Those dusty ones are really nice and honestly a breath of fresh air for spring colors instead of pastels. I just can't do pastels. Love the green. Might have to pick one up. P.S. I really appreciate you doing swatches of in-store brands in addition to indies and such. I have similarly yellow skin, so it's very helpful to see how colors look on your nails, lol.
I'm glad to hear it! I feel like so many people are cool toned, especially swatches online, so I'm glad I could give you a more accurate look for how the colors would be on you!
I love the brights!!! My favorite polishes from this video are Hyperlinked, Unguilty Pleasure, Cyber Society and Fuel Your Desire. I think that OPI was the most famous brand for many years until Essie started their marketing campaign asking people, "What's your favorite Essie shade?" They had celebrities tell about their favorite Essie polishes. I remember the Queen of England wears Ballet Slippers, Katie Holmes loves Forever Yummy, and several people picked Mint Candy Apple as their favorite Essie shade. Since then, and because of their new brush and wide availability, I think that Essie is the current famous brand.
It reminds me, some years ago I literally bought Ballet Slippers because the Queen said that. I thought since she was rich and could afford hight end polishes, that if she choose this one, it might be extremely good for a drugstore polish... and I was extremely disapointed 😂 that thing wasn't opaque in less that 4 coats and so it looked thick and not elegant... I think the Queen might have loved sheer polish and wore it in one coat which simply isn't my taste
I’m wearing (un)Guilty Pleasures right now and it’s going on almost 7 days…very impressed with Essie! I also paired this color with HoloTaco’s Lite Link and it’s a gorgeous French tip over the Essie❤️ I am loving the deeper colors this spring!!!
Hi, Kelli! I remember seeing Essie and Orly in magazines back in the ‘80s but not OPI. I just recently pulled out some old favorites from Essie that had that old skinny brush-ugh, terrible! Ever since Essie upgraded to that paddle brush it’s made a huge difference in application and I just can’t go back to using that skinny brush.
I think OPI is more well known worldwide but Essie is probably more known in America because it's more available in drugstores generally. My favorites from this were UnGuilty Pleasures, Hyperlinked, Burning Love, and License to Thrill (I like my blue-ish creams, apparently). I didn't plan to have a favorite from each set, but it happened. Also, love your lashes in this!
@@sexylilmutumbo44 Interesting. In my area, OPI is rarer in drugstores than Essie and is only in certain salons. I live in a smaller city, I wonder if that has anything to do with the difference somehow.
@@TianaJanelle No, I've lived in large cities and can only find OPI in select beauty stores/failing that, online or in the occasional discount product store.
I'm always RUNNING here when I see you drop Essie videos haha because that's basically the only brand I can easily find (with a kinda affordable price) in Poland
Essie has really stepped up their game over the years and while they used to be "no buy" for me no matter how much I loved the color, I now go to them as a best stamping option.
Maybe in the US Essie is more famous, but I’m from Argentina and had never heard of them until I got more into nail polish. On the other hand, OPI was always perceived as a higher end brand, almost aspirational as it was really expensive compared to other drugstore brands. So I think OPI may be more internationally famous
I don’t own any Essie nail polishes at all. They weren’t available in my area until after my collection was pretty substantial. I used buy pure ice polishes with my after school job coins when I was a kid but they were discontinued. Now I prefer to put my coins towards busier indie polishes. I can make a basic inexpensive cream work with a good base coat and topcoat.
I LOVE the unguilty pleasures collection! All of those colors make me smile! I don't gravitate to dark colors, but I like the home by 8, too. My favorite swatched color is hyperlink. I'm looking for a pretty turquoise nail polish for my vaca. That one may be it....we'll see. I also liked on the download. I don't have long nails, so it may not work on me, but it sure is pretty
Really like the green shadow on you. I like the Essie brand and the formula is not bad. they have gotten better, but I backed away because they are not 100% cruelty free. I keep looking to see when they will become cruelty free. But as always a great review 👍🏽 👌🏾
Hi Kelli, these were great collections. I really love the colors. I especially love the Cyber Society and it looked fabulous on you. It matched your skin color perfectly. It would be awesome to use the On the Download as a stamp color. It would look awesome over Cyber Society. So, awesome, great video! Have a great rest of Sunday, hugs and love!
Do you have a favorite top coat? Is there a real standout or are they mostly the same? I would love a video just about glossy top coats but maybe that's too boring?
I bought a backup bottle of License to Thrill. I love navy / deep blues, and it can be kind of hard to find ones that aren’t too dark or too teal-y for me. It still looks very blue in indoor/incandescent lighting. My second favorite is home by 8, which looks so good under toppers as a kind of softer black.
Really liking Home by 8. It's like when you want black, but more colorful. Otherwise I think I like the Cyber Society collection the most. I'm a sucker for brights and I love essies blue/teals.
Could you please do a video swatching/reviewing some of Essie’s permanent collection bc I’ve been wondering how they are now that they improved their brush and formula. You are my go-to source when it comes to nail polish!!
Kelli I really liked the first set of colors. The colors looked good, and formula was great. The second set the polishes looked patchy still self-leveling but patchy in my opinion. When I tried Essie years ago the second set is what it was like, and it chipped easily. I have learned a lot about polish formulas since then what I would use and not use. U Wish I think this looked good and went on well self-leveling again and decent formula. I think some of the colors this past year have been repeated a lot too. I would use the first and third color set from Essie if I needed to though. Thanks Kelli I'm still in love with ISN Pls Cream formulas. LOL!!
I think Essie is more famous because Essie is sold in more places. OPI is of course a close 2nd. I remember my faves were Scarlett O’Hara & Aruba Blue 😊
I’ve been after an affordable Aruba Blue for months (I’ve seen everything ranging from $20-$100 and I’m trying to find a cheaper one that doesn’t have a clearly-fake photo)
Hello from Costa Rica! It depends if you mean who is more famous worldwide or in the US. We know of OPI in most countries (if not all) in latin America, but not of Essie. That's many more millions of people knowing and owning OPI over Essie! I like them both the same, though... PS: I love your vibe and videos! ❤ Thanks!
I picked up caught in the rain because that exact color was my favorite color for many years. I do see that color as being much cooler than sage.I was obsessed with pretty much any green because of my love of that color. I finally moved onto all colors being my favorite and my wardrobe got a lot more colorful.
I love your vids and collabs. On the Geek Chic it is actually really awesome matte-ified. It reminds me of an antique pink/steam punk look. A matte demo or steampunk demo? Love ya!
Hey Kelli! I used to despise Essie but I love the last three polishes I bought from them. I’ll keep trying. I meant to say thanks again for the top coat recommendation. I did once but named the wrong brand.😂 I did buy the kbShimmer! I’m so scatter-brained sometimes! Thanks for this review!❤
I think OPI reigns supreme. That said, do you review the Expressie polishes any more? I admittedly have a few duds (one orange in particular springs to mind) but all in all I think the crème formula is pretty solid!
There are some very pretty shades in here, but I am not much of a creme enthusiast, I prefer the fun finishes like holo and flakies. I always considered Essie to be the bigger brand when I grew up, because OPI was more difficult to buy where I lived. Essie also showed up much more often on the beauty blogs I used to read daily when those were still a thing. To this day I have never tried an OPI polish, I just haven't come across the brand in stores I shop at!
Essie, I think, is the most widely known polish, but I think OPI is more popular because that's what many, many nail salons use. They both have vast choices in color. So if you're looking for that perfect pink or red or yellow to match a dress or shoe, trust me, they will have it. With or without sparkle. I love these polishes. I know you said the last one wasn't as easy to use, but gosh, it was pretty. I loved all of them. I can't pick a favorite. But if you get these, you can do any nail art you want. They looked great for stamping or sponging gradients. Really cute French mani's. The possibilities are endless.
I am DEFINITELY gonna use these for stamping, their opacity was so impressive! Even the "difficult" one was easy compared to a lot of brands haha, and sooo opaque!
thank you for the Cyber Security swatches! i’d seen Geek Chic at Target and it caught my eye as my favorite Essie is For the Twill of It, and i wondered how this one would compare.
11:19 I agree when you said it looks old fashioned! I remember wearing a colour exactly like that when I was 12. I got so many compliments on it but nowadays I would never reach for it 😅
Hi kelli...love watching your videos. I'm sure I've mentioned this before. But I have over 500 bottles of Essie. I have a few Orlys, some Mooncat, the Hocus-pocus collection, the fairytale collection. And some ILNP, the valentine's set and the winter wonderland set. So all together, I'm coming up on 600. I don't have any OPI. I have say I think I like Essie the best. I change colors a lot so I can't comment on how long any of them last. But I love watching all the videos
I do think Essie is really great for growing a collection, they just have so many color options and they're so easy to store with these square bottles!! So I totally get why you love them!!
I was just wearing that polish the other day! Most stores near me only sell Essie creme polish and I personally don't like creme polishes. So when I saw that shade, I had to get it! It's one of the few non-sparkly polishes that I own that I don't feel the need to add a glittery top coat to!
I think the brush definitely improved their application. Liked the review. Some of these were pretty but they don't scream spring to me. I have a few Essie's I really like but they aren't cremes. I like Orly cremes better!
I would say Essie the most famous (even if just by a bit in comparison to OPI or Orly). Before I seriously got into nail polish, my small collection was mostly Essie 😙
Thinking to my mom and sisters I believe their stashes were always essie too (before I got so many nail polishes and started giving them more brands LOL!)
I've long thought of Essie as being the most famous, probably due to its prominent displays at Target. Any time I see someone on a reality show wearing a nice creme, I just assume it's Essie!
Essie used to be sooooo thin and watery that I absolutely hated it, but it also used to chip so dang easily. Their formula now is leaps and bounds better than what it used to be and it’s got better staying power too. A brand I used to hate I now absolutely adore ♥️
I gave away all my old Essies, too, Kelli. I just hated the old skinny brushes, the patchy formulas, and they generally were similar in price to OPI (which seemed like a better brand to me overall). Also, Essie still only has 13.5 ml bottles, while OPI has 15 ml. But... with the improved brush bristles and formula, I've begun gradually buying a few Essies here and there if they are unique to my collection; and I've noticed that some of their old classic colors now come with the better brush, so I've replaced some of those in my collection, too. From this review, I like all of the shimmer shades!!
I've missed you Kelli and I blame the dog 🤪These look like typical Essie colors, and I've not had very good luck with them, but my local stores don't really keep up with the new collections, which is why your videos are so extremely helpful. Love you 💜
Haha I blame the dog too! He's still going strong but I was able to record the voiceover in between his bouts of barking.. and we'll probably have to call animal control because our apartment manager determined there's nothing wrong and we need to mind our business 😩
@@KelliMarissa That's crazy! That dog is making it hard to do your job, so I kinda think it is your business. I don't understand people sometimes. They don't have to be so rude.
i love the eyeshadow!! also ive really been feeling more of a dusty or dark/bold color scheme lately, so my faves are Caught in the Rain, To Me From Me, No Ex-pectations, and License to Thrill... and of course the blurple haha but that's a given!
These were actually mid-winter collections. Feel The Fizzle was the Spring collection for 2023. Pastels with one sparkly topper. Nice review of these polishes. Home By 8 is a stunner.
Goodness, who’s more famous… probably Essie because they’re easier to find and crank out collections like crazy. I used to only use OPI and my daughter as a teen bought Essie and I didn’t like them due to the formula. But then they changed the formula and it was good. But adding the new brush, wow, even better! I hate to say that I feel almost adulterous saying that Essie may have become my favorite over OPI. I do own more of it, but that’s mostly because it’s so easy to find. But when I have an OPI and an Essie in the same shade….my heart wants to like the OPI more but honestly the Essie these days is usually a better formula, plus the better brush.
I have a lot of both old and new Essie because it's the most accessible and I'm able to find them at pretty steep discounts. The new formula is honestly one of my favorite to work with. Although I love indies for specialty finishes like magnetics and flakies, Essie's cremes have become such a staple in my collection. They're thin enough to work with that they don't feel gloopy when applying (while still being opaque) and self-level really well. Also their wide brush is hands down my favorite, even compared to wide brushes in indie polishes. I find indie polish brushes way too dense most of the time. I wish I could bulk buy Essie's wide brushes and put them in all my polishes 😅
You know what, now that you mention wishing you could buy Essie brushes in bulk, I feel like the KBShimmer brush is incredibly similar/might be the same size. It really is great to work with, if you ever try them you might want to grab some of their replacement brushes!!
@@KelliMarissa Yes! I have a couple replacement brushes from KBShimmer and they've definitely come in handy for some wonky brushes I've had to replace. Definitely need to get more of them to replace all my skinny essie brushes!
Hello! The FAQ on Essie's website says that they are cruelty-free. I don't know if there is more controversy about that or not, beyond what the FAQ says. I'm loving these colors!
Yes that is true, and their parent company L'Oreal also lists as being cruelty free and not participating in any animal testing for decades! But I mentioned that last time and a lot of people commented saying that they don't believe the brand and I'm spreading misinformation, so I figure it's better to let people look into it themselves haha.
I think OPI is more famous worldwide for sure. I remember old OPI ads in magazines back in the early 2000s and they seemed so luxurious, but I only heard about Essie when I started watching beauty guru content on RUclips. Even now, Essie releases collections that are only available in the US, whereas OPI collections are consistently available in other parts of the world.
Ohh yeah good point, OPI feels like it's been around forever haha! (Although out of curiosity I just checked and both Essie and OPI were founded in 1981! Wild!)
I think I’m addicted to hunting down the older and harder to find Essies, the ones from before the re-alphabetizing of the color-name numbers. Like Cactus Flower 131 is my new favorite pink and I can’t find any modern Essie’s that quite match that old formula. Most of the new ones that come out I have one similar to it already and it makes me a might bit sad lol
@@KelliMarissa One day I hope to be able to do public swatches to sortve “preserve and record” these old lost colors that so few even realize existed. Though its definitely a hobby you have to be very diligent in! Like if you’ve found it chances are someone else has too who is also as obsessed with polish as you are) it’s like the worlds most personalized treasure hunt
I think Essie is more popular for home use… it’s sold at Walmart, Target, Walgreens, etc. I think OPI is more popular at salons. Maybe it’s just the couple I’ve been to but they definitely lean more heavily into OPI.
I think Essie is more famous for at home mani's but OPI is the salon go-to brand. So depends how you do your nails on which brand is more famous maybe?
Good point haha! I think I need to poll non nail polish collectors (especially men) and see which brand comes to mind when I ask them about nail polish LOL
Watching polish swatching always makes want to go do my nails.
I feel like the formula from Essie has really perked up a lot.
Agreeeeed!!!
Love Caught in the Rain!
It's SO gorgeous, I can't wait to wear it!!
Those dusty ones are really nice and honestly a breath of fresh air for spring colors instead of pastels. I just can't do pastels. Love the green. Might have to pick one up.
P.S. I really appreciate you doing swatches of in-store brands in addition to indies and such. I have similarly yellow skin, so it's very helpful to see how colors look on your nails, lol.
I'm glad to hear it! I feel like so many people are cool toned, especially swatches online, so I'm glad I could give you a more accurate look for how the colors would be on you!
I love the brights!!! My favorite polishes from this video are Hyperlinked, Unguilty Pleasure, Cyber Society and Fuel Your Desire. I think that OPI was the most famous brand for many years until Essie started their marketing campaign asking people, "What's your favorite Essie shade?" They had celebrities tell about their favorite Essie polishes. I remember the Queen of England wears Ballet Slippers, Katie Holmes loves Forever Yummy, and several people picked Mint Candy Apple as their favorite Essie shade. Since then, and because of their new brush and wide availability, I think that Essie is the current famous brand.
It reminds me, some years ago I literally bought Ballet Slippers because the Queen said that. I thought since she was rich and could afford hight end polishes, that if she choose this one, it might be extremely good for a drugstore polish... and I was extremely disapointed 😂 that thing wasn't opaque in less that 4 coats and so it looked thick and not elegant... I think the Queen might have loved sheer polish and wore it in one coat which simply isn't my taste
I’m wearing (un)Guilty Pleasures right now and it’s going on almost 7 days…very impressed with Essie! I also paired this color with HoloTaco’s Lite Link and it’s a gorgeous French tip over the Essie❤️ I am loving the deeper colors this spring!!!
Ooh I bet that's a gorgeous combo!!
Essie always gets me with their colors and so easy to jump in the cart on the way to check out.
Agreed, they just feel classic and timeless and easy to wear haha!
Thanks!
Oh thank you so much for your generosity, I really appreciate your support 💜💜💜
so many colors😍 The green shadow looks beautiful on your eyes💚
Thank you so much!! 🥰
Hi, Kelli! I remember seeing Essie and Orly in magazines back in the ‘80s but not OPI. I just recently pulled out some old favorites from Essie that had that old skinny brush-ugh, terrible! Ever since Essie upgraded to that paddle brush it’s made a huge difference in application and I just can’t go back to using that skinny brush.
Yeah the brush really made them hard to use lol!
Totally agree feel all bottles should be a wide brush by default with the option for people to by the thin brush 😂
I don’t know what I’ve been missing from essie but this is the most satisfying swatches I’ve seen in a long time 🤤😍😍😍
Their formula has really gotten SOOO good recently!!
Oh 10000% agree, iridescent toppers on brown is amazing!
Home by 8 is a colour called Purple Madder (by artists). Madder is a plant, the root has traditionally been used for dye.
Ooh now that's a fun fact!!!
I think OPI is more well known worldwide but Essie is probably more known in America because it's more available in drugstores generally. My favorites from this were UnGuilty Pleasures, Hyperlinked, Burning Love, and License to Thrill (I like my blue-ish creams, apparently). I didn't plan to have a favorite from each set, but it happened.
Also, love your lashes in this!
True, I forget that nail polish is so hard to access internationally! OPI really seems to be everywhere haha. And thank you so much!!
Opi and Essie are in drugstores… but…. Every nail salon has opi… not the case for essie
@@sexylilmutumbo44 Interesting. In my area, OPI is rarer in drugstores than Essie and is only in certain salons. I live in a smaller city, I wonder if that has anything to do with the difference somehow.
Not the case in Europe, at least where I live. You can buy Essie also in drugstores but not OPI. I think it's more like people know Essie then OPI 😅
@@TianaJanelle No, I've lived in large cities and can only find OPI in select beauty stores/failing that, online or in the occasional discount product store.
I'm always RUNNING here when I see you drop Essie videos haha because that's basically the only brand I can easily find (with a kinda affordable price) in Poland
Quite calming colors
Agreed!!
The 5 in the top row..😍😍 big fan of blue shades
Me too, SO pretty!! Especially together haha!
Essie has really stepped up their game over the years and while they used to be "no buy" for me no matter how much I loved the color, I now go to them as a best stamping option.
Maybe in the US Essie is more famous, but I’m from Argentina and had never heard of them until I got more into nail polish. On the other hand, OPI was always perceived as a higher end brand, almost aspirational as it was really expensive compared to other drugstore brands. So I think OPI may be more internationally famous
Same in Brazil
Ooh yeah good point, OPI is definitely more internationally accessible (although yes I have heard it's super expensive overseas!!)
The opposite in Germany 😂 I grew up with Essie.
Really? That's very interesting!
Honestly, Essie makes my all time favorite cremes
I can see why, they're really great quality!
I don’t own any Essie nail polishes at all. They weren’t available in my area until after my collection was pretty substantial. I used buy pure ice polishes with my after school job coins when I was a kid but they were discontinued. Now I prefer to put my coins towards busier indie polishes. I can make a basic inexpensive cream work with a good base coat and topcoat.
Hyperlinked and Geek Chic are a few of my fave tfs ❤
I LOVE the unguilty pleasures collection! All of those colors make me smile! I don't gravitate to dark colors, but I like the home by 8, too. My favorite swatched color is hyperlink. I'm looking for a pretty turquoise nail polish for my vaca. That one may be it....we'll see. I also liked on the download. I don't have long nails, so it may not work on me, but it sure is pretty
Really like the green shadow on you. I like the Essie brand and the formula is not bad. they have gotten better, but I backed away because they are not 100% cruelty free. I keep looking to see when they will become cruelty free. But as always a great review 👍🏽 👌🏾
😮
Hi Kelli, these were great collections. I really love the colors. I especially love the Cyber Society and it looked fabulous on you. It matched your skin color perfectly. It would be awesome to use the On the Download as a stamp color. It would look awesome over Cyber Society. So, awesome, great video! Have a great rest of Sunday, hugs and love!
Thanks so much Cyn 😊
Do you have a favorite top coat? Is there a real standout or are they mostly the same? I would love a video just about glossy top coats but maybe that's too boring?
I bought a backup bottle of License to Thrill. I love navy / deep blues, and it can be kind of hard to find ones that aren’t too dark or too teal-y for me. It still looks very blue in indoor/incandescent lighting. My second favorite is home by 8, which looks so good under toppers as a kind of softer black.
Ooh you should definitely check out Zoya's selection of blues too, they have amazing deep blues!
Really liking Home by 8. It's like when you want black, but more colorful. Otherwise I think I like the Cyber Society collection the most. I'm a sucker for brights and I love essies blue/teals.
They really are so bright and they feel perfect for spring/summer!
Could you please do a video swatching/reviewing some of Essie’s permanent collection bc I’ve been wondering how they are now that they improved their brush and formula. You are my go-to source when it comes to nail polish!!
Cyber society looks like a dupe of orly synthetic symphony, perhaps? Would love a comparison short, if you’re still doing those occasionally!
I actually had not heart of Essie until your reviews. I’ve known of OPI for a while here in Australia :)
I will definitely be checking those out at CVS. They are so pretty. I would love to hear the story about your prom night.
Kelli I really liked the first set of colors. The colors looked good, and formula was great. The second set the polishes looked patchy still self-leveling but patchy in my opinion. When I tried Essie years ago the second set is what it was like, and it chipped easily. I have learned a lot about polish formulas since then what I would use and not use. U Wish I think this looked good and went on well self-leveling again and decent formula. I think some of the colors this past year have been repeated a lot too. I would use the first and third color set from Essie if I needed to though. Thanks Kelli I'm still in love with ISN Pls Cream formulas. LOL!!
I think Essie is more famous because Essie is sold in more places. OPI is of course a close 2nd. I remember my faves were Scarlett O’Hara & Aruba Blue 😊
Good point, they're in all the drugstores!!
I thought it was Sally Hansen
I came here to say exactly that: Essie gets most of the space in a lot of drugstore chains.
I’ve been after an affordable Aruba Blue for months (I’ve seen everything ranging from $20-$100 and I’m trying to find a cheaper one that doesn’t have a clearly-fake photo)
Nice choice I just started an Essie collection and one of my first moves was hunting down a bottle of Scarlett O'hara. 👍👍
Hello from Costa Rica! It depends if you mean who is more famous worldwide or in the US. We know of OPI in most countries (if not all) in latin America, but not of Essie. That's many more millions of people knowing and owning OPI over Essie! I like them both the same, though...
PS: I love your vibe and videos! ❤ Thanks!
Ooh good point, OPI is definitely more internationally known and accessible!
I loved on the download. Definitely going to wear it alot...
It's so gorgeous!!
Beautiful colors ❤
I love Essie! I live in a small community, so it's great that it's available locally at drugstores and department stores 😊
Oooooh On the Download is my perfect every day polish. It’s going on the birthday wish list!
I picked up caught in the rain because that exact color was my favorite color for many years. I do see that color as being much cooler than sage.I was obsessed with pretty much any green because of my love of that color. I finally moved onto all colors being my favorite and my wardrobe got a lot more colorful.
Good point, it's more of a eucalyptus color I suppose haha! Just so gorgeous and soft. I'd love a room that color haha
@@KelliMarissa My bathroom is painted that exact color. LOL
@@KelliMarissa Also a dark purple/brown is called raisin.
I love your vids and collabs. On the Geek Chic it is actually really awesome matte-ified. It reminds me of an antique pink/steam punk look. A matte demo or steampunk demo? Love ya!
Oooh I gotta try it matte!
I just think you look so beautiful today. You are always beautiful. I just love those colors on you. Thank you again for your nail polish.
Oh you are so sweet Debroah, thank you ❤️
Hey Kelli! I used to despise Essie but I love the last three polishes I bought from them. I’ll keep trying. I meant to say thanks again for the top coat recommendation. I did once but named the wrong brand.😂 I did buy the kbShimmer! I’m so scatter-brained sometimes! Thanks for this review!❤
Great review. Loved all your thoughts on each and a round up of all the colors at the end.
I think OPI reigns supreme. That said, do you review the Expressie polishes any more? I admittedly have a few duds (one orange in particular springs to mind) but all in all I think the crème formula is pretty solid!
There are some very pretty shades in here, but I am not much of a creme enthusiast, I prefer the fun finishes like holo and flakies. I always considered Essie to be the bigger brand when I grew up, because OPI was more difficult to buy where I lived. Essie also showed up much more often on the beauty blogs I used to read daily when those were still a thing. To this day I have never tried an OPI polish, I just haven't come across the brand in stores I shop at!
I love a lot of those colors and I love watching you swatch them, it's so helpful. The Essie gel couture spring looks good too!
I'm excited to try those too!!
That first collection practically screams southwest US to me. I got to visit a few years back and those colors were everywhere!
Essie, I think, is the most widely known polish, but I think OPI is more popular because that's what many, many nail salons use. They both have vast choices in color. So if you're looking for that perfect pink or red or yellow to match a dress or shoe, trust me, they will have it. With or without sparkle.
I love these polishes. I know you said the last one wasn't as easy to use, but gosh, it was pretty. I loved all of them. I can't pick a favorite. But if you get these, you can do any nail art you want. They looked great for stamping or sponging gradients. Really cute French mani's. The possibilities are endless.
I am DEFINITELY gonna use these for stamping, their opacity was so impressive! Even the "difficult" one was easy compared to a lot of brands haha, and sooo opaque!
“To Me From Me” is a cute name 🥰 my favorite shade is Caught in the Rain!
That might be my favorite too haha!!
thank you for the Cyber Security swatches! i’d seen Geek Chic at Target and it caught my eye as my favorite Essie is For the Twill of It, and i wondered how this one would compare.
I feel like For the Twill of It is more colorful on the nails, Geek Chic fell a bit short in my opinion!!
That cool toned purple color always makes me of think of grape hyacinth.
Ohhh yessss! I need a whole garden of those hahaha
hyperlink is so pretty!
Agreed!!!
11:19 I agree when you said it looks old fashioned! I remember wearing a colour exactly like that when I was 12. I got so many compliments on it but nowadays I would never reach for it 😅
I love Essie.
Pretty eye shadow!! You go Gurl
Thank you so much 🥰🥰
Hi kelli...love watching your videos. I'm sure I've mentioned this before. But I have over 500 bottles of Essie. I have a few Orlys, some Mooncat, the Hocus-pocus collection, the fairytale collection. And some ILNP, the valentine's set and the winter wonderland set. So all together, I'm coming up on 600. I don't have any OPI. I have say I think I like Essie the best. I change colors a lot so I can't comment on how long any of them last. But I love watching all the videos
I do think Essie is really great for growing a collection, they just have so many color options and they're so easy to store with these square bottles!! So I totally get why you love them!!
Essie's For The Twill of It is one of my favorite polishes when I just can't decide.
Ooh yeah that's a classic!!
I was just wearing that polish the other day! Most stores near me only sell Essie creme polish and I personally don't like creme polishes. So when I saw that shade, I had to get it! It's one of the few non-sparkly polishes that I own that I don't feel the need to add a glittery top coat to!
I think the brush definitely improved their application.
Liked the review. Some of these were pretty but they don't scream spring to me. I have a few Essie's I really like but they aren't cremes. I like Orly cremes better!
Girl, your makeup in this video! Not a typical color combo for you, but I'm loving it! 💯 Ok, back to nail polish.
Oh gosh thanks so much haha!
Essie has a few classics: my faves are 1) Aruba Blue 2) Sand Tropez for beach manis/nail art and maybe Butler Please for a distant 3.
Ohhh I remember when I first got Butler Please and it just absolutely blew my mind haha!!
My favs before trying are hyperlinked and U wish 😍🦋
i don't know but i loved the Flirt with Freedom!!!
It's definitely interesting haha!!
Oh nice another Small Brand Sunday ;) In the Netherlands, Essie is definitely better known than OPI.
Ooh interesting, I have heard Essie is harder to get internationally!
Beautiful polishes. I think both are known the same.
I would say Essie the most famous (even if just by a bit in comparison to OPI or Orly). Before I seriously got into nail polish, my small collection was mostly Essie 😙
Thinking to my mom and sisters I believe their stashes were always essie too (before I got so many nail polishes and started giving them more brands LOL!)
I've long thought of Essie as being the most famous, probably due to its prominent displays at Target. Any time I see someone on a reality show wearing a nice creme, I just assume it's Essie!
Essie used to be sooooo thin and watery that I absolutely hated it, but it also used to chip so dang easily. Their formula now is leaps and bounds better than what it used to be and it’s got better staying power too. A brand I used to hate I now absolutely adore ♥️
Yesss a world of difference tbh!!
I have a beautiful deep green from Essie that stains my nails even with a good basecoat (ORLY Bonder).
Oh man, I hate when that happens! I wonder if it would be less staining with a ridge filling base coat since those are thicker!
Essie is more popular because their shade Ballet Slippers is a favorite of Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Kate Middleton.
I gave away all my old Essies, too, Kelli. I just hated the old skinny brushes, the patchy formulas, and they generally were similar in price to OPI (which seemed like a better brand to me overall). Also, Essie still only has 13.5 ml bottles, while OPI has 15 ml. But... with the improved brush bristles and formula, I've begun gradually buying a few Essies here and there if they are unique to my collection; and I've noticed that some of their old classic colors now come with the better brush, so I've replaced some of those in my collection, too. From this review, I like all of the shimmer shades!!
It really is crazy how much they've improved, I sometimes think people don't even realize how patchy they used to be LOL
I've missed you Kelli and I blame the dog 🤪These look like typical Essie colors, and I've not had very good luck with them, but my local stores don't really keep up with the new collections, which is why your videos are so extremely helpful. Love you 💜
Haha I blame the dog too! He's still going strong but I was able to record the voiceover in between his bouts of barking.. and we'll probably have to call animal control because our apartment manager determined there's nothing wrong and we need to mind our business 😩
@@KelliMarissa That's crazy! That dog is making it hard to do your job, so I kinda think it is your business. I don't understand people sometimes. They don't have to be so rude.
i love the eyeshadow!! also ive really been feeling more of a dusty or dark/bold color scheme lately, so my faves are Caught in the Rain, To Me From Me, No Ex-pectations, and License to Thrill... and of course the blurple haha but that's a given!
I can feel myself shifting from the pink/purples I've been wearing nonstop into dusky/dusty blues haha!
I may pick up some of these.
I love an almost one coater 😉
Cyber society looks like a drugstore version of Holo Taco's Resting Witch Face wich is great cause it's more accessible
Totally!!
I was thinking that Flirt with Freedom has a very 90s vibe! AlsocLOVE that cool toned purple!
Love these and the consistency is awesome!
Glad you like them too!!
Cyber society is my favourite!
These were actually mid-winter collections. Feel The Fizzle was the Spring collection for 2023. Pastels with one sparkly topper. Nice review of these polishes. Home By 8 is a stunner.
My favorite is unguilty pleasures collection.
Goodness, who’s more famous… probably Essie because they’re easier to find and crank out collections like crazy. I used to only use OPI and my daughter as a teen bought Essie and I didn’t like them due to the formula. But then they changed the formula and it was good. But adding the new brush, wow, even better! I hate to say that I feel almost adulterous saying that Essie may have become my favorite over OPI. I do own more of it, but that’s mostly because it’s so easy to find. But when I have an OPI and an Essie in the same shade….my heart wants to like the OPI more but honestly the Essie these days is usually a better formula, plus the better brush.
Haha! Honestly I totally get what you mean. Essie is really consistently good quality nowadays, and OPI has had a few big misses recently IMO!
I am with you l love any shade of purple. Love your videos 🤩
Yay! Thank you!
I believe OPI used to be the most famous nail polish line. Now, Essie is! Snooze In is a go buy for me
Wow the Cyber Society polish looks like a dupe for Julien x Holo Taco’s I’m Live!! Gorgeous!
I have a lot of both old and new Essie because it's the most accessible and I'm able to find them at pretty steep discounts. The new formula is honestly one of my favorite to work with. Although I love indies for specialty finishes like magnetics and flakies, Essie's cremes have become such a staple in my collection. They're thin enough to work with that they don't feel gloopy when applying (while still being opaque) and self-level really well. Also their wide brush is hands down my favorite, even compared to wide brushes in indie polishes. I find indie polish brushes way too dense most of the time. I wish I could bulk buy Essie's wide brushes and put them in all my polishes 😅
You know what, now that you mention wishing you could buy Essie brushes in bulk, I feel like the KBShimmer brush is incredibly similar/might be the same size. It really is great to work with, if you ever try them you might want to grab some of their replacement brushes!!
@@KelliMarissa Yes! I have a couple replacement brushes from KBShimmer and they've definitely come in handy for some wonky brushes I've had to replace. Definitely need to get more of them to replace all my skinny essie brushes!
Hello! The FAQ on Essie's website says that they are cruelty-free. I don't know if there is more controversy about that or not, beyond what the FAQ says.
I'm loving these colors!
Yes that is true, and their parent company L'Oreal also lists as being cruelty free and not participating in any animal testing for decades! But I mentioned that last time and a lot of people commented saying that they don't believe the brand and I'm spreading misinformation, so I figure it's better to let people look into it themselves haha.
I think OPI is more famous worldwide for sure. I remember old OPI ads in magazines back in the early 2000s and they seemed so luxurious, but I only heard about Essie when I started watching beauty guru content on RUclips. Even now, Essie releases collections that are only available in the US, whereas OPI collections are consistently available in other parts of the world.
Ohh yeah good point, OPI feels like it's been around forever haha! (Although out of curiosity I just checked and both Essie and OPI were founded in 1981! Wild!)
I think I’m addicted to hunting down the older and harder to find Essies, the ones from before the re-alphabetizing of the color-name numbers. Like Cactus Flower 131 is my new favorite pink and I can’t find any modern Essie’s that quite match that old formula. Most of the new ones that come out I have one similar to it already and it makes me a might bit sad lol
Ooh I think that might have all been before I even got into nail polish haha! But I bet you've found some amazing treasures from that time!
@@KelliMarissa One day I hope to be able to do public swatches to sortve “preserve and record” these old lost colors that so few even realize existed. Though its definitely a hobby you have to be very diligent in! Like if you’ve found it chances are someone else has too who is also as obsessed with polish as you are) it’s like the worlds most personalized treasure hunt
Can't wait to watch this later
Hope you enjoy!!
pretty colors essie i use on my nails and my toes black color
Yes I think they are more well known than OPI for sure. At least in Europe they are. And more easily available.
The flirt with freedom color looks a lot like the discontinued Essie sexy divide. Love that color.
Ooh yeah it does have a similar look! Maybe a more warm toned version!!
I think Essie is more popular for home use… it’s sold at Walmart, Target, Walgreens, etc. I think OPI is more popular at salons. Maybe it’s just the couple I’ve been to but they definitely lean more heavily into OPI.
That's a great point, Essie is definitely more of a drugstore brand and OPI is more of a salon/professional brand!
Agree!
Flirt with freedom is like a pearl blueberry/plum color
In Europe Essie and OPI are both common, but Essie is definitely dominating! Also the shade range is usually way wider in the Essie displays here.
Thanks for reminding me of essie.. normally only see it in CVS or target.. mostly sold out of good colors though...
The geek chic I got to be a super sheer and it doesn't disappoint. I am a little sad it is prettier in the bottle.
That's my eternal struggle haha especially with duochrome and multichrome polishes! Always prettier in the bottle!!
@@KelliMarissa whyyy why do they tease us??
I'm from Canada I've never seen an opi polish in a drugstore only in Walmart, Essie is everywhere though even the dollar store
I think Essie is more famous for at home mani's but OPI is the salon go-to brand. So depends how you do your nails on which brand is more famous maybe?
Good point haha! I think I need to poll non nail polish collectors (especially men) and see which brand comes to mind when I ask them about nail polish LOL
@@KelliMarissa I'd love to hear the poll results! haha
Are any of these colors good for stamping?
I have a feeling the one coaters will be great for stamping but I'll give em a try to be sure!!