Essie Mint Candy Apple

Mint Candy Apple was released by Essie as part of the Sweet Time of Year collection for winter 2009. Unusual for inclusion in a winter collection, this graceful whitened cyan creme is the darling of nail polish enthusiasts around the globe as an icon of minty colored polishes. Actually I think that Mint Candy Apple is a perfect example of Celeste Blue, the aqua blue color of the sky you see just at the horizon on flat terrain on a clear day, the very edges of the bowl of the sky. 

Oh, but I did sweat over the application of this polish. Light colors, pastels especially, always do that to me -- it's just so difficult for me to get them on nicely. Mint Candy Apple has a surprisingly creamy, fluid consistency for a whitened color, and I felt a small burst of optimism after the first coat even though it was streaky going on. But with the second coat, despite yielding near opacity, I realized that this wasn't going to be easy after all. This polish doesn't self-level well, which results in a blobby looking application unless you have a smooth steady hand (as if!) and just the right amount of polish on the brush. It also has a tendency go ghost around the edges unless your coats align perfectly. Well, I got it on there with lots of cleanup, but it definitely wasn't my finest hour. I ended up doing three coats. Mint Candy Apple dries in good time to a smooth shiny finish.

Photos show three coats of Mint Candy Apple over treatment and basecoat with a bubbly topcoat of Seche Vite.

Essie Mint Candy Apple

Essie Mint Candy Apple

Essie Mint Candy Apple

Essie Mint Candy Apple

Essie Mint Candy Apple

Essie Mint Candy Apple

Essie Mint Candy Apple

Essie Mint Candy Apple

I learned about Mint Candy Apple and its iconic status at the very beginning of my online life as a nail polish enthusiast, and it had been on my wishlist ever since. Now that I'm finally wearing it, I have to admit that the universal appeal makes sense to me. It's so pretty, fresh and flattering! It makes my fingers look tan. It reminds me of the gorgeous aquamarine waters around the Florida keys and in the Bahamas. I can only imagine how much I'd love it if the application was less tasking. As it is, I like it very much and am glad to have had first-hand experience with it. It makes my eyes happy. Maybe with practice I'll grow into the application part.

love,
Liz