I never really gave Essie that much thought when it comes to buying nail polish.  I always went for the "okay" cheap ones from the drugstore, like Revlon, Loreal, Sally Hansen, and others.  But when my friend told me about a nail supply store around her house that sold Essie for half the price... I decided to check it out and get a few colors to try out to see what all the hype was about.

The three colors I picked up were Merino Cool, Sand Tropez, and Mint Candy Apple (the most talked about color ever).

Merino Cool, Sand Tropez, Mint Candy Apple

All three colors are a creme finish.  I usually go for creme finishes or shimmery/glittery ones.  I'm not too fond of metallics.

one coat; natural lighting near window

For one coat, the results aren't too bad.  Merino Cool, a plummy color with grey undertones, turned out a bit sheer (you can still see a little bit of my nail showing through) with just one coat.  Sand Tropez, a sandy creme color, was passable with just one coat.  Mint Candy Apple, a "minty" blue color, was a bit streaky with one coat. 

one coat; with flash

Not too shabby with just one coat.  Polishes from other brands that I've used in the past yielded "meh" results with just one coat.  Maybe because all three of the polishes are creme finishes, and with creme finishes, it's quite hard to get perfect opaqueness with just one coat.

So two coats should definitely give you the perfect color payoff.

two coats; natural lighting near window

Definitely the results that I'm looking for when it comes to creme finishes.  Very nice! I'm liking these already!

two coats, with flash

Not so bad Essie, not so bad.  You can usually find Essie in most drugstores for about $7.99.  A bit too steep for my budget when it comes to nail polish.  But if you check out nail supply stores or beauty supply stores, they may sell Essies (and others, like OPI) for about half the price.

I think I'm gonna have to go back to get a few colors for summer!

So what is your favorite nail polish brand?  How about your favorite finish?