A complete review of 13 popular nude and pink Essie sheer nail polish colors with swatches, from Ballet Slippers to Mademoiselle, Of Corset and Allure!
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This type of guide, which encompasses the best of a brand, is something I love working on – so much.
When I first wrote this post, I was just falling in love again with the Essie nail polishes, especially the sheer, nude and mauve colors.
As I’ve edited this post to include other colors from the Gel Couture range, you’ll be able to find here many more Essie nail polish comparisons.
Sugar Daddy, Ballet Slippers, Mademoiselle or Not Just a Pretty Face were nothing but names on the internet for me last year.
Right around when my sheer nail polish craze started, really.
Now, I have only included here the sheer nude and pink Essie colors I have; not the sheers from the Jelly Gloss or Special Effects collections – but you can see these swatched in other posts 🙂
Essie Sheer Nail Polish Swatches: 13 Best Nude/Pink Colors
I have written all kinds of Essie nail polish reviews so far.
And not just about sheer, nude and mauve colors like Lady Like or the dark mauve Angora Cardi.
You’ll find on Sammie Etc reviews about brighter shades like Too Too Hot, the gorgeous red Russian Roulette, or the very glittery Birthday Girl, too.
Yet, I wouldn’t be transparent if I said these are the only kinds of colors I wear, when I’ve been wearing lots of very nude, sheer and brown nail polishes lately.
In this review slash guide, you’ll find some of the most popular Essie sheer nail polish colors:
- Essie Allure – click to read the review
- Essie Ballet Slippers – click to read the review
- Essie Limo-scene – click to read the review
- Essie Vanity Fairest – click to read the review
- Essie Not Just a Pretty Face – click to read the review
- Essie Mademoiselle – click to read the review
- Essie Sugar Daddy – click to read the review
- Essie Marshmallow
- Essie Gel Couture Fairy Tailor
- Essie Gel Couture Of Corset
- Essie Gel Couture Gossamer Garments
- Essie Gel Couture Bodice Goddess
- Essie Gel Couture Sheer Fantasy
While I’ve reviewed many of these already, I’m yet to publish my review of the Essie Gel Couture nail polishes, which also include stunning greens, reds, and blues.
You’ll be able to see these in my huge Essie Nail Polish Comparison post, though, as well as in the guide I’ve written to perfect spring Essie colors.
Why Did I Buy These Essie Sheer Nail Polish Colors?
Well, last year was really all about trying out makeup products and new nail polish finishes.
I felt I’d been letting myself go in a rut, wearing always the same kind of deep or bright colors, and wanted some change.
While I discovered most of my new favorite mint green nail polishes or duochrome pink polishes at the beginning of this year, I had never really given much thought to sheer nail polishes.
This craze had to wait until I went to London and tried out the new Barry M Sheer Strength range.
I got Essie Mademoiselle, Not Just a Pretty Face and Ballet Slippers last year, and liked them so much that I chose to expand my collection all throughout this year, collecting each sheer one by one.
Later on, I also got many of the gorgeous Gel Couture colors, around the same time I fell in love with OPI nail polishes again.
Yes, I do fall in and out of love with brands and colors pretty often – but what a pleasure it is to rediscover I actually enjoy wearing specific color stories again!
PS. If I have structured this post with comparison swatches, you’ll be able to see, at the end, colors on their own that I’ve decided to leave here from the first time I wrote the guide.
Read: Comparison: Essie Clothing Optional vs Lady Like Swatches
Best Essie Sheer Nail Polish Swatches: Marshmallow vs Allure vs Limo-Scene vs Ballet Slippers
Essie Marshmallow Swatch
Marshmallow and Blanc might be quite similar, both being white nail polishes, but if you’re looking to create a sheer, milky nail effect, that’s the one to get.
Swatched here are three coats like all the sheers in this guide, but about two coats are enough to get a good color and still have sheer nails.
And if you’re wondering why I swatched them with three coats, it’s because Essie’s sheer colors are very, too similar with just one coat.
Read: Notino Gel Effect Nail Polish Review, Thoughts and Comparison
Essie Allure Swatch
The Allure nail polish is one of the most nude, most beige even, sheers from Essie, with what I feel is a slightly yellow undertone.
Even if the goal is probably for you to wear them in all their sheerness, as it is for me, I thought three coats would help you really see the difference between all.
Read: 7 Beautiful Blue Green and Teal Nail Polish Swatches
Essie Limo-scene Swatch
While the Limo-scene nail polish resembles Allure a lot, it boasts a slightly pink undertone where Allure is warmer-tone.
Even swatched with three coats, Limo-scene retains a very sheer aspect, with the nail showing through in a very sophisticated way.
Read: 6 Gorgeous Lavender and Periwinkle Blue Nail Polish Swatches
Essie Ballet Slippers Swatch
The Ballet Slippers nail polish, with its milky pink base, is one of my favorite Essie sheers, and requires two coats to be completely even.
This really light, almost white nail polish shows in my opinion that Essie are masters when it comes to color innovation.
Read: 4 Beautiful Hema Nail Polish Colors (Swatches)
Best Essie Sheer Nail Polish Swatches: Vanity Fairest vs Mademoiselle vs Sugar Daddy
Essie Vanity Fairest Swatch
With Vanity Fairest, we have another one of my favorite sheers from Essie, and the only shimmery sheer I have from the brand at the moment.
With three coats on, it’s still so sheer yet light pink and light-catching that I couldn’t help but fall in love with it.
Read: 7 Beautiful Mint to Dark Green Nail Polish Swatches
Essie Mademoiselle Swatch
Mademoiselle compared to Ballet Slippers, is pinker and offers more pigment.
Like Vanity Fairest, it’s one of my favorite pink polishes from Essie.
I love that after three coats, you can still properly see the nail through Mademoiselle.
This slightly white base makes it the perfect nail polish if you want a really elegant, old money mani.
Read: Comparison: Essie Angora Cardi vs Island Hopping Swatches
Essie Sugar Daddy Swatch
Now, the Sugar Daddy nail polish…
I don’t even know where to start to describe it.
For months, I thought Mademoiselle and Not Just a Pretty Face, and Ballet Slippers, were my favorite sheers from Essie.
Wrong.
As soon as I first tried Sugar Daddy, I fell under the spell of this baby pink, so shiny you’d think you have little quartz gemstones on your nails.
Read: Comparison: Essie Lady Like vs Eternal Optimist Swatches
Best Essie Sheer Nail Polish Swatches: Fairy Tailor vs Not Just a Pretty Face vs Of Corset
Essie Fairy Tailor Swatch
From the Gel Couture range, Fairy Tailor is one of my ultimate favorite sheer nail polishes ever, and I own a lot of these.
A really white base with the slightest amount of pink in there and a plumping effect – my, my, isn’t it perfect from spring to winter!
Read: Spring Nails: 12 Pretty Nail Polish Swatches from OPI to Essie
Essie Not Just a Pretty Face Swatch
Not Just a Pretty Face appears to be one of the most pigmented sheer nail polishes from Essie.
It is also the only one I have that tends to have a coral undertone rather than a pink, brown or yellow one.
Shop Essie Not Just a Pretty Face
Read: Purple Nails: Essence Holo Bomb Nail Lacquer 02 Swatches
Essie Of Corset Swatch
Where most of the sheer Essie colors are either pink or white, Of Corset has a chestnut undertone, more neutral, more brown, and perfect for warm and medium skin.
As I have an olive skin tone, it tends to look sliiiightly mismatched – pink looks much prettier on me.
Again, gorgeous with just the one coat, and swatched here with three.
Read: 16 Pretty Brown and Mocha Mousse Nail Polish Swatches
Best Essie Sheer Nail Polish Swatches: Sheer Fantasy vs Gossamer Garments vs Bodice Goddess
Essie Sheer Fantasy Swatch
Like Fairy Tailor, Sheer Fantasy is one of the lightest sheer nail polishes from Essie, although this one is pinker, where Fairy Tailor is whiter.
The shiny effect you get with Sheer Fantasy is absolutely ineffable, and it’s one of my favorite Essie colors ever.
Just one of the most sophisticated colors ever, and gorgeous for nail designs with unexpected red nail polish or navy blue.
Read: Latte Nails: 8 Gorgeous Nude and Light Brown Nail Polish Swatches
Essie Gossamer Garments Swatch
Gossamer Garments, also from the Gel Couture range, feels like the step beyond Sheer Fantasy – it’s gorgeous for spring and summer.
Seriously, I can’t wait to be tan for the contrast to show between my pink nails and tan skin!
Gossamer Garments also slightly reminds me of Sugar Daddy, although it gives more of a plump effect from the get-go due to its gel-like formula.
Read: 13 Gorgeous Oil Slick Nail Polish Colors Swatches
Essie Bodice Goddess Swatch
Bodice Goddess is the last sheer pink nail polish I have to show you today, and one of the most pigmented sheers from Essie from the first coat.
Almost a bubblegum pink, it’s stunning, again, on warm and medium skin, and I can’t wait for the sun to show up for good so I can get a good tan to contrast my nails.
Read: 5 Gorgeous Light and Mint Green Nail Polishes
Other Essie Sheer Nail Polish Swatches
Essie Allure Nail Polish Swatch
Essie Ballet Slippers Nail Polish Swatch
Essie Limo-scene Nail Polish Swatch
Essie Vanity Fairest Nail Polish Swatch
Essie Not Just a Pretty Face Nail Polish Swatch
Essie Mademoiselle Nail Polish Swatch
Essie Sugar Daddy Nail Polish Swatch
Essie Sheer Nail Polish Comparison Swatches
Essie Vanity Fairest vs Mademoiselle vs Not Just a Pretty Face vs Sugar Daddy Comparison Swatches
Essie Ballet Slippers vs Sugar Daddy vs Mademoiselle vs Vanity Fairest Comparison Swatches
Essie Allure vs Limo-scene Comparison Swatches
Essie Sheer Nail Polish Swatches: 13 Best Nude/Pink Colors
That’s about it for today!
These are simply gorgeous, and all the nail polishes I’ve been given to try over time that came from Essie were in some way interesting.
I may have not loved all of them dearly, like, for instance, You Do Blue that I wish was more duochrome than it is.
Still, most of the Essie nail polishes always hit it out of the park.
And that’s no different when it comes to their sheer nail polishes, even if I do have my ultimate favorites.
Sugar Daddy, Vanity Fairest, Fairy Tailor, Sheer Fantasy and Mademoiselle are the ones currently on my Favorites’ podium.
If you’d also like to discover something… different, why not discover some of my favorite fall nail colors and summer nail polishes?
Or, for something completely out of the blue, if you’re feeling adventurous, do check out my other go-to’s if you’re looking for new colors:
- Essie Ferris of Them All (one of my prettiest plum polishes!)
- Douglas Singular Moccasin
- Revlon Ultra HD Snap in Daredevil
Until next time!