avoid such problems. 

That's it for this post! I'll see you when I see you!

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XOXO

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