Essie vs. OPI

Essie and OPI nail polishes are the two nail polishes I find myself buying the most. The cute packaging of the Essie nail polish drew me in immediately and you might also find yourself drawn to the brand because of the packaging. OPI went for a more traditional, sophisticated look that may not draw in as many teenage girls, but the quality of the nail polish is incredible.

I have to give it to the designers of the Essie nail polish; they are the absolute cutest things I have ever seen, but the actual product doesn’t quite live up to the quality of the packaging. The first thing you’ll notice when you open the product is that the brush is VERY small. It takes quite a few strokes to cover the nail and by the time you cover the entire nail, you are often left with streaks. The streaks do sometimes even out, but other times they are left on your nail and let me tell you: streaky nails DO NOT look cute.

The other thing about the Essie polish is that it has a very thin consistency, which does mean that you will likely have to paint at least two coats in order to get that perfect color (which means more time spent painting your nails when you could be doing something way more fun). Overall, the actual product is average quality (compared to OPI). The packaging is adorable and they do have such a great color selection, but with a price of $8.50, I don’t like to buy a ton of the Essie nail polishes. The Essie polish does not seem to last that long; it normally chips within a few days, but I have yet to find a nail polish that really lasts as long as the brand claims.

The OPI nail polish packaging is not quite as cute as the Essie polish, but it still has that classic, sophisticated look. As soon as you open up the OPI polish, you’ll notice that the brush is much wider; this feature makes the polish so much easier to use. You only need one to two strokes on your nail and then you’re done.

The OPI polish is thicker than the Essie polish and therefore, you often times only have to paint one coat. Sometimes I paint two coats on if I really want a darker color, but you don’t necessarily need two coats. OPI does have a lot of color selections, but they don’t have as many of those summer pastels that are so in style right now. The OPI nail polishes go for around $9.00, which is on the pricier side, but the actual product is very nice and seems to be fairly durable. I tend to pick at the nail polish sometimes, but the polish will go without chipping at all for 3 or 4 days, and for up to about a week there are usually only minor chips that aren’t really noticeable.

I tend to buy more OPI nail polishes than Essie because the OPI polish does last significantly longer than the Essie polish. However, I do wish the OPI packaging were a bit cuter because the Essie polishes are just so fun to collect. It really depends on your preference. If you’re looking for a polish that looks cute in its packaging, but you don’t care as much about the duration of the product, then go for the Essie brand. On the other hand, if you’re someone who cares much more about the actual quality of the product, then definitely go for the OPI.

Let me know what your favorite nail polish brand is in the comments and I’d love to try it out. Also, if you guys are interested, I will do comparative reviews of some cheaper polishes because there are some cheaper nail polishes that will still give you a nice coat.