All polishes are not created equal. I’ve traditionally been the cheap sort and bought the inexpensive brands whenever I felt so inclined. You know, Sally Hansen, Revlon, all the others like those two… I was stupid. I began noticing that whenever I went to two of my favorite manicurists in the US, the nail polish lasted like twice as long as anywhere else, or as compared to when I do my own nails. The common factor turned out to be Essie Nail Polish.
Both of these gals happen to be in salons in the Miami area, but I am fairly certain that the Essie line can be found easily at just about any nice salon in the US. The Essie website show 9 pages with 32 colors per page of just the polish alone, so they do have a very large selection. My two salons offer about 30 of those colors each. Personally, I think reds should be reserved for dress-up nights out on the town, but Lars loves the reds, so I keep bottles of the Capri and Fifth Avenue reds for him. Men. My personal favorite though is called Expose Your Toes and is a really pretty light pink.
Essie nail polishes run about $6 each at the salons for 1.5ml (.5oz) and it is a bargain at that price. The Essie website lists them at $8 each. I would gladly pay that if I didn’t know I could get it cheaper elsewhere. This nail polish is sooo worth it.
The main thing is that the Essie polish goes on oh so smooth. I have experienced no streaking or running with any of my purchases. Two coats is all it takes for a perfectly even color. Drying time is on par with all other polishes at about 10-15 minutes if you don’t use a drying agent on top of it. The only polish I have found that dries faster in Nivea’s Sea Extract Manicure line, but you’ll pay twice as much for it, too.
As far as lastibility goes, Essie will last me a full week before it starts to chip… even longer with a good clear top coat. That is amazing. The cheaper polishes are lucky to last 2-3 days.
Five very high stars for the Essie line of nail polishes. The color selection is phenomenal, the polish is amazing, and it really isn’t all that expensive given the benefits. Do yourself a favor and grab some today.
