I have something a little more traditional for you this time: Essie's The Art of Spring Collection. It's a collection that consists of six cremes, and is far more interesting than I'd anticipated.
However, I don't know that I've ever been as simultaneously happily surprised and frustratingly let down by the same collection at one time. The happy surprise was that the colors are way better than the promotional pictures let on, at least for my preferences. The frustrating let down was that I found the formula exceptionally difficult to work with.
It's fair to say that I do my nails a lot, and I often read other reviews or comments about a particular polish or brand bring difficult where I think, "That's odd, I didn't have a problem with it." But these, I tell you, I had quite a problem with. It was especially disappointing since I was fired up about the colors.
I'll show them to you in the order in which I swatched them, this time out of utility - I think I got the hang of the formula a little more as I went. I started with the sheer one, and thought as I swatched it, "There must be some trick to applying sheers that I don't know," but alas, the rest applied the same way. They all required three coats, had that thick-yet-still-runny thing going on, and were difficult to make opaque and even in three coats. All were swatched over a sticky base coat.
I took the first picture in natural light, decided it was inadequate, and switched to artificial light. Given that I won't have bright natural light for another month in the Midwest, artificial will have to do for now.
Pop Art Pink is a sheer pink, and was still a bit streaky after three coats.
Essie Pop Art Pink Nail Polish, Three Coats
Neo Whimsical is one of the colors that I was really excited about. It's a cross between pink and lilac, really whited out (I love whited out shades), but I was still getting the hang of the formula with this one, and had streaks. I love the color enough to try again.
Essie Neo Whimsical Nail Polish, Three Coats
Van D'Go is a very pale cantaloupe color, another I was fired up about. It was the first where I got the hang of the formula.
Essie Van D'Go Nail Polish, Three Coats
Lilacism was the one I was sure would be my favorite, a pale blue lilac creme, but another one beat it our for the end-of-swatching manicure. You can see I struggled especially with Lilacism - there are streaks. Again, it's a color I like enough to try again.
Essie Lilacism Nail Polish, Three Coats
Red Nouveau seems a little out of place in this collection which consists otherwise of washed out, kind of weird-in-a-good-way colors. A standard red creme? There's nothing wrong with it, it just doesn't seem to fit in with the rest to me.
Essie Red Nouveau Nail Polish, Three Coats
Tart Deco is the one I'm wearing. It's a not-quite-coral creme, the darkest other than Red Nouveau. I had no streaks with Tart Deco, I think because I had the hang of the formula at this point.
Essie Tart Deco Nail Polish, Three Coats
That, Dear Reader, is Essie's The Art of Spring Collection. I think the four washed-out colors are great, but they take some real commitment to get on the nail well for me. I'll be interested in reading more reviews to find out of others have the same difficulties that I did. In any case, I like the colors enough to try them again soon, and will let you know the outcome when I do.
Until next time, love and nail polish to you! 
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