Get Comfy: Essie Comfy in Cashmere Nail Polish Swatches from the Cashmere Matte Collection

The new Essie Cashmere Matte Collection is out, and I for one am very excited. Of late, I'm definitely into polishes with a finish that's part glossy, part matte. (See my recent manicures with Zoya Leah and Zoya Veruschka for proof.) I have to say, though, that while I do like the natural finish of Essie Comfy in Cashmere, adding top coat makes it NEXT LEVEL GORGEOUS.

This color is described as mauve with deep velvet undertones. It's definitely mauve, but what Essie doesn't tell you is that there's blue shimmer in the formula that comes through in certain light (and depending on whether you use top coat).

I had seen swatches of this color on a few other blogs in the past week or so, and I knew I had to try it both with and without top coat. The top coat just completely changes the look and feel of this polish! Not to mention it looks completely different depending on the light and whether or not you use flash. Observe...

SWATCHES SHOWING ORIGINAL CASHMERE MATTE FINISH

This is the original Cashmere Matte finish, taken with flash. I love the way the color looks here -- you can see the shimmer peeking through.

The cashmere matte finish, this time in sunlight without flash. It definitely looks a lot flatter here.

Can you believe this is even the same color? This is without flash. I can't believe how brown it pulled here!

SWATCHES SHOWING GLOSSY FINISH WITH TOP COAT

This is with top coat, with flash. Can you believe what a difference the top coat makes? You can really see the shimmer come through here.

All right. JUST LOOK AT THAT GORGEOUS SHIMMER. This is with top coat, with flash, no sunlight.

One more shot of this polish with top coat and flash. I just can't get over how amazing and different the top coat makes this color look!

Which way do you prefer this polish -- with or without top coat? I definitely prefer it with the top coat, just because I love how much more the shimmer pulls through. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Essie Comfy in Cashmere retails for $8.50 at kohls.com.