It's the middle of September. Crunch time. I'm swatching like mad! Can I find my perfect red(s) by October??
Next up in my Hunt (see Parts 1, 2, and 3 for past successes/failures) are a couple more contenders for the 'Summer/Bright Red' title - Essie Pouf Daddy and Essie Forever Young. Both are a titch more orange-based than Essie A-List, Essie Limited Addiction or OPI Got the Blues for Red, but still firmly in camp 'blue-based red'.
Essie Pouf Daddy:
Unfortunately it has a name that conjures up pop culture references that are a frightening hybrid of rapper/mogul Diddy (or, as my mother calls him, Mr. Diddy) and Jersey Shore's Snooki, but I think that the colour might be the best match for my skintone yet!
Essie Forever Young:
Forever Young also conjures up odd memories of awkward middle school dances and Napoleon Dynamite, but it is also a fairly pleasing red. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I don't like this one quite as much as Pouf Daddy, even though they are very similar. I think FE has more pink in it?
Since I wore these different days, and reds vary greatly depending on the lighting conditions, here's a little comparison:
Top to Bottom: Pouf Daddy, Pouf Daddy, Forever Young, Forever YoungYou can *kind* of tell in the shot (it's more evident in person), that Pouf Daddy is a tad more orange-based than Forever Young, but also a little richer at the same time? I'd say PD is the front-runner so far. I'm just stumped because swatched on paper, Pouf Daddy looked more berry-ish, but on the nail Forever Young has the pinker hue.
*sigh*. Reds. Are. Impossible.
And just to show you how arduous this Hunt has been, I'm showing you a blurry/washed out/not even remotely colour accurate picture of some red skittles I did - this is how I weed out the losers from the distinct possibilities... So for every red I show you, there are probably 4 others that didn't make the second-round try out as a full manicure.
L-R: Essie Rock the Croc, Essie Pouf Daddy, OPI Big Apple Red, Essie Limited Addiction
(I had such high hopes for OPI Big Apple Red after hearing all the raves about it, but it was just too bright for me! It fell flat on my skin tone - I need something richer with more depth.)
Between the million skittles and all the red manis, I'm starting to get really really really frustrated with this. I can never tell how the colour is going to look on me, and reds look *completely* different in various lighting situations, so you really have to test them out everywhere. *sigh* Someone please tell me not to give up?
kittytokaren
