Essie Nail Polish in Bahama Mama, swatch
Product Review / Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday! Essie — Bahama Mama (Nail Polish) Swatch & Review

fivezero19 Comments

Collection: Essie 2007 Summer, It’s Better in the Bahamas

Today’s Throwback Thursday polish is one of only two shades from Essie’s 2007 Summer collection (the other is Island Hopping) that remains in the core collection.

Essie describes Bahama Mama (609) as a “warm, rich, creamy deep plum”. It’s a very rich shade, but I’d say it’s just a tad too light to be vampy. It brightens up well in bright sun, too. This deep raisin-toned plum cream doesn’t particularly evoke the Bahamas for me, but I guess I haven’t been there, either.

I suppose any and all colors are present during the Bahamas’ annual Junkanoo Carnival, which takes place every Boxing Day (that’s the day after Christmas)!

Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival 2013, Photo by Michael Glass
Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival 2013. Photo by Michael Glass.
Image: fest300.com

My bottle is actually a newer one—I recently repurchased a bottle after giving the older one away—so there’s no caveat this time about thinner being added, and all that.

The formula is slightly jelly-ish. It can be a little tricky to apply evenly, though two thicker coats or three thinner ones (which is what I did in the swatch) will give you a very pretty, glassy-looking finish.

Essie Nail Polish in Bahama Mama, swatch

The color and finish are really fabulous, and if not for the slightly more time-consuming application, I’d have highly recommended it. It’s definitely worth the little bit of trouble if you love the shade.

Essie Nail Polish in Bahama Mama, label

Essie Nail Polish retails for US$8.50 / CA$9.99–$10.99 and is 0.46 US fl oz / 13.5 mL. The polish is free of toluene, formaldehyde, and dibutyl phthalate (DBP). (I bought my polish on clearance several years ago, and I do not know whether it is 3-Free.) It is made in the USA.

Essie Cosmetics, founded in 1981, is based in Westfield NJ, USA. In 2010, Essie was acquired by the L’Oréal Group.

19 thoughts on “Throwback Thursday! Essie — Bahama Mama (Nail Polish) Swatch & Review”

  7. This one has been on my “To Buy, Or Not To Buy” list for a looooong time. Still torn though…I feel like if I see it on sale, I would PROBABLY pick it up…but maybe I’ll just continue to pass on it at full price 😛

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