by guest blogger Lauren Brown

After three straight days of rain and now a gorgeous sunny week ahead, I am of the belief that spring has sprung (Crosses fingers. Knocks on wood.) And to me, spring means fun colors — both bright, bold hues and pretty pastels.

Because I am very much a neutrals kind of girl in the clothing department (my closet is mostly composed of brown, navy, black and nudes), I like to do a bit of a crazier nail sometimes.

Today I am wearing Essie’s Mesmerize, a bright blue crème that came out with the Spring 2009 collection. I only have a few Essie polishes since the majority of their line is made up of baby pinks and nudes, but I could not pass up this stunning shade that I came across at a Duane Reade last week in New York City.

Essie’s polishes tend to have a thin, sometimes watery formulation, so I usually apply multiple thin coats. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Mesmerize is made of sterner stuff — it is thicker on application and I needed only two coats to achieve a streak-free finish (the second photo is a better representation of the true color of the polish in person). I topped off this self-manicure with my usual Seche Vite (my favorite top coat – you can find it at drugstores like CVS as well as Ulta) and was good to go.

I am two full days into wearing this polish and have had no chipping and minimal tip wear. I may add another top coat to amp up the shine, but this polish should be good for at least another day or two.

Essie’s Mesmerize is definitely likely to become a spring favorite, and even though their Mint Candy Apple (shown at the right) was a Winter 2009 color, it’s one of my favorite polishes ever, so I think I’ll disregard the seasons and bring that one into spring with me as well.

Photos: Lauren Brown/BeautyXpose