Estée Lauder Pure Color Nail Lacquer Heavy Petals Collection for Spring 2013

This spring, Estée Lauder introduces Heavy Petals, a genteel collection of creamy nail colours.

In Nail there is a lot of fantasy and color and nothing is more rich in color and sensation than Paris in Spring.

– Tom Pecheux

Inspired by Paris in the springtime, Tom Pecheux thought of “bouquets from the flower markets, the pretty pastels of children’s carousels and the pops of color from macaroons”, when he created these shades.

On my nails in the photo above are Estée Lauder Heavy Petals Pure Color Nail Lacquers in Lilac Leather (a dusty purple), Dilettante (an aqua), Absinthe (a chartreuse) and Narcissist (a petal pink).

On the thumbnail is Teal Topaz, last year’s spring polish offering from the brand and one of my favourite EL lacquers.

They are sheerer than I’d expected from their richness in the bottle but 3 layers deliver opacity without gunking up – they apply smoothly, imparting even colour on the nail surface. I’m particularly fond of Absinthe, which I recently found out is the shade of absinthe verte, a yellow-green version of that highly-alcoholic beverage. I’ve only seen this formerly-illegal substance in an emerald hue, so I learnt something new by way of this product. ;)

These colours dry fairly quickly…but the pink started to chip within 2 days, unfortunately. The others stayed on very well and would probably have lasted for several days if I hadn’t changed my manicure.

S$26 here in Singapore, these nail colours are perfect Easter shades. However, I must say that where texture is concerned, last year’s spring lacquer still seems superior. I enjoy their brush and appreciate their drying speed but in my experience with several EL nail lacquers, the quality does vary. I do wish EL would make their polishes more consistent.