Essie • Bordeaux • Polishes

Where To Buy?

swatters on 1/23/2013 12:00:00 PM more reviews by swatters

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Olive   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I usually love Essie polishes, but this was a big NO for me.
I was hoping the color would be more of a blood red than a blue-based red, but I didn't get my wish. This isn't a deep oxblood color like you would expect from something named 'Bordeaux'. It's more of a crimson or maroon.

Formula was very streaky, even with a steady hand and three thin coats. I will probably be putting this on eBay since this is a popular color, but it's not for me :(

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

StrawberryKisses23 on 11/2/2012 9:52:00 PM more reviews by StrawberryKisses23

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Tan, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

First of all, WOOOOWWW! I believe there is an Essie nail polish called 'After Sex'. Well this one should have been called 'Before Sex'.

I was on the hunt for a deep burgundy cream jelly polish and purchased 'Bordeaux' online for $7 NZD (bargain!). I have this on right now (3 thin coats no top coat) and can I just tell you never have I owned such a deep-sexy-sultry-shiny color.

Pure amazingness in a bottle! I'm in love - and you will be too!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

kirbipittman on 9/14/2012 12:34:00 AM more reviews by kirbipittman

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Olive, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I am SO IN LOVE with this color. It is the most beautiful deep blood red. It goes on perfectly in two coats. I just adore it. Can't say enough about it.

Just to update how I feel about this product... I still love the color, but I took away two lippys because I feel like it's just a mess to use now. It has gotten so thick and goopy. It was already a jelly consistency so now that I've used quite a bit of the bottle it is even less easy to apply.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

KirRoyal on 9/13/2012 1:15:00 PM more reviews by KirRoyal

Age: 19-24   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

I was a bit disappointed with the fact that this nail polish seemes slightly different in a bottle that it actually is on the nails. I am still looking for a perfect wine colour, and this just didn't do it for me. The jelly feel is also quite confusing, the application is not very even after two coats. Doesn't streak, which is a good thing. Has a bluish, purplish undertone, which looks good on my generally cool-toned skin, but I'm not sure if this would be very flattering on a yellow-toned skin.
Overall, just a nice basic dark reddish colour that tries it's hard to look like a wine colour. If you are new to nail polishes in general, or to dark nail polishes, definitely check that out, you'd probably love it.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

anthropologie on 7/30/2012 10:50:00 PM more reviews by anthropologie

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Olive   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

Beautiful deep jelly blood red. I was looking for a bloody red, not a bright cherry. This leans to be bluish, but it looks like the most perfect red. The jelly finish makes it more interesting than a regular creme finish. This formula is wonderful, not too thick or runny, and never streaky. I love Essie :3

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

MsHepburn on 7/13/2012 5:29:00 PM more reviews by MsHepburn

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

Love this :)

(PLEASE NOTE: the colour is nothing like the one in the picture with this post! It's a lot darker.)

I'm a real idiot when it comes to nail polish... I never get it on evenly and it always chips within a day. But this I put on perfectly in one go, which has NEVER happened to me before. I used the 'nourish me' base coat and the high shine top coat with two coats of Bordeaux in between. I put it on on Sunday and it's now Friday and not one chip on it.

The colour (with the 2 coats) is a really deep, dark red, but not black red like Rouge Noir from Chanel. The latter was a bit too goth for my taste and also didn't stay on that well. The consistency seems very thick and sort of sticky (jelly-ish I guess?) and the brush is pretty wide, so I could almost get my nail covered in one sweep. It took a while to dry, so application in a hurry might not be a great idea.

I really like this and I'm planning to buy a few more Essie colours. The price is reasonable compared to Chanel and MAC and it's definitely better quality.


Edit 11 October 2012:

This is easily the nicest nailpolish I have ever found. It's glossy, classy and suits every occasion. This is the polish I've been looking for all my life! It's the only proper deep, dark RED I have ever found. Other similar polishes have always proved too black or too purple for my taste. This shade is perfect and I will keep buying it until they discontinue. Lasts about a week with a good topcoat.

(Actually I've noticed that some people here are disappointed that this isn't a real wine colour polish. That, for me, was actually the up side to it: it's dark, but definitely still recognisable as red. If you prefer more purply or black-ish colours, I think Wicked might be more to your liking. Or OPI's Mrs O' Leary's BBQ.)

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* cloroxcowgirl on 6/26/2012 2:38:00 AM more reviews by cloroxcowgirl

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Wavy   Eyes: Blue    

I have been looking for a dupe to my favorite dark red, Essie Private Wine Cellar (now DC'd). I was encouraged by the fact that Bordeaux looks *exactly* the same in the bottle as PWC, but it is a much brighter red on the nail. Not so much a wine color as a deep apple red. I also found the formula to be fairly streaky and sheer, unlike PWC which was opaque in 2 coats. It is an ok color I suppose, just not what I was looking for. Oh, well, the hunt continues . .

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

Narustar on 6/26/2012 2:04:00 AM more reviews by Narustar

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Tan, Warm   Hair: Brown, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

Goooooorgeous color. I will most certainly be repurchasing this color again. The jelly-feel of this color makes your nails look flawless and not a streaky mess! It actually makes you look like you're wearing fake nails. Depending on the light and how many layers you paint on, it looks like a vampy/sultry color. On my NC30 skin I think it pulls more brown and looks deeper. In artificial light it looks like a bright berry color. Lol. But all in all I would recommend this color to anyone - it looks so classy, sexy and mysterious ;)

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

loveking on 5/13/2012 1:59:00 AM more reviews by loveking

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Dry, Tan, Warm   Hair: Black, Relaxed, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

A great jelly polish! It needs at least 3 coats for maximum opacity and you must apply evenly because it can get streaky. It wears very well .. I'm impressed! I love this colour so much! I don't like the brush or the packaging and the formula is a little too thin for my liking, I hope OPI comes out with an exact dupe because I've fallen in love.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

lauramarsipan on 3/13/2012 5:59:00 PM more reviews by lauramarsipan

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Fair, Cool   Hair: Red, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

This is a gorgeous, deep red jelly that is very richly pigmented and glides on beautifully, with no streaking, and no bald spots. It is so perfect in the fall and winter months, but I find that it works on my fair skin at any time. It is one of my favorite polishes! If this polish were any darker, it would be too dark and vampy. As it is, it is just the deepest, richest wine you can imagine without it edging into black. My favorite way to wear it: Matte! I pair it with Essie's Matte About You topcoat and it just glows - it literally glows! I get so many compliments when I wear it that way.

As always with Essie polishes, I find myself wishing the bottlecaps were a little longer and the brushes were a little wider - but you know what, it isn't bad. I can live with it! So five points for this polish because it is not its fault that I don't like the brush.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

blackbirdxo on 3/1/2012 6:18:00 PM more reviews by blackbirdxo

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Fair, Warm   Hair: Red, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

Bought a few bottles super cheap at a discount drug store in my area. It is just the most perfect, beautiful red wine color. My "go to" in the winter, for sure. So glad I bought more than one bottle!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* AriSatomi on 2/6/2012 9:05:00 PM more reviews by AriSatomi

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Grey    

The only one I want to wear even if I have over 200 polishes. Need I say more?

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* Therealslayergrrl on 2/1/2012 6:28:00 PM more reviews by Therealslayergrrl

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

My favorite nail polish hands down. Wine red. Blue based. I always receive compliments when I wear this. Great for Mani's and Pedi's. On my second bottle.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* binkari on 1/11/2012 8:20:00 PM more reviews by binkari

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Beautiful, timeless, deep blue-based red jelly. Bordeaux is such a classic color that instantly adds glamour to your fingertips without being overbearing. It's vampy, but the jelly finish gives it subtle dimension that prevents it from becoming flat.


Application-wise, Bordeaux is good, but not flawless. It's a dark jelly, so it requires a steady hand to get it even in two coats (I wouldn't even attempt it with one!), but generally smooths out with three. The advantage is that this color absolutely GLOWS when the light hits it the right way.


I would highly recommend Bordeaux to anyone who is on the hunt for a dark red. The formula is fantastic for a jelly, and its translucency makes it easy to wear and flattering on any skin tone.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* icaria on 11/18/2011 2:48:00 PM more reviews by icaria

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Green    

This color was disapointing for me. I expected it to be a bit darker on my nails. Very streaky, I know that if I wear it again I will have to apply 3 coats. I also found that it's staying power was average compare to others I own.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

kat7inka on 11/6/2011 4:13:00 AM more reviews by kat7inka

Age: 44-55   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

This is perhaps the most beautiful wine red polish I have ever had. The color is exactly the color of a great bordeaux - not brown, not purple and not blue. There is a relatively big difference in appearence according to the light. Indoor it is subdued and even discreet, but when the daylight hits the nail, the polish comes alive in all it's beauty - almost as a glass of wine held up in the air to let the sun shine through it. The polish is rather transparent which makes it even more beautiful, but this is also cause to my only regret - it was streaky and difficult to apply. Three coats eventually covered the nails evenly, but in very strong artificial light the streaks are still visible. I would repurchase again though, because of the beauty of the color.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* katushka37 on 10/15/2011 10:28:00 PM more reviews by katushka37

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

If I could pick just one Essie nail polish this would be it!
One day I've realised that my collection was lacking a deep red nail polish and I've found Essie Bordeaux. It is certainly not the shade that will grab your attention straight away, but trust me it looks stunning on nails.
Bordeaux is a deep wine red and has lots of depth to it. Despite being a jelly nail polish it is fully opaque in just 2 coats. 3rd one will deepen the colour. The finish was very good, didn't streak at all. It dried pretty quickly on my nails too

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* AllAboutMe83 on 8/3/2011 10:33:00 PM more reviews by AllAboutMe83

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Straight   Eyes: Green    

Bordeaux is a stunning, sophisticated, timeless shade that looks lovely on my fair cool skin during the colder months when Im super pale. Bordeaux should be a must in every woman's nail polish collection, it's one of those colors that will always look good on anyone, any age any skin tone.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* haidehh on 5/15/2011 6:34:00 PM more reviews by haidehh

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Medium, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Relaxed, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

I wanted a deep red (wine red) color and its almost what i want. Its good quality and stays well. Great both for hands and toenails.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* girlndocs on 4/13/2011 3:20:00 AM more reviews by girlndocs

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Fair   Hair: Other, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Grey    

Ooooooooo-WEE!


This is a beautiful cool, deep red, just on the dark side of candy apple or hot car.


It's not a creme as so many describe it, it's definitely a jelly, and it has tons of depth and juicy glow. Just gorgeous.


It's a real attention-getter, and is the only polish I've ever had complimented by a stranger.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No