Essie: Carnival

I recently picked up this polish while buying some shampoo/conditioner. Saw it out of the corner of my eye sparkling at me and couldn't resist. I'm like a child (or puppy?), attracted to shiny objects. My first attempt using it was over 2 coats of Essie's Chinchilly and it was GORGEOUS. However, those were the aforementioned disgusting cuticle pictures. Last night, I decided to try this polish on its own. It applies pretty easily, as long as you apply LIBERALLY. Pictured below, I have used 2 coats. The sparkles look way more dense in the bottle, but I'm sure saturation can be achieved with more coats applied.

[2 coats Essie Carnival]

[Much more realistic shot]

The last 2 photos show the holographic nature of the sparkles a little better. After this polish dried, I decided to experiment with silver shatter on top. Alas, major fail. I guess shatters don't work on top of sparkle polishes.

Verdict: Will most definitely keep this one in rotation. However, from now on, I will only use it on top of other polishes. It looks especially beautiful on top of OPI's Mermaid Tears!

-Eisenbrat