Essie’s holiday collection for 2013 is all about sparkle and shine!

The six shades than encompass the Encrusted Treasures collection are diamonds in the rough.  They may look like one thing in the bottle, but once you physically experience them, they are not for the faint of heart.  From caviar-like beads to to hyper-reflective glitters to the finest holographic materials, these polishes are on another level compared to other holiday collections from different brands.

When I first saw the images of the collection it didn’t stand out to me at all.  I thought, “great, glitters?  How original…”, but then I saw swatches on other blogs and I knew I had to get my fingers on them.  Many of the shades can easily be worn as topcoats, and although a lot of the textures in the collection have been done before by other brands, Essie just hits the nail on the head with these beauties.

Hands-down my favourite from the collection, Belugaria is described as a holographic jet black lace.  This beauty is definitely not “what you see is what you get”.  If you just look at it in the bottle, it appears as a black with chunky holographic glitter. Once painted on, the polish (which is quite thick) crumbles to represent a caviar-like texture and appearance on your nails.  It’s like Sally Hansen’s Sugar Coat in Lick-o-Rich, but with glitter.  I die.  Seriously.  If you have to choose one polish from the collection, this is it.

Lots of Lux is a shimmering lapis lazuli with a superfine matte finish.  Personally, I was a bit let down from this colour.  I loved how it looked in people’s swatches, but when I tried it, it was just meh. It’s gorgeous in the bottle and the only “colour” in the collection.  It’s also not grainy but it does have a bit of texture to it (I thought it would resemble Belugaria).  If you like blue glitters, this is a nice option, but otherwise, I personally would skip it.

On a Silver Platter is a pearlescent gold with holographic violet glitter.  This polish didn’t really scream at me in the bottle, but once painted on, it’s so gorgeous.  It is coming up a bit translucent in my photo, but after two to three coats it’s pretty opaque.  I love this one, especially because of the combination between the silver and blue, it’s like Hors D’Oeuvres and Lots of Lux had a baby, and this is it.

Hors D’oeurves is a platinum gold with iridescent silver glitter.  I thought this one would be very similar to On a Silver Platter, but the two are quite different.  The gold is very prominent in this polish and it catches the eye due to its high-shine factor.  It’s very different from other glitters I own and goes on quite smoothly (it doesn’t have that gritty texture common to glitter colours).  I would pick this one up as well.

Peak of Chic is a alpine white holographic rainbow fringe.  This fun polish seriously reminds me of a snow globe due to its confetti texture.  I have tried these kinds of polishes before and haven’t really loved them, but there is something like Essie’s version that has me rethinking this fad.  I love the combo of the white and holographic bar glitter, it’s like winter for your nails.  As you can see, you will need a lot of coats to get this fairly opaque, but it makes for a gorgeous topcoat!

Ignite the Night is a sparkling hematite with a superfine matte finish.  This black glittery polish is quite sheer, so you can either layer it up or wear it over the darker shade to experience its true effect.  I did topcoat this and found that it was really pretty on, however, compared to other colours in the collection, I don’t feel like it’s a must have.  I do want to say though, that the removal of this wasn’t as big of a pain as I was expecting it to be.

Overall, I absolutely love this collection.  The shades I highly recommend at Belugaria (this is seriously a must-have!), On a Silver Platter, and Hors D’oeuvres.  I also really like Peak of Chic.  Lots of Lux I found to be prettier in the bottle than on and Ignite the Night is pretty, but I feel like it’s not as original as the colours in the collection.

The Essie Encrusted Treasures collection launches this month.  What shades are on your wish list?

Please note, I was sent these products for review purposes, however, all opinions are my honest own :).

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