Sunday, July 15, 2012

Rose Gold Nails: Essie Penny Talk vs. Orly Rage

As the popularity of rose gold jewelry and accessories soar, it's no surprise that it's becoming a popular nail color as well!  I put two different formulations, one a classic and the other a brand new metallic shade, side by side for comparison.  So, let's find out, Reasonable Readers - what's the difference between Essie's Penny Talk and Orly's Rage?



Orly's Rage, which has been out at least a year, probably longer, is a beautiful rose gold color with shimmer.  Cooler in tone, its thick formula allows for nice, even application.  I personally like a second coat, but you can certainly get away with only one if applied thick enough.  Its staying power is good, and the shimmer is almost like fine glitter, making it a little bit frustrating to remove, but not too bad.


Essie's Penny Talk is new this season (Summer 2012), part of a metallic line of 5 different polishes.  I think of all of them, this one had the most hype given the current popularity of rose gold.  Unlike Orly, this is metallic without the pieces of shimmer (see pictures below).  Penny Talk is a warm gold with a slight copper tone, which gives the appearance of a champagne-like rose gold.  Because it's metallic, it shows every single flaw in your nail, so a fantastic base coat or perfectly smooth nails are a must.  Removal is easy, but it does chip relatively easily (as do many Essie shades).

Essie Penny Talk on left, Orly Rage on right
Compared side-by-side, the two colors don't show a very drastic difference.  They're both rose gold, both metallic, both muted.  The Orly Rage has a cooler tone, almost like a silver chrome running throughout, while Essie's Penny Talk is warmer, more copper.


Essie Penny Talk on left, Orly Rage on right
Looking up close, you can see that Orly Rage has more shimmer to it, making it a more desirable choice for covering up ridges or uneven, imperfect nails.  Penny Talk is beautiful, but it is unforgiving.  Penny Talk is smoother, more sheer, gliding on beautifully, while Rage is a bit thicker, and the shimmer helps hide an imperfect application.

In terms of which is better, I'm a bit more partial to Rage, but they're both very pretty.  You certainly do not need both in your collection, but there's enough of a difference that I don't mind that I purchased Penny Talk.  I think, in the end, Rage will still reign as one of my all-time favorites, but the smoothness of Penny Talk is certainly attractive!  It all comes down to preferences - do you want a smooth, shiny look or something a little shimmery?  

21 comments:

  1. I'm in love with rose gold atm, and like everyone else, am coveting the Michael Kors watch!

    I found your blog through the BBU Blog hop :)

    www.onlycharlottesometimes.blogspot.co.uk x

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    1. Rose gold is just so pretty, I can't get over it. :-) I like that you can pair it with regular gold or silver (sometimes) and it works well. It's so cool to have a man's style watch (like Michael Kors' watches) in such a pretty girly color.

      Welcome to the blog! Hope you enjoy. :-)

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  2. I love rose gold in every way! I will pick up penny talk as soon as i see it!

    Found your blog at the blog hop, check by my page if you feel like
    The Amazing World Of J
    Janine

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    1. Thanks for stopping by! I'll be sure to check yours out too :-)

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  3. I'm not really a fan of the bronze looking nail polish but it's interesting seeing how similar different brands are with the colouring!

    I found you through BBU Blop hop :)

    natalieroseanne.blogspot.co.uk

    xx

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    1. Thanks for stopping by! Yeah, I wasn't super into it either until I saw it on my nails. I like them to look a little more rosy (like Orly Rage) than bronzy (like Penny Talk). It's a good way to get a fun but subdued look.

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  4. I love both of these. I'm glad rose gold is coming more in to the make up side of things as well as accessories. I love the MUA Undressed palette as it has gorgeous rose gold shades in.

    I'm following you now from the BBU blog hop :) x

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    1. Yes, Urban Decay has one as well (although the name escapes me at the moment) and it is actually quite flattering on the eye! I have never tried MUA... do you have recommendations?

      Welcome to the blog!

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  5. I love both the colours rose gold is a colour that I really love.
    I'm following your blog now I found you through the BBU blog hop

    http://prettylitlefashionista.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Thank you, and welcome! I'm checking your blog out asap. And it seems like we just can't go wrong with rose gold, right? :-)

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  6. hey loving the blog! found u on bbu blog hop xxx
    http://xteaseflutterpoutx.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Thank you, and welcome! I'll be sure to check yours out as well! xoxo

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  7. These are so pretty!
    Found you through the BBU blog hop, now following :)

    Bethlovebeauty.com

    Beth x

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    1. Welcome! I'll check out your blog as well! :-)

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  8. Rose gold is so beautiful!! Found you through the BBU Blog hop x

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  9. Love them! I found your blog via the BBU Blog hop and followed :) xx

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    1. Welcome! I subscribed to you as well... and your banner on your blog is SO pretty. Ugh, I'm a sucker for anything blue, so I like your layout. :-) Looking forward to reading your posts!

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  10. Found you through the BBU blog hop! Both of these colors are lovely, don't know how I would be able to pick one, haha.
    xx, ahhhdri
    http://liquorlubeandlipstick.blogspot.com

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  11. from your pictures, i actually prefer penny talk!
    found you through BBU blog hop, enjoying going through your posts!
    xxx

    http://ilovebeautyandthebitch.blogspot.co.uk/

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  12. Love rose gold so much!!! I have a blog post about that but I forget to include a nail polish..so bad. I'm definitely going to check out essie's Penny Talk!!!

    http://healthybeautyjournal.blogspot.com.es/2012/08/rose-gold-loves.html

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