Oxblood Red Swatch: Essie Skirting The Issue

Hey everyone! Here’s a very quick swatch of Skirting The Issue by Essie, which is a deep burgundy red. The pictures were taking with (I think) 5 coats, but it was still very manageable and didn’t seem too think. It dried in a reasonable time without getting goopy. I still think it would have worked well with fewer layers, but it would not be nearly as dark. I like how the jelly finish works with the vampy color. I hope I have a reason to wear it soon!

Oxblood and nude ombre manicure with Essie “Skirting the Issue”

I’ve been really into oxblood red this season, so when I saw Skirting the Issue from Essie’s Stylenomics collection, I got it immediately. This manicure was done with Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in 140 Peachy Keen with Essie Skirting The Issue on the tips. Usually when I do a gradient manicure, I use a makeup sponge to put the second color on the tips. This time I wasn’t going for subtlety, so I just painted Skirting The Issue on the tips. I’d heard some negative things about Skirting the Issue, but the formula worked perfectly for what I used it for. It does have to be layered, but it dries quickly and has a lovely jelly finish. I can’t wait to try it alone.

On the other hand, this Sally Hansen color is a nightmare to apply. It took me 5 coats just to get something that wasn’t streaky! I have some other Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polishes that I don’t have trouble with, so I think it’s just this color. Either way, I think I’ll have to replace this color with a different polish.

 

Halloween costume party manicure – Red with military insignia

I ended up going to my costume party as a military officer. I really like this costume! I paid about $30 for it a while back, and though it’s still pretty flimsy like most Halloween costumes, I got a lot of comments on how high quality it looked. I figured the outfit looks vintage with the skirt, so I went with red shoes, red nails red lipstick. Any excuse is a good excuse for red lipstick, right?

For the manicure, I used Zoya Sooki, gold tape, and Migi nail art pens for the sergeant insignia. Gotta say, I ended up liking the ensemble 🙂

Maya

This is my nail polish of the day, Maya by Zoya. I love this color. It’s right in between coral and pink. This formula is pretty sheer, so this picture was taken with 3 coats.