Essie • Au Natural • Polishes

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*TOP REVIEWER* kathrynb23 on 3/19/2012 6:52:00 PM more reviews by kathrynb23

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

Absolutely love this colour. However in order to appreciate this colour, many many layers needed to be applied!
It's like my nails, but better with a pearl sheen.

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dbfivegirl on 2/29/2012 6:21:00 PM more reviews by dbfivegirl

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I expected great things of this polish but once it was on it was just kind of blah. Normally I love 'barely there' type colours so. Maybe it shouldn't be used straight after a colour like 'Wicked':)!. Took it off after two days as just felt so beige. Will no doubt try it again. Hopefully I will grow fonder with further use.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Joseybird on 11/5/2011 10:03:00 AM more reviews by Joseybird

Age: 25-29   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

This is a gorgeous, gorgeous polish! Very sheer, milky beige-taupe that goes on completely streak free and gives you that perfect "my nails but better" look. Drying time is excellent, as is wear time. From a distance, it gives the impression that your nails are simply shiny and healthy, not obviously polished.

I'd recommend this highly for interviews, as well as for people who want to look "polished" without drawing too much attention to their nails. It's very forgiving, so I'd even rec this for people who are unfamiliar with nail polish generally.

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

*TOP REVIEWER* iramasson on 10/24/2011 4:01:00 AM more reviews by iramasson

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Black    

It is a very sheer slightly milky beige with a great shine. Makes your nails look well cared for. It spreads beautifully without any streaks. It dries fairly quickly too. Overall I am happy to use it as a nude but it is a bit too boring for me to buy again...

Word of caution: it looks horrible on a french mani, on top of white tips. Makes the white tip look dirtly and old. I had to wipe it off immediately.

If you are into sheer nude nails, this is must!

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

*TOP REVIEWER* PattyLovesMakeup on 8/22/2011 2:15:00 PM more reviews by PattyLovesMakeup

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Fair   Hair: Brunette, Curly   Eyes: Hazel    

By far my favorite nail polish. It's my go to interview nail color. When ever I don't know what to do, this is the shade for me. I'm light skinned so this is very natural for me, on darker ladies it would be a nice slight pop of nude. I love it so much.

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

SmallerFries on 8/22/2011 1:52:00 PM more reviews by SmallerFries

Age: 25-29   Skin: Sensitive, Fair   Hair: Red   Eyes: Green    

I love this color! When my friend suggested I try it I was hesitant as I am not really into neural brownish colors but this one proved me wrong. It's a great beige color that looks great on almost any skin tone. It also has great staying power and lasted over a week for me. It's also really low maintenance because even after it starts to wear away you can barely tell thanks to the color. Perfect if you want to do your nails quickly at the beginning of the week and not stress touch ups. Unfortunately, I have heard that it has been discontinued making it hard to find. Too bad, it really is a great color.

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

*TOP REVIEWER* Catttt on 8/2/2011 7:56:00 PM more reviews by Catttt

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

A sheer rosy light brown with slight iridescence, definitely not beige. On my tan/yellow/olive skin, it looks unnatural and "off". I can't wear this.

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

ladiladila on 5/23/2011 7:45:00 AM more reviews by ladiladila

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

Got my fingernails painted in this yesterday - sort of a sheer mink color - maybe light beige.

It's a nice day-time color but IDK, maybe I prefer more color??

but very good for every day and very different to what I have and wear so I bought a back up bottle.

Waiting to see how long it chips... so may update this!

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

*TOP REVIEWER* ArizonaAngel on 12/15/2010 2:35:00 PM more reviews by ArizonaAngel

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Medium, Cool   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

One of my go-to polishes. I prefer to wear sheers for my manicures and this is one of the best. A gorgeous beige-nude that is sheer, but not too sheer. It evens out my nails and makes my nails look longer and perfect. Glass-like shine and long wearing. I will repurchase this until I cannot find it anymore!

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093274000 on 9/25/2010 6:30:00 PM more reviews by 093274000

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Dark   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

Just FYI my skintone is south asian cafe au lait and my nailbed color is a pinky/beige color.
This color looked great with my skintone. My only gripe is that it's hard to get all your nails the same shade of this color because of the streaky formula. Other than that it is a gorgeous milky nude beige.

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mintcandyapple on 7/6/2010 9:31:00 AM more reviews by mintcandyapple

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Green    

I very rarely wear sheer polishes, but I make an exception for Au Natural. This is my go-to polish when I don't feel like investing a ton of time in my nails. Also, since it is a "your nails but better" shade, I usually wear this if I have been overzealous with filing. It really makes your fingers look longer.

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CellarDoor2 on 3/22/2010 11:59:00 AM more reviews by CellarDoor2

Age: 25-29   Skin: Very Dry, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

Dear Au Natural: Where have you been all my life? This is EXACTLY the perfect non-pink sheer nude that I had been looking for for the past 10 months. While I like sheer pinks (such as Essie’s Mademoiselle and OPI’s Kiss on the Chic), I was looking for a sheer, nude beige that would literally “extend” the colour of my skin onto my nails. I wanted to find a colour that would look like the shiny version of my fingers. I started off with Essie Jazz, which I loved, but it was not what I was looking for, after I realized that it was extremely similar to my OPI Tickle My France-y, which was a beige nude but with mauve, or pinkish, undertones. While Jazz is more opaque, the shade was still pretty close to OPI, and in my opinion, it was not different enough to own both. So the search continued. I have tried Essie’s Naked Truth, Pachinko Pale, Sandy Beach, Not Just A Pretty Face (which was clearly a pink shade, but since I have a cool skin tone, I thought it would qualify as a nude for me, which it didn’t in the end). All of these were either too white, too pink, and generally speaking, just too light in order to look like it matched my skin tone exactly. They all had a “she is wearing a light-coloured nail polish” look, rather than the “is she wearing clear nail polish? Is she wearing anything at all?” look that I was looking for. Amid my search and trials, I have actually tried Au Natural on one nail, but for some reason decided that it was not what I was looking for, maybe I was afraid that it would make my nails look “stained” and old. After trying all of these shades and the new Essie 2010 Wedding Collection nudes, I have realized that it was Au Natural or never. So I went and bought a bottle, which, sadly, is being discontinued. Applied it, and voila! Bingo. A great shade that makes my fingers look longer since it blurs the line between the nail and the finger. A light, sheer chocolate-milk shade. It has a very subtle silver shimmer in the bottle that you do not see once you put it on, which is a good thing. It matches my skin tone exactly, and even tough I am very pale and the colour in the bottle looks kind of dark, it is much lighter and not so harsh once you apply it. Would definitely repurchase, if it weren’t being discontinued!

6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* mmariecrys on 6/26/2009 1:30:00 PM more reviews by mmariecrys

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Dark, Warm   Hair: Brown, Relaxed, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

Updated review 5/24/2013: What the heck man! They have changed the tone of Au Natural. It is no longer a neutral taupe, it is a pink pearlescent. I kept looking at the bottle in Ulta thinkin it was labled wrong and brought it anyway wondering if it would apply the original color, but it is definitely pink now. I returned it and won't be repurchasing. Off to find a dupe of the original...

Original review 2009: This became an instant fave the first time I wore it. I put it aside to test other nudes, and now on my 2nd application a few months later, I realize it may be my absolute fave. I can only tolerate nudes/naturals on my tips, but on my darker skintone, so many of them appear too white, milky, or chalky. Au Natural, on the other hand has the slightest brown undertone that compliments my tone perfectly. The result is the most perfect-looking natural, clean and smooth nailbed. The key to this (and most nudes) looking perfect is a good basecoat and topcoat (I apply over two coats of Nailtek Foudation II and top with a coat of OTD). Being a nude, it does lack excitment and flair, but clean, polished tips will always be in style, and this color makes my whole hand look slender and sexy. It puts me in mind of the natural brown shade Beyonce wears often on her tips (I think her hands are the best thing about her, lol). I also love Essie Jazz, which has even more brown/grey, and may be more suitable for the fall.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Tina68 on 3/12/2009 9:43:00 AM more reviews by Tina68

Age: 36-43   Skin: Acne-prone   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I bought Au Natural because I was looking for a polish to bring a clean and natural look to my nails without a pink, white or peach tones. I agree with the reviewers who said this polish is like foundation for your nails; it really is, but it didn't colour-match with my nail beds or skintone. On my nails Au Natural looks sort of yellow. I also think when wearing a shade this sheer your nails and cuticles really do need to be flawless since it's not the colour that will be standing out. The application was awesome: it went on smoothly, without any streaking and has a lot of shine. Since I removed it after one day, I can't speak to its wear and durability.

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momochow on 12/9/2007 11:26:00 PM more reviews by momochow

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Tan   Hair: Other   Eyes: Brown    

I would never have considered this colour had it not been for the reviews here because it looks like an unattractive dirty latte shade in the bottle. Now that I have tried it I know my (eternal) search for a neutral polish which suits my yellow based skin tone has ended. This is the perfect neutral shade for me, all the other neutral shades either end up too white or too pink which only makes the yellow in my skin more yellow. But Au Natural gives my nails a perfect, polished, healthy look. I was going to stop using nail polish when I read about Au Natural but it is so beautiful it justifies a change of mind.

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

christialle on 7/5/2007 4:51:00 PM more reviews by christialle

Age: 36-43   Skin: Oily   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Green    

I have been looking for a color like this forever, nude, without looking white or pink. This is it, a great color. It is very sheer, and seems to need a lot of coats, but still looks great. I also have started using Creative Stickey as a base, and Poshe top coat because of MUA reviews. It does really make a big difference in maintaining long wear. The Poshe top coat is very shiney.

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*TOP REVIEWER* MaryEllen on 5/30/2007 8:10:00 PM more reviews by MaryEllen

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

I want to thank every MUAer who reviewed this! I would never have chosen this on my own because, as other reviewers have noted, it is the ugliest grayish color in the bottle. However, it is the perfect, polished, professional nude color on me. My nails are so perfect they almost look fake! Many, many thanks and I highly recommend this product!

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

*TOP REVIEWER* blufunk on 3/26/2007 12:54:00 PM more reviews by blufunk

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

DDD NC45

My new HG YNBB. The polish color is hard to describe, in the bottle it looks like a flat, dirty dishwater color. Dont let that fool you tho. On my nails, it's very natural, shiny-matte ecru color. This the exact color of my fingernails. Perfect for a business trip, chips don't show thru.

It tends to thicken, keep the thinner close by. Application is superb,

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

ccunn13ca on 10/29/2006 11:24:00 PM more reviews by ccunn13ca

Age: 19-24   Skin: Sensitive, Dark   Hair: Brown, Relaxed, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

On the Essie website and in the actual bottle, this colour looks like a cool brownish-beige. Three coats on my toes is a natural-looking sheer colour. I'm a DDD, so it's almost the same colour of my toenails without polish, but looking more clean and healthy and shiny. One coat on my fingers over French Tip White gives the extremely slightest hint of beige; it looks like clear. For me, this nail polish colour is YNBB and definitely lives up to its name!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* Lisau on 6/5/2006 2:11:00 AM more reviews by Lisau

Age: Unknown   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

As another reviewer stated below, this is just like a foundation for your nails. I wear this when I don't want to worry about my nail color chipping. It's a very pretty color to enhance your nails - a truly your nails but better look. Goes on very shiny. If you're someone who prefers a lot of color on your nails, this wouldn't be for you - but if you like sheers and natural looking nails this is a definite must try. Don't let the 'blah' color in the bottle fool you, it's actually very pretty on the nails.

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