Why I have started loving Essie nail polish

It’s no secret that OPI is my favorite nail polish brand. However, this past year I’ve been falling in love with Essie. Ever since the brand became more widely available here, I have been trying more colors. I was a tad unlucky at first: with sheerer more jelly like polishes that weren’t my cup of tea. I also wasn’t a fan of the lasting power. But that has all changed. So today I thought I’d tell you all about why I love Essie.

Some of my Essie nail polishes

Pricing

One thing that is great about Essie polishes is their price point. Where an OPI polish sets you back at least €15 a pop, the Essie polishes are €5 cheaper at €9.99. You do get a little less product than in an OPI polish (13.5 ml vs 15 ml), but I have a hard time using up nail polish as it is.

Not only are Essie polishes a little bit more affordable, they are also often on sale at 20%, 30%, or buy 1 get 1 free offers. That makes it a lot easier to collect some of your favorite shades. If you wait for an older limited edition collection to go on sale, you can usually get these at half price too.

Availability

Essie is so much easier to get a hold of. It took a while for the brand to be available in regular stores and not just in nail salons, but now that they sell it at every major drugstore in The Netherlands it’s been so much easier to get a hold of. Even for some of the limited editions, I have found it fairly easy to get my hands on. Even when I cannot get a shade at one time, they are usually restocked. It might be less exclusive, but I like going for the slightly more unique shades that Essie does, which are usually released in the LEs.

Wear time

As I mentioned in my introduction, I was off to a bad start with the quality of Essie polishes. I have found a nail routine that works though and because of that my nails are stronger and my nail polish lasts longer in general. With that process I have found that Essie now stays put as well as OPI polishes. I can do my nails once and it will look great for the rest of the workweek.

Color selection

Essie isn’t exactly known for their exciting shade range. However, as I am getting older, I am finding myself getting less into over the top glitter looks (though I still love a bit of glitter every now and again), and more into muted creamy shades. And if there is one thing Essie does well it is muted creamy shades. From good beiges, nudes and soft pinks to mauves. My favorites however have to be the limited edition summer collection from 2016. Shades such as Sunshine State of Mind, Loot the Booty and Viva Antigua! were among my favorite polishes last year.

The packaging

It may not be the most exciting nail polish range out there, but it is definitely classy. One thing I really appreciate about Essie nail polish is the aesthetic of the bottle. The simple square bottle with its white cap and relief and white lettering just makes for a chic and sophisticated look.

Another great selling point of Essie is the brush. Again, this took some getting used to as it is quite thick. The brush pretty much covers your nail with one stroke. Unfortunately for me, I do not have the largest nail beds, which makes it a challenge to apply the polish neatly, but I find that if I wipe off enough product, there really is no issue. In fact, I find it makes for a fast and easy application process.

Do you like Essie? What is your favorite Essie polish?