Essie • Adore-A-Ball • Polishes

Where To Buy?

kiramekihoshi on 4/24/2013 8:44:00 PM more reviews by kiramekihoshi

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Medium   Hair: Brown, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

Adore-a-Ball is one of Essie's many sheer pale pinks. Like others polishes of this color, it runs a little streaky, but it's not very noticeable to others. It's a very cute color, and I'm glad I own it, but there are many just like it. If you can find it on sale (I actually found mine at the thrift store), definitely snatch it up. Otherwise, Wet n Wild's $2 Megalast line has a sheer pale pink called Sugar Coat that will work just as well.

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MBROOKS425 on 4/13/2013 11:38:00 PM more reviews by MBROOKS425

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Olive   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

This is my HG nail polish for hands. It is the perfect clean and bright milky nude/pink color . If you want a natural but still pretty color, this is it. its not too sheer either. I have medium tan skin and this color just makes my nails look healthy, clean and its perfect. I have been repurchasing for a few years and will keep buying as long as they sell it! Essie polishes also last a good 5-6 days on my hands as well. Great polishes.

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ElinorRose on 2/4/2013 11:49:00 AM more reviews by ElinorRose

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

Wow. I just love it so much! I did find it streaky on a second coat but I prefer only one coat anyway so that wasn't a problem. It's the most beautiful sheer, pinky-nude color that makes my nails look even and shiny and yet still natural. I gave it only four stars because when I bought it I did expect it to be more opaque but I've fallen in love with the sheer-ness! I will definitely repurchase this because of how elegant and beautiful it is.

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*TOP REVIEWER* cheeky on 9/17/2012 1:51:00 AM more reviews by cheeky

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Green    

i work at abercrombie and fitch, we are not allowed any nail polish besides clear, but i was able to get away with this by applying one coat (and carefully hiding my nails around my store manager). it's such a pretty nude, yes the application is streaky, but it's a nice end result. i'm looking forward to trying ballet slippers and other essie nudes. also, i love the shape/design of the bottle :)

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MelissaMH on 5/27/2012 4:00:00 PM more reviews by MelissaMH

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

The perfect pale pink, less sheer than many pale pinks. No mauve undertones, just a pretty pink. The first coat can be a little streaky, but the streaks disappear with the second coat. Wears well. My year-round favorite, great for a summer pedi. No surprise that Adore-A-Ball is an Essie top ten!

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*TOP REVIEWER* tinkerrbelle on 4/13/2012 7:34:00 AM more reviews by tinkerrbelle

Age: 36-43   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Warm   Hair: Blond, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I love soft/sheers, but like most of them Adore-A-Ball is prone to a bit of streaking. Not too bad, about average. I can work with it and the color is very pretty. Its milky sheer with a cool lilac undertone. I prefer to apply only one perfect sheer coat, as its the extra layers that look streaky. I'd like to try Allure (sheer warm white) East Hampton Cottage (opaque pale pink) or Blanc (opaque white) next.


Other Essie feminine shades I've tried:


Bisses and Kisses - perfect no streaking
Cafe Forgot - nailtips look yellowed like a hardened smoker
French Affair - gloopy, thick
Luscious Lips - extremely streaky
Marshmellow - streaky

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LilEdie on 12/4/2011 5:18:00 PM more reviews by LilEdie

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

Not too beige, not too pink - my ultimate everyday, all the time color. I know people have complained of streakiness but I find that usually shows up when you have had it a while & it tends to get a bit thicker. Just water it down (not too much!) with nail polish thinner or nail polish remover, & it will be just like new & no streaks!

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Floradanica on 7/29/2011 10:03:00 PM more reviews by Floradanica

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Blue    

Colour is perfect... very elegant. It IS streaky/hard to put on. In the salon, they do it just right, but I like to do my own nails most of the time, and I can never get it just right. Still, I will keep buying it. I wish Essie could fix the streak problem, though.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Karidinka on 7/28/2011 1:01:00 AM more reviews by Karidinka

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I recently changed jobs and at my new workplace anything beyond a french manicure is frowned upon, so I sadly had to ditch my beloved reds and deep pinks. I'm pale with cool undertones, and this polish looks very good on my nails. One layer enhances my natural tone, two layers give a slightly milky, but still very natural look.

I never was a fan of Essie, as I find nearly all their polishes that I tried to be streaky, and I was always after a red/pink opaque look. With this stuff I have no problems with streaks at all. I also love the fact that wearing off is less noticeable than with opaques.

I've had no issues with peeling. I wish this polish was a bit more shiny, so I could skip a top layer, but overall I like this stuff a lot and will repurchase as soon as I run out of it.

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Sammi17 on 7/2/2011 11:53:00 AM more reviews by Sammi17

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Olive   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I LOVE this color. It looks so clean and its just the right amount of color. I noticed other reviews saying its streaky, i have not noticed this and i use it at least once a week. However, i always use a base coat. I think most people skip using a base coat but it really is important if you want a beautiful color. Overall i would definitely use this product again and recommend it to a friend

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HollyBee23 on 4/25/2011 2:02:00 PM more reviews by HollyBee23

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

This is my go-to polish! So pretty and professional. The application can be a bit tricky, as it is a bit streaky. IMO, it's worth it.

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leenafuss on 2/11/2011 8:05:00 PM more reviews by leenafuss

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Hazel    

Like others have said this nail polish is very streaky. The colour is quite sheer too. With that being said if you want a very natural look and don't care about streaks this polish would be okay for you.

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*TOP REVIEWER* violetmist on 8/29/2010 6:17:00 PM more reviews by violetmist

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

On it's own this is just blah and it does streak. However, I will continue to purchase it because a layer of Allure with Adore-A-Ball over it delivers the most flattering pale colour. In the background but making a whisper.

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*TOP REVIEWER* ArizonaAngel on 8/29/2010 4:45:00 PM more reviews by ArizonaAngel

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Medium, Cool   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

One of the worst I have tried - horribly streaky no matter how many coats I tried. I love most of Essie's polishes but this one turned out to be a huge disaster. I will definitely not repurchase.

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MistyPhoto on 8/3/2010 2:24:00 PM more reviews by MistyPhoto

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I found this polish to be just one giant streak fest. Maybe I got a bad bottle, but I found this polish to be pretty much useless. What I do love is the color and sheer-ness of the polish. If it werent so streaky I'd love it. I do not suggest this polish because of the insane streakiness

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KateFesch on 6/23/2010 2:46:00 PM more reviews by KateFesch

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Olive, Warm   Hair: Brown, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I wanted a sheer, delicate pink polish and this went on very milky and nearly opaque with just one coat. Very streaky, too. Not what I expected.

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BeautyBloom on 5/24/2010 12:25:00 AM more reviews by BeautyBloom

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Really pretty color in the bottle, but I had to apply over 5 coats to actually get the color. I didn't realize it was going to be THAT sheer. Other than that, it lasts a long time and doesn't chip easily. I still love Essie nail polishes, this just wasn't my favorite.

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suslik on 3/12/2010 6:17:00 PM more reviews by suslik

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Green    

Another staple of mine, it always looks so cute and simple. It is no fuss and any chipping that may happen is not noticeable since it's so light. I always love looking at my hands when I wear this. I feel like with darker polishes I am always self-conscious because chipping happens so fast. With this kind of colour, it's just prettier than going bare, that's it, and it lasts for like a week. I only have a mini version of this and am prowling for more! I've got Mademoiselle, hopefully it's as good.

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*TOP REVIEWER* niclyf on 4/18/2009 11:41:00 PM more reviews by niclyf

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

Another favorite Essie in my stash that I have more than one bottle of. Adore-a-Ball is simliar to Ballet Slippers .. slightly less opaque. Two coats of this looks clean, professional .. like a french manicure in a bottle. It's great alone, and also great for layering. I like a coat of this and then a coat of Sold out Show or Nude beach over it. Great application, no streaking and never chips on me. Another winner in my stash that I use quite often!

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*TOP REVIEWER* violetcobra on 1/6/2009 12:21:00 PM more reviews by violetcobra

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Green    

I really wouldn't buy this again, I'd try something new but that's just me. I really like this color despite not wanting to buy this again, which is weird because I would recommend this color to anyone wanting a sheer ivory with a touch of pink.



The Color... in the bottle, you are looking at a soft pale ivory. On nails, because this is sheer, two things happen. First, it may go on streaky because it's really uber thin. Second, your own skintone with show through and add to the ivory. The ivory did not clash with my green/yellow/blue tones at all and was extremely flattering! However I did get so much streakiness I did end up with 3 coats, making a more milky/chalky look than the delicate look that I wanted. No points off as far as color goes, because it was so flattering on. I would NOT recommend this for a french because it's actually not sheer enough.



The Application... as stated before, quite thin, slippery and a mite streaky on the nail. Sadly, this color typifies the trend in Essie colors to be a bit glassy and slippery and effects the color in a negative way because it doesn't lay down where you put it, even with ridge filling base that's grabby (Nailtek II Foundation is very rough and anti-skid. Didn't help.). The 3 coats I ended up with typified the fix to the streakiness... just add more color! But what if that defeats that soft sheerness you want? Dang.



The Wear... today is about day 5. I started having noticeable cracking around my flexible index (a bit over the tip of my fingertip) on day 3, significant chipping on day 4. I think by babying and pampering with additional topcoat applications I could have extended the wear... and I did use Oh So Wet topcoat, not one that's especially long lasting. My bad. However, I cannot complain about the wear for the first 3-4 days time as I did use my hands greatly.



Overall, I loved the color in the bottle, loved the color in 2 coats and the opacity in 2 coats, liked the color in 3 coats but didn't love the opacity, and the wear was better than anticipated. The prettiest ivory semi-sheer I've used and actually not even the streakiest, I may just keep this one but I won't rebuy this.

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