Joined in 2023 
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63 About this deal
I first became confused when I read somewhere recently someone saying how Romper Room is quite a bit lighter than Fiji, and I thought 'What?', because I have both shades and Romper Room is obviously darker than my (original) Fiji, but yes it is lighter than the 'new' Fiji. Out of the ‘brighter’ shades of this comparison, Geranium is probably my favorite! If you’re looking for a summery red, this would definitely be my recommendation! Essie Fifth Avenue Essie Fifth avenue Essie is committed to continuous research and development to improve the performance of our existing products and to bring innovative and effective products to the marketplace. This means that changes are made to our formulas from time to time. I can confirm that this shade has recently been updated. Essie calls ‘Aperitif’ an ‘ appetizing creamy red polish‘. I had no clue what to expect. They don’t mention anything about undertones, or whether it is a dark or lighter shade of red. Now that I have actually seen this shade and worn it, I can tell you that it is a slightly cooler toned red creme, that covers in two coats. It is a bit darker than Russian Roulette and Really red, but not a lot. The shade was opaque in two coats, but it also has a jelly formula, so if you have longer nails you might have to use three. The shade was originally released around the year 2000 in a drink-themed collection. Based on the number this color used to have in the US (362), I estimate that this color is from the Winter 1999 collection, which is indeed the drink-themed collection called ‘The Essie Vineyard’. Other shades in the collection all had drink-inspired names such as Cognac and Vermouth. Essie’s official description of Fifth avenue is: ‘ a creamy red orange blend lacquer’. If I keep Handmade with love and Fifth avenue next to each other, Handmade with love is definitely much more orange. Compared to Geranium, I would say it is almost the same shade. Maybe Fifth avenue is a bit more red than orange, but that’s about the difference. The formula of Fifth avenue is amazing. It has a very nice creamy formula and is pretty much opaque in one coat on shorter nails (although I’m wearing two). It’s definitely time that I buy a larger bottle of this! The shade is actually already an oldie, because it was first released as part of Essie’s Spring 2003 ‘Central park’ collection (you can find my swatches of that collection over here).
This shade should still be available everywhere: ‘Russian roulette’. Essie calls Russian roulette ‘a fiery, exciting classic bright red cream polish with subtle orange undertones‘. To me, Russian roulette looks like a neutral bright red with a bit of orange. The formula is not as creamy as Fifth avenue but more a jelly, it is, therefore, a bit less opaque. However, it was still very nice to apply. On my shorter nails, I needed two coats for full opacity, but on longer nails, you probably need three. This shade did stain my nails after I removed it, so doubling up on basecoat would be a good idea! In case you are wondering about Russian Roulette’s original collection: Russian roulette is apparently so old that I couldn’t even find the collection! It was probably released early 90’s or late 80’s. As to Fiji I am very disappointed that they have changed it. Maybe other companies will now start doing the same shade as the original Fiji, this is what has happened after Sally Hansen completely changed the shade and forumula of their Pacific Blue, their are exact dupes for tha now: Miss Sporty 'Pop Fiction', Barry M Gelly 'Damson', Rimmel 'Loafer Love For You' and Bourjois 'Bleu Fabuleux'. So I hope someone starts making an exact dupe of the original Fiji, or that Essie will rethink and restore it to its former glory. It’s quite a list actually! And spoiler alert: some shades are extremely close, and you don’t need them all! Considering I’m living in Europe, some of these shades were quite challenging to find, but I’m happy to report that I now own all of these shades. I’ve swatched most of these shades below, but I will be updating this post over the next coming weeks with the shades that I haven’t swatched yet! You can immediately skip to the comparison if you don’t want to see the individual swatches! Essie Handmade with love Essie Handmade with love Essie Geranium belonged to the first 130 Essie colors ever produced, and is still part of the permanent collection in the US. To me, that says everything you need to know about this shade! It’s a true classic that will look great on (almost everyone). Sadly, it got discontinued in Europe, but it was shortly available as part of Essie’s Advent calendar for 2022.
This shade is probably very difficult to find in the US, however, in Europe, it should be easy. Essie Nailed it Essie Nailed it In terms of formula, I was really amazed by Lacquered up. It was basically opaque in one coat, but I had to do two coats to cover up the visible nail line on some nails. It was really easy to work with, and it is so shiny that it almost looks like I’m wearing gel nail polish! With the holiday season around the corner, I always feel attracted to red nail polish. There were 11 Essie red cremes in my drugstore’s Essie display, and then I’m not even counting the reds in the Gel couture and Expressie displays! I decided that it was time to do the ultimate Essie red creme comparison. At home, I was able to find out that there are even more red cremes in Essie’s core collection! The core collection differs a bit between North America and Europe, but they are mostly the same. It also differs a bit between stores. essie is a cult favourite amongst celebrities and fashion designers making numerous appearances on the catwalk, red carpet and even down the aisle — shop ballet slippers, allure, and mademoiselle.
Last but not least, don’t forget to shop our nail kits, they make the perfect present for a special someone. I was able to find out that the following red cremes are part of Essie’s core collection (without counting the Gel couture and Expressie shades): While researching this shade, I found out that Essie discontinued Fifth Avenue in the US! If you really want to own this shade, it might be time to plan a trip to Europe! I posted a complete review post of Fifth Avenue over here. Essie Lacquered up essie is the go-to nail varnish brand for make-up junkies, industry experts and fashion icons all over the world. The brand aims to inspire a love for the manicure experience with its salon-worthy formula and innovative nail polish shades.Finally, the comparison of the darker reds. Essie Forever yummy is the lightest of these shades. It’s clearly lighter than Maki me happy and A list in real life. Essie Maki me happy and A list are super difficult to tell apart. Maki me happy contains a little bit more pink, but that’s the only difference. In terms of opacity, Maki me happy is a bit more opaque, while A list has more of a jelly formula. Essie Bordeaux is clearly the darkest of the shades, darker than A list and Maki me happy. Conclusion
Discover over 100 witty named nail colours, making it easy to find the perfect shade for any occasion… and for the trendsetters, make sure to keep an eye on essie’s limited edition collections. They launch a selection of seasonal shades throughout the year available for a limited time only. Shop collections now. I just pulled out the shades I thought were the closest and were the most difficult to tell apart. Reds are always super difficult to compare, so I hope you can forgive me if the comparisons are not 100 percent clear. Essie handmade with love compared to Essie Fifth avenue, Essie Geranium and Essie Lacquered up Seeing as Essie does so many similar shades, you'd have thought they would have continued to make the old Fiji and just given the new Fiji a different name. Essie calls Geranium an orange-red. In terms of orangeness, it sits between Fifth avenue and Handmade with love, but it leans more towards Fifth avenue. I would argue that if you own either Fifth avenue or Geranium, you probably won’t need the other, unless you’re really into red-oranges. Geranium’s formula is truly amazing. It’s already opaque in one coat if you’re painting carefully (but of course I did two for the pictures). Our founder Essie Weingarten debuted 12 shades in Las Vegas, Nevada in pursuit of one goal: to help women feel special and to give them the perfect manicure. Some of the original shades are still in the range today – shop bordeaux and blanc now.I really have no clue as to why Essie would tamper with their most popular shade but not only that, take away what made it so unique in the first place! This post is basically just a warning that Fiji is no longer what it use to be and get hunting for some original bottles, I know I will be! This fast drying nail polish expressie dries in about a minute so you can apply on-the-fly and not waste precious time waiting for your nails to dry. Our exclusive first-ever, patented angled brush allows for easy application with both hands.
Looking for a high shine gel finish? Try essie’s two-step system ‘Gel Couture’ which works without a base coat and a UV lamp. Needing a break from harsh nail treatments or simply in need of some TLC? Try Treat Love & Colour, our colour and care formula which delivers stronger nails in just one week, 65 percent less peeling and 35 percent less breakage †. Whether you need soothing oil for dehydrated cuticles, a strengthener for dry, brittle nails, or a long-lasting top/base coat combo, essie has the perfect nail care treatments for you. You can clearly see in this picture that Handmade with love contains a lot more orange than Fifth avenue, Geranium, and Lacquered up. Geranium and Fifth avenue are both described as orange-reds by Essie, but Geranium is slightly more orange. Although I love both Geranium and Fifth avenue, you definitely won’t need them both unless you’re really into orange reds. Lacquered up is a warm-toned red, but compared to Geranium and Fifth avenue, it’s more of a classic red. Comparison of Essie Fifth avenue, Essie Too too hot, Essie Russian Roulette and Essie Really red I also noticed that Sugar Daddy seemed pinker instead of almost completely clear, but in that case, not a bad thing for me as Sugar Daddy I found in the original formula to be just too sheer even after numerous coats. The "new" colour is still very pretty but it is now more just a typical baby pink, it's just not Fiji anymore! Essie Geranium is clearly the most orange from all of these shades. Lacquered up is a red with a bit of orange. While Russian roulette also contains a tiny bit of orange, it is slightly cooler toned and darker than Lacquered up, but the difference is really subtle. Essie Not Red-y for Bed is very cool-toned and contains the most pink. Comparison of Essie Russian roulette vs Essie Really red vs Essie Aperitif vs Essie Forever yummy
Essie calls ‘Forever yummy’ a creamy tango red lacquer. I must admit that before I was researching Essie’s red shades for this review, I was never really paying attention to Forever yummy. I never really noticed this shade to be honest. Forever yummy is indeed a creme polish, and it is darker and cooler-toned than Aperitif and Russian roulette. Where Aperitif and Russian roulette had a more jelly formula, Forever yummy is definitely a creme. I know that Essie often includes it in Essie Christmas mini sets, and to be honest, Forever yummy is indeed a great Christmas red but I would be able to wear it any time of year. It is opaque in two coats on my nails and probably also for longer nails. Just a fun fact: Essie Forever yummy was originally released as ‘Forever young’ for fall 2008, this might explain the fact why I had never heard of Forever yummy!
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