
I’m still trying to fit in more summer polishes before switching over to all the darker fall colors, including this next one: Essie’s California Coral. It’s a slightly muted peachy pink take on coral that is still vibrant and pretty.
I came across this polish at Target on a special display – it stated in big letters that some were Target exclusive polishes, but if you look closely there’s actually an asterisk by the color names, and then at the bottom it states something like “also available in salons.” So it’s not *quite* as exciting as I thought right at first. These just seem to be colors that aren’t part of the usual retail line or displays, but are easy to find in their salon packaging. I still picked up a few colors, including California Coral.
This polish is creamy and easy to work with-I did use three coats just to be sure the color was even, but it went on nicely. California Coral is more pink and softer than many of my summer 2011 corals – it has less orange, and seems sort of non-trendy and classic to me. It’s cheerful and summery, and also very wearable, and flattering to my skintone.


I added two coats of OPI’s I Lily Love You to see if the pink base color would have any effect on the coral tone. I couldn’t tell much of a difference – I think the coral color is so strong that there’s no room for the sheer pink in the base to show through. But the glitter was so gorgeous; it flashes green and orange and gold and purple…When I was walking around outside I had a hard time not staring at my fingers with this on. The sparkles were so bright and eye-catching! The second picture gives a sense of how dense and shimmery the glitters can look in less direct light.


Even though I’m excited about the new fall polishes, I’m not ready to let go of all of these beautiful, warm corals and pinks from this summer yet, and this combination is no exception. I’m finding myself making a mental list of other pinks and corals that I have to wear again, plotting how to fit in a few more looks at my favorites before things cool down.