Happy Friday! I hope you all had a great week. So many of you have loved the recent nail polish posts (especially my top 5 neutrals) I thought I’d do another roundup of some Essie shades I’ve hauled recently. I’ve actually been more of an OPI kind of girl when it comes to nail polishes for lasting power and color range, but I’ve been exploring more from Essie outside of my go-to Topless and Barefoot and found quite a few nice neutrals that aren’t nude. Ever since trying out the Speed Setter Top Coat I’ve now been able to make Essie polish last on my nails. I still want to try out the Gel Couture Top Coat but haven’t yet.
It can get a little overwhelming with all the options – so I’ve picked a small handful. Some look really similar in the bottles (almost identical) but there are variations in undertones so there’s a lot to pick from.
Lighten The Mood is one I bought over the summer. It’s a really pretty off-white pale pink cream. Finish is not the most opaque so I need three coats.
Come Out To Clay is part of their Rocky Rose Collection for fall which is the perfect light peachy cream. I can get away with 2 coats, but sometimes apply 3.
Princess Charming is a Gel Couture formula with a wide brush and excellent coverage. It’s a medium neutral rose cream.
Into The A-Bliss is also from the Fall 2019 collection, it’s a medium cool-rose pink cream with mauve undertones. This applies more like a pink but dries down to a mauve.
Eternal Optimist is also a pick I hauled earlier in the summer, it’s a pretty medium-neutral rose pink.
Stitch by Stitch is a soft baby pink that isn’t too pale or too blue in undertone. I think it’s a fun color to wear that isn’t too bubble-gum like if you’re looking for a more neutral pink.
In case you missed it, you can check out my tips and favorites in my Hand and Nail Care Routine post that I posted recently. It’s an updated list of my go-to products for a DIY manicure.
What are some of your favorite Essie nail polishes? Do you recommend any of their base or top coats? What should I try next?
I’ve not tried Speed Setter but I do like the Gel Couture Top Coat. It doesn’t dry fast enough for me to use on fresh polish though (I’m always in a rush) so I like to use a quick dry at first and then the gel coat later as my second top coat refresh layer. I’d all but given up on Essie when the Gel Couture line came out. That formula agrees with my nails much better than their regular polish. I still have a few bottles of the regular stuff though so I’ll try Speed Setter and see if that helps!
These are so so pretty! I think I need Come Out to Clay now. It looks like the perfect peach. My favorite Essie polishes of all time are Turks and Caicos (my perfect mint, Mint Candy Apple looks like death on me) and Shine of the Times flakie glitter. But to be honest, like you, I’m more of an OPI girl myself as well. Turks and Caicos is really the only Essie cream I’ve loved enough to use more than once though funny enough I think the consistency has actually thinned and improved with age, haha.
I love the way come out to clay looks, im really into nudes but not too light nudes or too dark if that makes sense. I also really like Princess Charming!
Stephanie Vainer | a learning story blog
I’m not the biggest fan of Essie, but their shade range is great and easy to find near me. I was spoiled working in NYC where I could find any brand without a problem. That being said, my favorite Essie shade is Waltz” which is the perfect sheer white. It’s the only polish I have a back up on. And I also love “Watermelon” in the summer. It’s a stunning pink-red.
As I went through the swatches, I kept picking each one as my favorite.. until I came to the very end and realized that I am love ❤️ with them all !!!! Such gorgeous colors Sabrina !! Perfect for any occasion and season ..
Sabrina, hooray for your nail posts! I love these swatches. I think Eternal Optimist and Into the A Bliss are my favorites on you. You picked some really pretty ones. I’ve been super impressed with Essie’s new Fall colors – their Rocky Rose collection was fantastic(I picked up Cliff Hanger, Rocky Rose and Bed Rock n Roll), and the neutral holo ones, Gorgeous Geodes, are on my radar as well. The Sweater Weather collection has a beautiful bronze, Rust Worthy, and a shimmery nude pink, Home Grown, that I know you will be looking at. I am eyeing the caramel one, On the Bright Cider. They are really hitting it out of the park lately! If you want to get some of the older releases, I recommend checking the essie hashtags on instagram. there are great swatches and comparisons to guide your eye. Have fun building your collection!
Adore this nail polish brand. Muchi Muchi, Allure and Peach Daiquiri are my favorites.
These all look beautiful. I have the four pink shades and love them.
My recent addition to my Essie collection is Home Grown, from the new Fall collection.
I love the Gel Couture Top Coat and use it with the Gel Couture polishes. My favourite top coat is the Gel Setter from them. I use with other brands as well.
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Omg, all of these are so beautiful!
Mariya | https://www.brunetteondemand.com/visit-the-psychologist-part-3/
These are such cute and delicate polishes 😀
Essie polishes are my favourites xx
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I somehow missed this post! I think Princess Charming is my favorite! Have you tried the gel couture top coat yet? It is pretty good, and so is the Essie Gel Setter top coat. I find it gives better lasting power than Speed Setter will, but it definitely takes longer to dry.