This is going to sound terribly cat lady of me (really, what did you expect?), but how’s this for a plan? — you, me, the Essie fall 2016 collection and Toyko in the fall. We could traipse down Icho Namiki Avenue with our manis and pedis and see how many cute maneki-nekos we can find.
Of course, we’d also have to stuff our pockets with cat treats just in case any real city kitties cross our path…
OK, that may have been the most CCL thing I’ve ever written.
Well…probably not. 🙂
Anyway, Tokyo! In the fall! It was the inspiration for the Essie fall 2016 collection.
I’ve never been to Japan before, but I just googled “tokyo in the fall,” and it looks AMAZING.
Now one of my #lifegoals is to visit Tokyo in the fall to see the autumn leaves changing.
I don’t know much about Tokyo, but I always picture a bustling city (I blame this on watching Lost in Translation a few hundred times… It’s one of my favorite movies.), so I was surprised to find out that Essie was inspired by the colors of Tokyo’s fall foliage.
Essie fall 2016 is a six-piece limited edition collection, available right meow, and the polishes are $9 each.
Easy-peasy
This has to one of my favorite Essie collections of all time because there are usually one or two colors in their collections that I end up having to baby a little, like by having to use several layers because of how super sheer they are (I prefer full opacity) or by having to remove my polish and practice a few times with one of them that ends up being streakier than the others, but all six of these shades are a breeze to use…
Even the pastels! — and you know how tricky pastels can be, like the ones that separate, so you end up having to lay down a couple coats to get a solid block of color.
But these? I bet I could paint my paws with these at 3 a.m. in a tired stupor.
“But, K-Dawg,” you might ask, “why would anybody paint their nails at 3 in the morning”?
Two words, my friend: “teething baby.”
TEETHING BABY!
Fast times
I dunno… Maybe I’m just trippin’ on this Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte #psl I just slammed, but these also seem to dry quicker than usual for Essie nail polishes.
Cozy sweaters and chunky cable-knit scarves
The colors! They’re just so rich and deep. I can see myself wearing them soon with flannel plaid shirts, boots, cozy sweaters and chunky cable-knit scarves.
Of the six shades, dark plum Kimono Over (like a creamy version of Chanel Vendetta, except without the sparkles), Playing Koi (a decadent rusty orange) and Udon Know Me (a pale blue with a hint of slightly serious gray) are my faves.
It’s all about that base, ’bout base AND top coat
I haven’t worn these out in the real world yet — only for swatches — so I can’t say for sure how long they’ll last before chipping, but when I get a base and top coat up in the mix, I generally get between 5-7 days with Essie polishes before they start chipping, but I put my hands through a lot at the keyboard and with cleaning brushes and dishes and frequently using makeup remover.
But if I don’t use a base or top coat, all bets are off, even with these shades. Like, I put on two coats of Udon Know Me because I was so excited about it, and I started seeing tiny chips on a couple of nails within six hours!
So I think it’s definitely worth your time to use these with a base and top coat.
Anywho…all this talk about Tokyo and Japan has me craving sushi.
A new place just opened in town, and I’m dying to try it!
I used to crave sushi all the time before I got pregnant with Connor, but my tastebuds got all weird and wacky while she was baking in my tum, and I didn’t want to eat fish at all.
I thought everything would go back to normal afterward, but the last time I had sushi, which I think was in May, it still tasted a little funny to me… I don’t know if that’s normal.
We’ll see!
Do you have a favorite sushi place? Or a favorite sushi roll?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
I really love salmon rolls with roe.
The plum nail color is pretty!
Yum!
I definitely WANT some of those polishes but certainly don’t NEED them, lol! There’s a few sushi places in my town ( kind of strange for North Dakota) but a few years ago there weren’t any. There’s a small one downtown that nobody seems to know about so when every other place is busy I go there!
Seriously, though. Whenever I look through my nail polish drawer and see all the light blues I wonder if all this is necessary, but then another one comes along and I’m like, YES! LOL.
Seems like sushi’s gotten very popular in the last few years! Do you have a favorite roll? I’m usually into anything with salmon. 😀
Those colors are all so pretty!
They sure are!
Oh. my. gosh. ALL of those colors are so beautiful!! I don’t think I’ve ever wanted an entire Essie collection, but now…. sheesh. With the added knowledge of the ease of use, I’m sold. Way to knock it out of the park, Essie.
Ah man, sushi!! I don’t think I could pick a favorite roll – there are too many delicious options. As long as you hold the shrimp (I really can’t stand the stuff, for some reason) I’m typically a happy camper.
Restaurant-wise, I’m a big fan of Japonessa in Seattle – haven’t found a fave place in NYC yet!
Yeah, I feel the same exact way about these colors! I bet the blue shade would look great on stage. ? I’m adding Japonessa to my wish list for my next trip to Seattle.
What are the some of your favorite places to eat in NYC?
mmm… so many good places NYC! Favorites include Otto (Italian) & Buvette (French), both in the Village; Please Don’t Tell for cocktails; Kenka (Japanese) on St Marks Place for cheap, greasy, delicious food & beer (and Japanese bondage on the walls – so cray!); Momofuku Noodle Bar (ramen meets comfort food) in the East Village; Cheese Grille (grilled cheese, ha!) on the Lower East Side… And then there’s Astoria, in Queens, where I live – the neighborhood is known for it’s food! There’s Dutch Kills, another speakeasy that makes brilliant cocktails; Il Bambino, a delicious panini place; The Queens Kickshaw, which makes decadent veggie fare; The Bonnie, which is slightly upscale pub food; Nosh Borough, this tiny little hub of deliciousness by my apartment that makes Banh Mi Burgers (probably my favorite burger ever)…. man, it’s a food lover’s dream out here.
And I have NYC to thank for a truly transcendental anniversary dinner – we went to Blue Hill in the Village. By far the most expensive meal I’ve ever had, but one of the dishes quite literally almost made me cry. It was magical.
I can’t believe I don’t have any sushi places on this list! Honestly, I usually just get the to-go stuff… but I should probably put “find really good sushi place” on my to-do 🙂
Sushi, yummy 🙂 I love spicy tuna & spicy salmon rolls. I’m a creature of habit so I don’t venture too far. I have tried a different super spicy one but I can’t remember the name. Maybe dragon something? Super yummy. 🙂
Maybe it was a dragon roll? Do you do wasabe? I can’t handle it because I can’t handle the heat!
I crave sushi the most when I am pregnant and not allowed to eat it, so I had my family bring sushi instead of flowers after delivery. The change in tastebuds may stay a little while, your hormones take nine months to get completely back to normal, longer if you still breastfeed.
And I feel you on the teething. My daughter was easy with the first four teeth, but my son now got all feverish and didn’t want to sleep or eat at all. And he is big on food usually, my little Buddha.
Tokyo is amazing! Been there twice now and even though it’s SUCH a big city with SO many people it all feels very organized. It’s like organized chaos, I really love it.
Looks like a great collection and I love the name Udon Know Me. 🙂 You absolutely need to go to Rome, which is (seemingly) the world capital of roaming cats. I can picture you walking to the Colosseum and being surrounded, like when the birds flocked to Snow White. HAHA!
The names are great. Yes, I love sushi. Anything spicy or smoky flavored especially. I tend to prefer tunas and salmon, red snapper, shrimp, and crab are good too. I don’t care for mackerel. I have to be in the mood for unagi.
Ooooh, I’m getting excited for these colors. I still can’t eat rotisserie chicken–and that was from pregnancy with my 7-year-old.
I LOVE the cat prop as a workaround to the awkward nail “pose,” what a sneaky genius idea! No weird hand lines and cuteness in every photo. Great post!
Just when I’m trying to reduce my nail polish collection… I like Kimono Over, Maki Me Happy, Playing Koi, and Now and Zen. But the last two might not go well with my skin tone.
Best sushi I ever had was in Tokyo. The toro was so rich and briny and out of this world. It was eye rolling, moaning good.
I wonder what Tokyo is like in the fall. Dear Husband says it’s the best time to go, but he’s only ever taken me at Christmas time. Which is actually pretty awesome with all the holiday lights. Hmm, think I need to put the bug in his ear for Christmas in Tokyo this year.
LOL “REEP MY STOHCKEENGZ!”
Japan is the BEST place, hands down, to experience all the beautiful aspects of each season. Just the best. Small talk about the weather there is not considered small talk, but practically a daily necessity. It’s simply gorgeous, all of them. Whenever it rains, I think of Japan. Whenever I hear cicadas in the summer, I think of Japan. When it’s the first crispy day of spring, I think of Japan. When I eat clementines in the cold of winter, I think of Japan!