Battle of the Rose Gold Polishes

Today I have for you a nail polish battle for one of my personal favorite colors to sport, rose gold. The polishes I will compare are Orly's "Rage," Deborah Lippmann's "Glamorous Life," and Essie's "Penny Talk."

(photographed [L to R]: Orly "Rage," Deborah Lippmann "Glamorous Life," Essie "Penny Talk")

I took a photo of the colors swatched side-by-side, though their reflective properties did make that slightly difficult.

However, even from the photo below you can already see a few distinctions between the three polishes. Orly's "Rage" is the coolest and Deborah Lippmann's "Glamorous Life" is the rosiest and also resembles Essie's "Penny Talk" much more than it does Orly's.

(photographed [L to R]: Orly "Rage," Deborah Lippmann "Glamorous Life," Essie "Penny Talk")

Orly "Rage"

This polish is the oldest in my rose gold collection. It has a foil finish that comes off incredibly cool due to the fine silver glitters. You can see the silver glitters easily in the photo below. However, due to the polish's reflective foil finish, it can be awfully difficult to capture accurately on camera.

(photographed: Orly "Rage")

The formula of this polish is fairly easy to work with. Two coats is enough for opacity. Though, I do have the complaint that this polish chips fairly easily. After 48 hours, there is always some chipping involved.

(photographed: Orly "Rage," 2 coats, natural lighting)

Despite it's formula, Orly's "Rage" is probably the polish I've worn the most of the three. I enjoy the unique foil finish.

(photographed: Orly "Rage," 2 coats, natural lighting)

Deborah Lippmann "Glamorous Life"

"Glamorous Life" is, without a doubt, the truest rose gold color of the bunch. If you own any rose gold jewelry, hold it up to this polish and you can't disagree. I would probably call the finish on this polish frosty. You can see in the photo below that the formula is more on the runny side.

(photographed: Deborah Lippmann "Glamorous Life")

Deborah Lippmann's polish applies like a dream for me. Two coats is perfection. Keep in mind that since this polish does have a frosty finish, it has potential to show streak marks if you aren't consistent in application.

(photographed: Deborah Lippmann "Glamorous Life," 2 coats, natural lighting)

One of the things I love most about this polish is how easy it is to wear anywhere. It is suitable for the workplace, elegant enough for weddings (especially if you're the bride), but still extremely gorgeous on the nails that you can't get bored of it easily. I love this polish.

(photographed: Deborah Lippmann "Glamorous Life," 2 coats, natural lighting)

Essie "Penny Talk"

The last polish is the newest to my rose gold collection. I have done previous posts with this polish, comparing it to Revlon's "Copper Penny" and Butter London's "The Old Bill." If you would like to read those, I have Part 1 here, and Part 2 here. There is much more rose in this polish than I could capture, and more than you can initially see in the bottle.

Essie's "Penny Talk" is a copper/rose gold color with a metallic finish. Though you only need 2 coats for opacity, I find the formula rather thick and goop-y. And like, Deborah Lippmann's "Glamorous Life," it will show streak marks if you don't watch your application.

(photographed: Essie's "Penny Talk," 2 coats, indoors, natural lighting)

Unfortunately, this polish also chips rather quickly like Orly's "Rage."

However, despite all the formula issues, what I absolutely adore about this polish, and forces me to continue to wear it again and again, is the amazing metallic finish.

(photographed: Essie's "Penny Talk," 2 coats, natural lighting)

Final Verdict: This is going to be one of those battles that doesn't end in a clear cut winner. All three polishes have unique finishes and are appropriate for different occasions. Deborah Lippmann's "Glamorous Life" is the truest rose gold color and the most appropriate for all occasions, so if I had to crown a winner, Deborah Lippmann's would be the king/queen.