As I mentioned in a previous review of Essie’s “Butler Please,” the other color I love in their Winter 2012 collection is “Leading Lady.” This color reminds me of Dorothy’s shoes from The Wizard of Oz and just Christmas time in general. I already can’t wait to paint my nails again with this color in December.
After doing some research, I noticed that this color is almost identical to Essie’s “Ruby Slippers” (as seen below)
I personally like “Leading Lady” better because it has more of a cooler undertone than the “Ruby Slippers.” I also read that the formula is the same, so it probably isn’t necessary to purchase “Leading Lady” if you already have the other one.
I would also like to note that I did not apply any other nail polish under the “Leading Lady” color pictured at the top, so that gives you an idea of how opaque the glitter is. I honesty prefer that because it can be a hassle to paint your nails a similar color first, let them dry, THEN apply the glitter polish. Many glitter polishes actually aren’t as opaque as this one, and this is why I highly recommend it!
Have you tried “Leading Lady” yet? What did you think? Do you prefer the original “Ruby Slippers?”
Availability
Buy Essie’s ‘Leading Lady’ at DERMSTORE.
![Review: Essie Parka Perfect [Essie Winter 2013 Collection]](https://www.allintheblush.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/paraka_featured-150x150.jpg)
This looks gorgeous! We’ll have to give this a try for Christmas! x
LOVE both of these colors – funny. Just got a mani/pedi! It just seemed fitting to put ruby red on my toes and leading lady on my tips… 😉 Great post
loving red sparkly polishes atm! x
Gorgeous color 🙂
There is a dupe by Loreal. Seeing this now I will buy the Essie. The loreal has some gold in it but this is stunning!
How many coats of Leading Lady did it take to get the finish completely opaque? Or did you layer it over another polish?
Just two thick coats! I put a clear top coat on just so it wouldn’t chip as fast. But I also have acrylic nails so nail polish tends to stay on much longer than it does on real nails.
I really want this shade but only if it’s going to be opaque. Thanks! 🙂
I loved the look of “Leading Lady”. It’s such a pretty glitter polish and it really makes me think of the Christmas season. It looks great on the nails, but I’ve noticed that it chips really easily. 🙁
I wonder how similar the two actually look on the nail, or if they’re even more distinct then (since sometimes colors that look the same in the bottle look more different on)?
Another blogger did a comparison of the two, you can check out the differences here if you want:
http://nouveaucheap.blogspot.com/2012/10/essie-ruby-slippers-vs-essie-leading.html
Even painted on the nails, I still find them very similar!