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May 02, 2015

Updated Essie Nail Polish Collection with Review and Swatches

Essie nail polishes are, without a doubt, my favourite. I started out with a couple but, over the past year or two, I've managed to acquire quite the collection. I uploaded a review and swatches post about this time last year but, given that my Essie nail polish collection has more than tripled, I thought it was time for an update! 

Just to warn you, the nail polish swatch photos aren't overly fabulous. My camera doesn't like taking photos of swatches so I have to do them with my phone which can result in not so great photos. They're definitely good enough for you to see the colour but! 

All of the nail care I use is now by Essie. 

Good to Go Top Coat // I top off every manicure with a coat of this nail polish. It's super fast dry and has a great shine to it!
Grow Stronger Base Coat // I'm trying to get my nails in better condition and I really think this helps. It's really fast dry and I think it really prevents nail breakage
Apricot Cuticle Oil // I've been applying this every single night before bed for about a month (I know, you wouldn't know judging from how full the bottle is) and I really think it's helped with the condition of my nails and, more so, my cuticles! 


 Ballet Slippers // A pale pink with a sheer finish
Fiji // An opaque creamy pale pink
Romper Room // A pale petal pink with a creme formula
Neo Whimsical // A creamy pastel plum with rose tones
Lilacism // A soft creamy lilac


Need a Vacation // A bubblegum pink
Splash of Grenadine // A bright magenta pink
Island Hopping // A creamy plum mauve
Big Spender // A deep(ish) plum violet
Bahama Mama // A creamy deep plum 


Mint Candy Apple // An iconic creamy mint shade
Bikini So Teeny // A cornflower blue with a slight shimmer to it
Truth or Flare // A dark grey based 'denim' blue
Turquoise & Caicos // A bright(ish) turquoise
Chincilly // A creamy granite grey 


Tart Deco // A muted neon coral
California Coral // A bright peachy pink
Fifth Avenue // A bright oranges red 


Penny Talk // A true metallic copper
Hors D'Oeuvres // A platinum silver glitter 
A Cut Above // A metallic pink glitter 

My Essie nail polish collection is a bit excessive, I know, but I really love and use every single colour that I own so I don't feel bad. Is that .. bad? The stand out nail colours in my collection are definitely Fiji, Romper Room, Neo Whimsical, Lilacism, Splash of Grenadine and Tart Deco. These colours all have such a great formula. They apply nicely, are opaque in two coats and last really well!

If you're wondering what polishes you could maybe avoid, I'd say Ballet Slippers, and Bikini So Teeny. I really like both of the colours but I feel like they don't apply the best. Ballet Slippers is a sheer shade with a bit of a gel formula. I don't really like it when applied sheerly as it can look streaky and it takes 4-5 coats to make it opaque. Bikini So Teeny is a different formula but I have the same problem. It's a really thin polish that is quite pigmented but it just applies streaky and I never find that it dries properly. Ever! I've never even wore that shade out of the house. 

Honorable mentions go to Penny Talk, Hors D'Oeuvres and A Cut Above. These shades are all metallic/glitter polishes and they're stunning. They dry super quickly and are so effective. Two coats of Hors D'Oeuvres makes a great accent nail, by the way. I also really recommend Essie's nail care, especially the Grow Stronger Base Coat and Good to Go Top Coat

Essie nail polishes retail for $16.95 at Priceline, with their nail care products (top and base coats etc) selling for $17.95. I understand that they're quite expensive but, honestly, I rarely pay full price. They're often on sale which is a great time to stock up! In fact, Essie products are $5.00 off at Priceline at the moment!

Have you tried Essie nail polish? What do you think of them? Let me know!!

4 comments :

  1. I've been slowly getting more and more into Essie, I've always admired their shades! My fave out of my very small collection is Splash of Grenadine, but I definitely want to pick up more. Tart Deco is so gorgeous!

    Tasha // shiwashiful.

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  2. I love Good to Go top coat. The base coat looks good too!
    xox Kat @ Katness

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  3. Bahama Mama is my fave Essie polish :) x
    Becoming Becca

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  4. Love all of the shades in your collections, I did a similar post to this recently because Essie is definitely my favourite brand too. I love the coral shades that you have, must check them out!

    Ash / thebeautycollection.com.au

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