Mar 3, 2017

Two makes it better - Essie Ballet Slippers & Mademoiselle


(or four, I might say)
From left to right
Essie Color Corrector Primer, Ballet Slippers, Mademoiselle, and Gel-Setter Top Coat


I have been wearing Essie Ballet Slippers for over a decade now. Whenever I feel like a light nude pink on my tips, I reach for it and it never fails to fetch compliments. Ballet Slippers is a shade with both good and bad, though. It goes with everything but I need to moisturize my hands like mad otherwise, the dry spots and cuticles look more obvious. It is the epiphany of a mod and posh nail color but is incredibly streaky and difficult to apply. 



Essie Ballet Slippers Mademoiselle

So, what would be the solution? You can go to the nail salon. Or, employ a base coat that provides some coverage, a topcoat that fakes gel nails, and one of those Essie sheer polishes. I chose Mademoiselle which I would say the sheer version of what is Ballet Slippers to me. Mademoiselle is a tiny bit warmer but doesn't differ much that it only smooths out the uneven spots and streaks without altering the color. If you have warmer skin tones or want a bit more blushed hues, try Essie Sugar Daddy instead.

Essie Ballet Slippers Mademoiselle

Here I started with Essie Color Corrector Primer which adds a sheer veil to the nails. I think it is an affordable alternative to my all-time favorite base coat, Deborah Lippmann All About That Base. I applied carefully two coats of Ballet Slippers plus one coat of Mademoiselle, then finish off with Essie Gel-Setter Top Coat. It's been five days now but my nails still look fresh. I believe this would bring out the most beauty of Ballet Slippers rather than applying thick three coats aiming for a smoother finish (You will most likely end up with sheet marks later on). When you deal with something like Ballet Slippers (or Topless and Barefoot - a pink beige creme, another fave of mine but also very difficult to handle), this does matter because excessively thick coats of white-based nail colors look alien on human hands.

I meant to do a breezy NOTD post, but somehow it turned out to be a geeky one. Thanks for reading and wish you all have a great weekend!







Join the conversation!

  1. Ballet Slippers is such a classic shade and your application method sounds like it gets the most out of the color and it also looks super pretty as well. You can definitely geek out cause you know you what you're talking about when it comes to nail polish :) Sugar Daddy used to be my go to nude pink until I discovered Marc Jacobs Fluorescent Beige. It has a slight iridescent shimmer that just gives it a little oomph LOL Happy weekend Lena!

    I'd chose Sushi of Gari aany day too ;p

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    1. I'm pretty good at applying colors but Ballet Slippers still gives me trouble. It is worth going through one more step because the color is so timeless and pretty! I just looked up the MJ polish and remembered I had wanted it for a while. I'm scrimmage my stash one more time to make sure I don't have any dupe, but I will probably get it soon. Thanks(!?!) ;D

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  2. Wow. Hats off to you! I'd never put so much effort into applying nail polish, because I totally suck to begin with. If anything applies streaky due to my incompetence, I'd give it a miss. HAHAHA!

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    1. All white-based shades are difficult to apply. In face, Ballet Slippers and Wicked(it is a jelly) are the most common "interview" color for nail workers here. ;) It's just adding one more coat of a sheer polish, so it wasn't bad and it's so worth it. ;)

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  3. Yes!!! Your nails looks incredible, totally worth the time and effort your put into them. Very cute :)

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  4. I love, love love the look on you! I've been meaning to try ballet slippers and you've convinced me to hunt down a bottle!

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    1. You'll love this classic polish. I was looking for a dupe with easier application for a while, but that does not seem to exist. ;)

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  5. Oh wow, I've not tried Essie's colour corrector primer but now I really want to along with Ballet Slippers. I like this blush pink colour it almost looks like my Chanel nail varnish. Very Pretty! I will definitely check these out. /Madison
    http://fashiontalesblog.com

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    1. If you want more coverage, definitely try the Deborah Lippmann, though. Which Chanel polish is close to Ballet Slippers? I'm intrigued.

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