Essie • Clam Bake • Polishes

*TOP REVIEWER* SHeust on 5/3/2013 12:30:00 PM more reviews by SHeust

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Green    

I got this polish from a friend; it wasn't a color I would have picked myself. However, it is a really fun, fresh color for summer! Clam Bake is a coralish shade (orange-red with two coats and tomato red with three coats) that is surprisingly flattering. Great on nails with gold jewelry or on toes for a pool party. The formula, like all Essie polishes, is very smooth and shiny, not too thin or thick and lasts very well.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

ace2o4 on 6/18/2012 1:27:00 PM more reviews by ace2o4

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

I'm a huge Essie fan so I'm always trying new colors, which is definitely a hit-or-miss experience. Essie calls this "a creamy red-orange", though it is much more orange than red. Also, this is not a creamy nail polish at all, it is certainly a jelly. I put on 2 coats initially, but added a 3rd coat the next day because I wanted it to be more opaque. I love this color, it looks especially good on my warm-toned skin. It's great for summer and is a nice break from wearing reds, which is my usual go-to classic color. The only reason I gave 4 lippes instead of 5 is because I wish it was more opaque. However, I would recommend this to a friend and will definitely repurchase once my bottle is empty!

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

TeresaAnn on 6/10/2012 11:35:00 PM more reviews by TeresaAnn

Age: 36-43   Skin: Oily, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

I LOVE this color for summer! It's a brilliant orange-red that dazzles with a top coat. I keep my nails quite short so I only had to apply 2 coats, but I could see how longer nails would need to apply 3+ to achieve opacity. It's one of the very limited red polishes that looks chic on short nails.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* Simply_beautiful on 6/3/2012 3:31:00 PM more reviews by Simply_beautiful

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

This looks so dull without a tan! I used it on my nails and removed it the same day!
You cannot get away with two coats, it is far too sheer so 3 coats is another minus for me.
I like the award winning Geranium so much better, it is much classier, much more lively and looks gorgeous with 2 coats.
Will give Clambake another try when i m tanned but again, i have other favourites for then. Will not buy again and regreted that i did.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

PhatMuffin on 4/29/2012 5:12:00 AM more reviews by PhatMuffin

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

A beautiful red with a hint of orange, perfect for the summer! Here's the problem though: I own a lot of essie polishes and after a lot of chipping an re-applying I found that two thin coats is the secret for this brand. If you apply only two thin coats and no top coat they last forever on the nail, however this polish (as so many other essie polishes) is very very sheer and need three or four coats to become opaque. I'm tired of having to reapply it everyday so now it's just in my drawer collecting dust, too bad, because the color is really pretty.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

lillybloo on 9/29/2011 8:59:00 AM more reviews by lillybloo

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Black, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

I normally don't do orange polish, but this is the exception. Clambake is an orange-red jelly, 3 coater. It's a fun pop of color that looks great with a tan! Essie formulas are inconsistent, but this one's lovely. Not too thick, not too thin jelly. I like it best without a topcoat; the jelly's luminosity seems to dull with tc. Really juicy-looking!

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

*TOP REVIEWER* Kaelie on 9/25/2011 8:07:00 PM more reviews by Kaelie

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Black    

Purchased this at Target for $7.79 USD. I'm an east Asian with normally pale skin with yellow-undertones (I'm tan and a shade darker now). I bought this to match my NARS Heatwave lipstick, and on my skin, this is the perfect orangey-red to match the lipstick! This has much more orange than other similar colors by Essie (geranium and fifth avenue). I think it looks very fresh and bright. The perfect orangey-red (or reddish orange, depending on your perspective)!!

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

*TOP REVIEWER* spamela74 on 6/2/2011 1:19:00 AM more reviews by spamela74

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

I think it's hard to find the perfect summer red. I desire a red-orange but I always end up with something that has decidedly blue undertones. Then along came Essie's Clam Bake! From the moment I swiped it on one nail, I knew that I found it. I would say that this is EXACTLY the color of a tomato--bright, shiny red just bordering on being orange. It has no shimmer or glitter but it is still brilliant. You must apply two coats (like most nail polishes). I love it on my tanned skin! I noticed that many Target locations are now carrying Essie. How's that for convenience?

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* gracie114 on 4/9/2011 8:29:00 PM more reviews by gracie114

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Red, Curly, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

This was so sheer! I thought it would be the perfect orange red color, but after three coats my nails are still visible.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

Aimeerose on 5/11/2010 9:52:00 AM more reviews by Aimeerose

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Dark, Neutral   Hair: Black, Relaxed   Eyes: Brown    

I love this polish. I love it on my toes. Haven't worn it on my tips yet but probably will soon. Being of darker skin, the red-orange is perfectly balanced to compliment my skin tone but I'm sure it looks great on all skin tones as well. Its a great summer shade and I plan on buying another bottle as a back up.

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

*TOP REVIEWER* AmyDbaby on 1/22/2010 6:10:00 PM more reviews by AmyDbaby

Age: 36-43   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Red   Eyes: Brown    

Without a doubt the perfect shade for Summer. As everyone else has noted this is an orange-red and it's bright. No muddiness at all. Just clean, bright color. I got this on sale but would have no problem paying full price for it. Now I just have to wait for Summer to get here again so I can wear it daily, lol.

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

lk1119 on 11/9/2009 1:22:00 AM more reviews by lk1119

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Black, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

This is by far my all time favorite nail polish color. I was looking for a bright red nail polish color in the summer and came upon this one at an Ulta store. It was on sale for $3.00, so I got it for a great price. It looked bright red in the bottle, but when applied it looked like a redish-orange color, but still beautiful. It's really sheer, so in order to get the color to stand out I had to apply a few coats on my nails. It also lasts for a pretty long time without chipping off the nail. I got lots of compliments on the color on my nail whenever I would wear this polish. So, I absolutely love this color and would recommend it to anyone that wants a fun bright vibrant nail polish color.

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

visageaparis on 9/7/2008 10:58:00 PM more reviews by visageaparis

Age: Unknown   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Blond, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

This is a gorgeous orangey-red--bright and festive, but not garish.
It has been a favorite of mine for my summer pedicures, but I am thinking that I might just choose to bring this one out during the winter when I need the lift that a shot of such a bright happy color can bring.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* Emma13 on 7/9/2008 8:19:00 AM more reviews by Emma13

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

I was looking for a fun and summery red-orange shade to offset my tan toes, and I went home with Clam Bake. To be sure, it's red-orange (neither really red nor really orange) and verrry bright - just the right side of day-glo. Which is fine for my toes in the summer time but I wouldn't dream of wearing it on my tips... probably. Anyway, what really shocked me is how sheer this polish is. Ridiculously see-through. Part of its "glowiness" is due to the fact it's sheer, but on toenails I really want something opaque that will cover any dirt that may get under the nail etc. - you get my drift. I have to apply 3 coats and it's still not opaque. (Anyhow, I discovered it doesn't look that bad actually so I'll happily wear Clam Bake this season and just keep my feet extra clean ;-) Probably would not repurchase this particular shade though.) *** UPDATE: 5 lippies. I'm loving this, the perfect summer shade as an alternative to hot pink! The sheerness no longer bothers me, 2 or 3 coats produces a glowing, glossy finish. I'm even wearing this on my tips and it's bright but in a good, fun, happy way. On lips I wear Prescriptives tint balm in "Sunburst" which as it comes out of the tube looks exactly like Clam Bake (but with shimmers) but goes on sheer. Bright nails, lipgloss and and bronzing powder - all the makeup I need! :-)

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

karolcia on 4/6/2008 10:45:00 PM more reviews by karolcia

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Blue    

great color for summer. great on toes. very orange-red shade. looks sexy on toes......like it...

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* ekelur on 12/4/2007 12:26:00 PM more reviews by ekelur

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

The best thing on toes for the summer. Cream red that just borders on orange. I have pale cool toned skin, and this looks great on me. A friend is a warm toned perennial tanner, and it looks great on her. There probably aren't many people this wouldn't suit.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

indielove on 11/14/2007 11:11:00 AM more reviews by indielove

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Olive   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

PERFECT color for a summer pedi. It's vibrant and fun, a real attention getter. It is a creme orange-red color, but not too orange and tacky-looking. Looks great on tan/darker skin, does not give off a fluorescent effect. Essie makes such fabulous polishes, I'm definitely a fan for life! :)

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

*TOP REVIEWER* Peacelover18 on 4/2/2007 12:38:00 AM more reviews by Peacelover18

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Green    

It's a reddish-orange color. Essie's polishes are the best. I didn't much like this color - it didn't go well with my fair skin. But it would look great on someone with darker skin color.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

ebetty on 2/26/2007 11:45:00 AM more reviews by ebetty

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I absolutely love this shade! Even on my pale, cool skin, this bright orange creme is really bright, pretty, and flattering. It applies very well and is completely non-streaky. However, this is ridiculously sheer for a bright orange polish! I had to use 5 - yes, five - coats to completely mask the whites of my nails, and even with the help of quick-dry topcoat and quick-dry drops, I managed to mess up three nails about an hour after my mani. I think this shade is going to be perfect once I find a suitably opaque base coat, because I really am in love with the color and the application. It's just so very, oddly, sheer...

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

lil_faerie on 12/10/2006 9:18:00 PM more reviews by lil_faerie

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I just love the name of this polish. It is perfect for it. The orangey red shade is very much like lobster red. It is so much richer than that though. It's bright without being over the top. Looks great with a tan and is really fun to wear. It also has that beautiful jelly like finish that makes the color look so luscious. Highly recommend to warm toned gals.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No