The polish I’m reviewing today, Not just a pretty face, is an oldie. Essie released this polish in the Summer 2009 collection, together with colors as Cute as a button and Lovie dovie. True Essie classics! Here in Europe Not just a pretty face is part of the permanent collection and should be fairly easy to find. Essie recently re-released the shade in North America and it might have a different formula than this European version I am showing here. So keep that in mind!
Swatches
Not just a pretty face is a sheer nude nail polish. I’m wearing three coats in these pictures, and it is almost opaque. It was actually surprised how opaque this polish was. It is very squishy, but barely any nail line is till visible. It is definitely a lot more opaque than other sheer Essie polishes, such as Mademoiselle or Sugar Daddy. I’m really in love with the “jelly ” effect of this nail polish. It reminds me of acrylics that are done in a good salon.
I would call Not just a pretty face a pink with warm undertones. In my photos the pink is not that obvious, but in real life it is. It is actually kind of the jelly, dusty sister of Excuse me, sur. When I first got it, I wasn’t really amazed by this color in the bottle, but as it turns out this is the ultimate sheer pink for me. I really really love how it looks! Click here to find out how Not just a pretty face compares to other colors.
Opacity
In the picture above I am wearing 3 coats, 2 coats and one coat of Not just a pretty face. My nails are a bit damaged and dry because of the gel I was wearing before. At one coat Not just a pretty face is a nice cover-up of the dryness, it does give my nails a bit of a yellow glow, which I do not like. At two coats it is a bit in between. It is definitely wearable like that. At three coats more or less the whole nail line is covered but it has a very squishy look.
If you want a fully opaque nude polish, Not just a pretty face is probably not the color you want to go for. However, if you have slightly warm undertones in your skin and you’re looking for a “my nails but better” polish, then Not just a pretty face is definitely a color you want to check out. Don’t be intimidated by the slightly dirty looking color it has in the bottle, and just try it! You are going to be amazed đŸ˜‰ I’ve worn this shade for a couple of times now and everytime I am amazed. In this post I am using it for nail art.
Availability of Not just a pretty face
You can still find this Essie on Amazon over here (affiliate link). The color should also be available in stores.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I bought this product myself.
