Monday, July 13, 2020

Essie Mercury in Retrograde Duo, Take 3

Last year, Ulta had two Essie exclusive duos to celebrate Mercury in Retrograde. I swatched the one that came out in summer in a pretty timely manner (after not swatching the 2018 duo at all) but the duo that came out in the fall had to wait longer for its turn. Today is their day. The two shimmery shades here: It's Not You and It's Mercury. You know they're special because they have shiny silver caps.

Essie Mercury in Retrograde 3

It's Not You is a gold shimmer with a peachy shift and gold flake accents.

Essie Mercury in Retrograde 3 It's Not You

Two coats of It's Not You gave decent coverage; if I had it to do over for the camera, I'd probably use three. (And I would definitely give more attention to getting my nail shapes to match better; I was experimenting with a more squared look than my usual but achieved that better on some fingers than others.)

Essie Mercury in Retrograde 3 It's Not You

Essie Mercury in Retrograde 3 It's Not You

Essie Mercury in Retrograde 3 It's Not You

One more look at the shift in It's Not You:

Essie Mercury in Retrograde 3 It's Not You

It's Mercury was the selling point for me for this duo (which was sold separately, so I didn't technically have to get It's Not You but not completing a set of two just doesn't sit right with my brain). It's a complex shimmer with blue and gold accents in a green-leaning brown base that shifts to wine-y purple.

Essie Mercury in Retrograde 3 It's Mercury

I used two coats of It's Mercury for my swatch and that seemed sufficient.

Essie Mercury in Retrograde 3 It's Mercury

Essie Mercury in Retrograde 3 It's Mercury

Essie Mercury in Retrograde 3 It's Mercury

Mmmm ... shifty:

Essie Mercury in Retrograde 3 It's Mercury

I always want to try layering shifty polishes, so put one coat of It's Not You over Essie Sweater Weather, an olive green shimmer. The gold flecks in It's Not You showed up nicely over the green.

Essie Mercury in Retrograde 3 It's Not You

The shift that looked peach against the gold looked burgundy over the green. I liked it.

Essie Mercury in Retrograde 3 It's Not You

Essie Mercury in Retrograde 3 It's Not You

Essie Mercury in Retrograde 3 It's Not You

I put It's Mercury over Essie Hold 'Em Tight, a blue shimmer, and Wild Card, a purple shimmer. Top to bottom below, It's Mercury over Hold 'Em Tight, over Wild Card, over Hold 'Em Tight, over Wild Card. The difference over these two base colors is subtle but noticeable, as they bring out different tones.

Essie Mercury in Retrograde 3 It's Mercury

Essie Mercury in Retrograde 3 It's Mercury

Essie Mercury in Retrograde 3 It's Mercury

I really like these. If I have to keep only one, it'd be It's Mercury as it is more complex and suits my skintone better, but I can see myself using It's Not You for layering. As far as I know, there haven't been any Mercury in Retrograde polishes from Essie this year. Too bad. Maybe I'll dig out the 2018 ones and finally swatch those to console myself.

4 comments:

  1. OMG these are something else aren't they! I love them both, super <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very interesting for a mainstream brand especially.

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  2. Wow, those are quite effectful! :)

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