I've never been much of a red nail polish kinda girl but for some reason this year I've been looking at them with more interest than ever before. Every cosmetics company out there that produces nail polishes has reds in their collections. Warm, cool, metallic or cream, if you're looking for a specific shade of red you'll find it.
Essie's Twin Sweater Set is a red that had me go back to the drugstore. I had purchased For The Twill Of It for my daughter but she didn't like it, seems she's not into metallic. We went back to exchange it and she chose Cashmere Bathrobe, you can see it on her nails, here. Both times I was drawn by the beautiful creamy crimson red but didn't take the plunge. Not because of the price, they were on sale, but because of the fact that I already own a few reds that I can't remember wearing. So why would I bother with this one?
The next day I went back to the drugstore again, and bought the last one left on the Essie display!
I love it!
I'm always more attracted by plums and so tend to gear towards the same type of vampy shades, Twin Sweater Set is quite a departure for me. It's a medium dark red, not too cool, not too warm and although it was introduced with Essie's 2013 Fall collection (you can see the other colors, here), I find this red to be suitable for any season.
The last time I stepped out of my comfort zone as far as nail polish color is concerned it didn't go so well, L'Oréal's Spice Things Up didn't have the oomph I'm used to. It's a beautiful "quiet", almost neutral shade that just didn't speak to me. You can see it, here. Not the case with Twin Sweater Set which is not a flashy color but it's there, you just can't miss it.
Notice how the nail on my pinky is super short? Be careful when using a Microplane to grate lemon rind.
The color is quite true, for a cloudy day. I was hoping for some sun but no luck.
The formula is a little thinner than some high end brands so you have to be careful about pooling. I had issues with both my thumbs this time but it was easy to clean up. Two coats are required but what's nice about Essie is you don't have to wait too long in between so you can be done in about 10 minutes and I'd say it dries completely in roughly 30 minutes. The first coat looked almost perfect on it's own but the second made it flawless.
I know we're already looking forward to see the holiday collections but Fall is still in full swing and Essie For The Twill Of It Collection is still available. If you're looking for a good affordable classic everyday red that goes with everything, get Twin Sweater Set while you still can.
Do you have a favorite red nail polish?
