Essie Flowerista

So I finally got my mitts on the namesake polish of Essie's Flowerista collection for spring 2015, courtesy of an ebay auction. This is the fourth polish I've purchased from this awesome collection, the others being Blossom Dandy, Garden Variety and Petal Pushers. The two I didn't get and won't be getting are the peachy nude Perrenial Chic and the tannish camel Picked Perfect, both warm neutrals that would look horrendous on me. Based all of the reviews and photos I've seen of it online, I expected Flowerista to be my favorite of the bunch.

Flowerista is a deep saturated shade of fuchsia with a plummy purple appearance. I initially thought it WAS a purple until I compared it to the fuchsia swatches on my Joen Wolfrom color tool that I used a lot back when I was stringing beads. This kind of explains why the shade you see varies quite a bit depending on the light circumstances under which it's viewed. In indirect light, it leans to a reddish purple but in the sun the deep pink in it comes to the fore and it's a deep but vibrant fuchsia. I'm usually quite partial to plummy colors like this, my eye loves them and for me Flowerista is very much a Rebecca Minkoff sort of shade -- I love it in her bags and accessories. Not sure how I feel about it on me, however. I was expecting something a little more radiant and floral and it feels a bit subdued on my nails.

Application was pretty good. The formula has a luscious, creamy fluidity to it with a velvety flow over the nail and excellent self-leveling properties. It likes to set up fairly quickly, however, which can cause some angsty moments if you're a slow painter with a tendency to overstroke like I am. Judging from the reviews, though, most folks found the formula to be fabulous, and I can see how it would be in swifter, more dextrous hands. Pigmentation is outstanding. One coat is all you need for completely even, opaque coverage. I used two to finesse some lines left wanting after my first coat and to ensure the non-appearance of my ridges. Cleanup was surprisingly easy for a polish this well-pigmented, with just a little bit of pigment travel. Flowerista dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, glossy finish. 

Photos show two coats of Flowerista over Pretty Serious Rock On treatment and Pretty Serious All Your Base basecoat with a most regrettable, obnoxiously bubbly topcoat of Seche Vite.

Essie Flowerista

Essie Flowerista

Essie Flowerista

Essie Flowerista

Essie Flowerista

Essie Flowerista

Essie Flowerista

Essie Flowerista

Essie Flowerista

Essie Flowerista

Although I like the look of Flowerista in the last photo (despite the topcoat bubbles), overall it's just not doing it for me today. I feel a bit puny in general, though, so maybe it's a pall of malaise that's affecting my view. Normally I'm quite fond of plummy fuchsia/magenta shades. I've got a holo in a very similar color from Too Fancy Lacquer to try tomorrow. Perhaps the holo will bring me around.

love,
Liz