The Essie-ntial Nail Brand

I have heard so many great things about Essie over the past while so when I discovered this Essie Icons Mini Kit it was a great was to try out three of the most popular shades from the brand while also testing out the quality of the products to see what everyone was talking about.

I was rather pleased recently when I came across an Essie stand in the rather amazing and gigantic super Boots at Liffey Valley. Since I was on a very tight after-Christmas-pre-many-weddings budget I was even more excited when I happened upon this little Colour Icons set because it contained all three of the Essie nail polishes I have bookmarked and drooled over for some time now.

My initial favourite aspect of Essie polishes from the off is the selection of colours, going from the very palest, natural manicure shade Mademoiselle to the most vibrant red I've come across Fifth Avenue; the perfect red! I love how the set shows when each polish was launched, it's a quirky addition and it also shows how long this brand has been around for which is a testament to its popularity.

Another big draw for me was the quality. After wanting to try the brand for some time a friend of mine had an Essie nail polish I tested a few months ago and what really appealed to me was the long-lasting quality, which is the biggest testament to any nail polish. I've tried so many brands, from budget to designer and it really is hard to find a regular nail polish that doesn't start chipping after a day, even the €30 designer brands, which is infuriating. So finding Essie has lasting power was a pleasant surprise.

The three shades in this collection are classics; Fifth Avenue (born in 2003) is the best red polish I've ever come across, it's so bright and applies like a dream. For a lovely natural look, Mademoiselle (born in 2000) is a perfect go to. When looking into bridal makeup and nails over the past while this was my number one pick for a natural but pretty nails. And Mint Candy Apple (born in 2008) is wonderfully bright and pigmented and goes on to fully coat the nail with no transparency like you can often find with mint shades.

This was a super introduction to Essie and their classic, most popular polishes. Even those bottles are so appealing. I have a feeling this shall be the start of a very colourful, collectable relationship!

I got this set at Boots in Liffey Valley for about €16.50 (also available at http://www.boots.ie/) but I've noticed since Debenhams (http://www.debenhams.ie/) sell the same set for €15. Individual standard bottles retail at €9.99 Enjoy!