Bonjour Mademoiselle.

I'm a nail painting kinda gal. I have always had a small collection of nail varnishes tucked away somewhere in my room and I usually get new bottle or two a year. I'm by no means a nail varnish artiste or addict - I can barely stand wanting for the darn polish to dry and set - but I do enjoy a good coat to my nails. On Fridays at 3:30pm during my high school years I was painitng my nails black (I went through a phase) as my school's uniform code had a 'no nail varnish' clause in it. Somehow, I've found myself in a job where the same rule applies. Until now...

I've been in my current job for nearly four years (OMG, that is depressing) and the uniform code has a 'no nail varnish' clause and I hate that. The only chances that I get to do anything to my nails are when I have two days off together or when I'm off for a week on holiday, even if I'm not jetting off anyway abroad. Now, holiday weeks happen maybe once every so often and 2 rest days together are even more rare because I do not have a set rota. Two days together isn't great because by the time you paint your nails, get used to the shade and show your beautifully polished fingers off, it's time to take it all off. 

Boo!

Enter Essie's Mademoiselle. Mademoiselle is a soft, sheer pink shade, understated and classic, that sits well on the nails. It's almost balletic. I have tried the old 'Get a nail polish close to my nail colour and it won't look like I'm weariing nail polish' trick but those shades were often too shimmery or metallic in their finish, ergo too noticeable. Not Mademoiselle. 

Essie's Mademoiselle gives my nails a healthy pink glow as my nails do take a battering from work, owning two dogs and from plain old hard labour. A bonus about this polish, to me anyway, is that the nail edges are visible through the coats, which adds to the no-nail-polish-polish look I'm trying to achieve. And it works. Nobody has noticed. Well, nobody of importance has noticed. Sssh. Sometimes, I even forget that I'm wearing nail polish.

The one downside to this polish is that the formula is quite a thin, sheer one. It took 3 coats to get an even coverage on my nails. Some coats can be thicker than others but I recommend to apply thin, even coats and layering them up to achieve a nice finish.