When I hear Essie I think of an up market reputable nail brand and this is reflected in the fact that their polishes cost around £8 a pop.
This is not the price I would usually happily pay for a nail varnish unless I knew they lived up to expectations.
Some time this year I purchased a set from Boots in the sale for about £10 for 4 Essie varnishes which I thought was a bargain. It had some mostly autumnal colours and Bahama Mama was one of these colours so I waited until autumn hit to put it to the test.
Bahama Mama is described as a “warm, rich, creamy deep plum”. It really is gorgeous and it screams autumn nails to me.
APPLICATION
The brush on this polish is the perfect size to brush across the nail and practically cover the whole bed, and where it doesn’t the bristles are smooth enough to fill in the gaps without making a mess.
The brush allows for a really neat application especially against the cuticles.
I usually make a huge mess with my nails, especially when using my non-dominant left hand to fill in the right, and I made the tiniest mess on one finger with this polish.
DRYING TIME
The drying time of this is fast compared to others of a similar price and it doesn’t go tacky for very long, reducing the risk of denting whilst waiting (impatiently) for them to dry.
FINISH
This polish has a glossy finish with a shine not dissimilar to gel polishes which is fab for a drugstore brand polish, albeit slightly more expensive.
It’s nicely pigmented but needs at least 2 coats (I put 3 on a couple of nails) to get a decent colour build up.
LASTING POWER
This is the part where, unfortunately, the review turns negative. This chipped the very next day. I didn’t do much, a little bit of dusting and hoovering then went out for a walk and to a restaurant for food.
By 7pm that day the chipping was so terrible I couldn’t cope with it anymore, this is what it looked like the very next day (excuse the bad lighting it was already dark when I took the photo):
You can see it chipped off every nail and looked hideous. As it’s a dark colour you can tell so much more that it is chipped.
I tried to top it up and it looked quite good but the next day again it began to come away from the edge.
When I painted my nails I ensured I let every coat dry properly before putting the next on. I used the Maybelline CC Top Coat to top this, curing the edge of the nail in hope it would keep it locked.
OVERALL
So overall it was all going so well until it decided to chip away within a matter of hours. Not what I would expect from a more expensive reputable nail brand.
Has anyone else had this experience with Essie? Could you recommend a good top coat that doesn’t chip? I am interested to hear your thoughts!
Thanks for reading ♥
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elljane says
I love this colour 😍 xx
sophiesbeautyonabudget says
Me too its so autumnal 😍❤ thanks for reading hun xo
elljane says
that’s okay, great post 😘 xx
sophiesbeautyonabudget says
Thank you lovely 😘❤ xo
lolam94 says
That’s such a pretty colour, perfect for fall, it’s a shame it chipped so fast
http://technicolor-heart.blogspot.com/
sophiesbeautyonabudget says
It is so perfect i love the colour 😍 i am so disappointed it didn’t last long! Thanks for reading hun xo
beautybyadutchgirl says
What a beauty!
sophiesbeautyonabudget says
Its gorgeous isnt it! 😍 thanks for reading hun xo
beautybyadutchgirl says
No problem! It was fun reading this ♥
stashy says
I have this shade but have yet to try it – the colour is the perfect Autumn colour! Too bad this didn’t last on you! I find some people just LOVE Essie (me) and some people on which Essie doesn’t play nice with. I guess it’s the different nail structure / flex? I use the top coat Poshe which I love and have recommended to many people who have become converts. Here’s a review I did on it:
https://stashmatters.com/2015/10/16/review-poshe-topcoat/
I tested it over a deep Essie colour too!
I’m not sure how readily available Poshe is in the UK though.
sophieinwonderlandxo says
I really really wanted to get on with it too as it applies so nicely is super pigmented and is a lush colour but i just can’t stand chipping! I wonder if my nails just hate all polish in general cos i find a lot chip easily!! Maybe im just not meant for polish 😭 i will definitely look out for the top coat thanks! 🙂
Mrs Strawberry Blonde says
Such a pretty colour. Too bad the polish chips…
sophieinwonderlandxo says
I know i was gutted i really wanted it to last as its great in every other aspect!! Thanks for reading hun x
fivezero says
So pretty! This is a fave of mine, too.
Sophie in Wonderland says
It is such a beautiful autumnal colour! Thanks for reading hun xo