NOTD Essie Playa Del Platinum vs. OPI Skull & Glossbones.

 

Essie's Playa Del Platinum (from Resort collection) got its hype last spring/summer but is a colour i never considered wearing/buying. however some time later i got hooked on Deborah Lippmann's Waking Up In Vegas and was curious about a colour like that: a creamy pale warm grey. since i found out that Deb Lippmann's isn't for me but even more OPI's Skull & Glossbones from the Pirates of the Caribbean collection, i thought about trying this one.
i found it on ebay at 6-7€ with shipping included. the bottle contains 15ml.

Playa Del Platinum is a greyish beige/white sand colour with cream finish.
i only had not so great experiences with Essie until now, i didn't like their very thin round brush, the very liquidy consistency and that they didn't last well on my nails. fortunately, this one is different. well, i still don't like the brush at all, but the consistency is fine. liquidy but not very thin, and easy to apply evenly and streak free. drying time was average. it was almost opaque with 2 coats and i really liked how it looks with my skintone. it's not like a nude that has too much grey in it, making you looke corpse-handed, but rather more of an interesting greige colour that lightens up the appearance of your hands and elongate your fingers.
it lasted over 5-6 days of wear without visible tip wear or chipping.
compared to OPI Skull & Glossbones (review), it is darker and more beige. the warmer tone makes it blend better into my skin, i tend to like this over S&G. compared to Deborah Lippmann Waking Up In Vegas (review), this is lighter and much less grey.

NOTD

comparison

OPI Skull & Glossbones - Essie Playa Del Platinum

OPI Skull & Glossbones - Essie Playa Del Platinum

NOTD Essie My Place Or Yours?

i like the name and i like the colour - a medium WARM bubblegum pink.  very wearable - not too barbie/slutty.
what i don't like about this:
1. texture - too sheer (i needed 3 coats) and too liquidy
2. staying power: although such a beautiful colour, i get tip wear usually on the first day wearing it. :( even with a top coat.
3. the brush - too hard i tend go scratch the underneath layers when i apply the next, esp. on the "roots" of the nail (you know what i mean - when you get this marks)

i used Essie's Good To Go  as top coat with this.

sorry, these are the best pictures for a "bad-cuticle-day" ;)

NOTD

this is one of my recent NOTD's (i think it was even pre-christmas). i like the combination of a rather cool colour with fiery flakes/shimmer.

it's two coats of Essie Chinchilly - a medium cream warm grey

one coat of Nubar 2010 - a polychrome flaky top coat which flashes between green, gold and orange.

 

and Essie Good To Go Top Coat