Essie Smokin' Hot  - $8 at essie.com

Part of Essie's Winter 2010 collection, Smokin' Hot is a deep eggplant-tinged grey that is part of that dark and dusky family of colors that is so on-trend right now. It applies pretty well; only slightly sheer. Two coats made it opaque enough to my naked eye to make me happy. It wore exceptionally well, which is usually a big concern for me with Essie polishes. I wore this for three days without a chip under a coat of Seche Vite. The color is pretty unique with a couple exceptions. It is a creme, but it is quite similar to Chanel Paradoxal as far as the base color. I've included a few comparison photos of that after the jump. The color is really rich and neutral, making it a perfect choice for just about any skin tone or depth. I think it's a big winner.

NEWS!! : My blog sale will be up hopefully by the end of the day tomorrow, maybe tonight, depending on how things go. It's for the nail polish portion. I know I told a few of you I was hoping to do it last month but I've been so busy and I figure if I want to get it done before it gets too close to Christmas, I'd better do it now. I've got the photos taken and edited, and all I have to do is post it. Look for a post here to tell you it's up, and then the link will be found at the top right of the link bar at the top of the page.

Essie Smokin' Hot (natural light)

Essie Smokin' Hot (flash)

Chanel Paradoxal (left) and Essie Smokin' Hot (right)

first and third fingers; Chanel Paradoxal / second and fourth fingers; Essie Smokin' Hot (photographed from an angle to show the base color of Paradoxal without the shimmer)

first and third finger; Chanel Paradoxal / second and fourth fingers; Essie Smokin' Hot

first and third finger: Chanel Paradoxal / second and fourth finger: Essie Smokin' Hot