Essie Belugaria, Ignite the Night, and Lots of Lux review + swatches (Encrusted Treasures collection - Holiday 2013)

            Recently, a few delightful bottles from the Essie Encrusted Treasures collection (Holiday 2013) made it into my stocking, courtesy of Essie! These sparkly shades mirror the glitter of silvery tinsel on holiday wreaths and trees, including a coal-black reminder to always stay on the right side of the naughty-nice spectrum!  You'll notice from my review and swatches below that like tree trimmings, this collection is all about texture, texture, texture!

         The three shimmering shades I have from Essie Encrusted Treasures include : Belugaria, Ignite the Night, and Lots of Lux.

Essie Belugaria, a North Pole coal, encrusted with iridescent flakes.

         Essie Belugaria walks a fine line between bizarre and beautiful. The jet black caviar and chunky glitter-infused polish imparts an unapologetically three-dimensional texture to my tips. I quite like the effect, and I think it's flattering on my shorter, rounded nails. (Plus, you know I've been all about black polish lately). Essie Belugaria applies relatively smoothly despite the chunky texture; two thick coats does the trick. It's like painting on a chunk of North Pole coal, encrusted with ice crystals.

Essie Ignite the Night set my heart aglow with its miniature golden sparkles.

         Essie Ignite the Night is a glowing grey glitter that certainly sparked my fancy. There's more to this charming charcoal polish than meets the eye! At first glance, you'll see dense charcoal glitter. However, closer up, you'll see miniature micro-sparkles of gold, adding warmth and dimension to the silvery-grey backdrop. The effect is similar to that of the iconic CHANEL Vernis in Graphite (more on that below). The glitter is quite dense, so 2-3 coats are sufficient.

         Essie Lots of Lux is a medium blue glitter with a matte effect. The glitter is quite dense, and the polish dries down leaving more of a textured finish than a standard glossy finish. You'll see that Essie snuck in the same golden micro-glitter in here as well, adding a nice touch of warmth.

Essie Lots of Lux is matte, but certainly not flat!

          As usual, I've pulled a few polishes from my collection to better display the nuances in each polish. Essie Belugaria has an oh-so-unique texture that really shines up close. The closest decorated black I have is Sally Hansen Midnight in NY, which has really pretty iridescent sparkles; you can see it's much more subdued than the former! I mentioned above the similarities between Essie Ignite the Night and the iconic CHANEL Graphite. You can see that both have that wonderful charcoal with gold sheen. However the former has a bit grittier glitter, while the latter goes for a more micro-shimmer effect. Essie Lots of Lux is quite similar to Butter London Inky Six (reviewed here); it's a tad less purple and has a more matte, textured effect.

          The uniquely textured collection of polishes in Essie Encrusted Treasures (Holiday 2013) is a fun addition to the season of sparkle and shine. Essie Belugaria wins the award for the most unique polish I've seen in some time, though I'm most charmed by the glowing charcoal of Essie Ignite the Night!

        Thanks for reading! Which polish from Encrusted treasures strikes your fancy? What holiday glitters have you worn lately? What do you think of Essie Belugaria - bizarre or beautiful?

Love, Dovey.

P.S. Be sure to check out my review of the Essie Shearling Darling collection (Winter 2013)!
Disclosure: This post contains product(s) sent to Cute and Mundane for consideration. The ideas and opinions in this post are genuine and my own.