(NOTW) - Essie Ballet Slippers

It's been a long time since I had a proper mani, about four months to be exact, when I attended my sister-in-law's wedding and had a gel manicure done. This would have been totally unheard of of me four years ago when I was so into nail polishes. I used to subscribe to several nail blogs and updated myself of new releases from OPI, Zoya, China Glaze and Essie, my favorite brand. I'd compare swatches and saved them on my phone then ordered polishes online or bought at Watsons (which used to sell China Glaze). When I got pregnant and gave birth, getting manicures became futile because they didn't last more than two days on me and nobody ain't got time for that!

When I decided to revive this blog, I thought it was a good time to rekindle my love for nail polishes. And what better way to do that than featuring one of my favorite neutral polishes - the classic Ballet Slippers from Essie. To be honest, this shade was not even on my radar when I started hoarding nail polishes as I was all about 'em blues and greens. I had a change of heart last year when I realized that green and blue nails seemed a bit Monsters Inc.-ish and unnatural. Nudes and neutrals suddenly appealed to me as being low maintenance, clean and polished (get it? haha).

Even Hello Kitty loves the Essie bottle

In the bottle, Ballet Slippers is a super light peach with a tinge of pink mixed in. On the nails it looks the same but under artificial lighting, the pink tone is more apparent.

Ballet Slippers on mah nails!

Application was quite easy compared to other pastel shades, meaning it was a bit streaky but evened out when I put top coat. The end result was a slightly streaky but decent manicure.

Under direct sunlight - my hand looks so tan!

I painted two coats on my nails which was still not opaque but I prefer this slightly translucent look that has a bit of softness to it.

Pale polishes for the win!!!

I seriously didn't think I'd crush on this color as much as I do now but ever since OPI's It's In the Clouds from last year's Soft Shades Collection (which will be another blog post), I became a convert. Now my motto is "Once you go light, you'll always be right!" (cue the cheesy hollers).

As for you, what's your favorite pale polish? Any suggestions for this pastel hoarding miss?

Posted in: Beauty and Fashion, Featured, NOTW