I love a good, dark almost black, but not actually black shade, and Essie Luxedo is just that. This is a very dark purple that does appear to be almost black on the nail, but because it isn't black, it's not as harsh. When held up next to a true black, you can definitely tell this is not a black. Just a dark, vampy shade. This is a beautiful fall/winter shade and one of my favorites. I always find myself going back to it throughout the winter time. The application is a little tricky, but I think that's just because it's such a dark color. You just have to be a little more careful and do some clean-up around the cuticles as you go.