Essie Nail Lacquer

Dixie

My husband, daughter, and I were shopping in Target when we walked past the new display of Essie Nail Lacquers. I stopped the cart and said, "Hold on. Pinky said she wanted us to review some items from the Shape Beauty Awards 2012 list. I have to buy this nail polish." Sounds like a convenient excuse to buy something pretty, BUT IT'S TOTALLY TRUE. (Editor's note: BWAHAHAHAHAH!) That's how I ended up trying Essie Nail Lacquer in Boxer Shorts, a lovely opaque lilac color (though it's classified under Blues on the Essie website, go figure). I know. Cool story, bro.

Many times I have been let down by an opaque nail polish within the first five seconds of application, a good many of them go on streaky and pale. So, to test the opacity, I decided to use the polish on my toenails. If a polish can apply opaque on a nail as big as the first toenail, then it passes the test. First impressions of the polish were good. Boxer Shorts applied to my toenails fairly opaque with the first coat. The second coat went on very well, providing a completely opaque coverage. Nice. This is not the bottle of Wet N' Wild we all had in high school that required four coats and never really dried.

The real test of a nail polish, though, is how well it stays on. It doesn't really matter how pretty the color is if the damn stuff chips on the first day. To properly test the polish, I applied an OPI base coat first and finished with a Seche Vite top coat, just like I always do. And to really test the staying power, I didn't refresh my top coat every few days like I normally do. You know how you wear cute shoes with no socks and the polish on your big toe wears off? Yeah, I hate that too. That didn't happen. The result was a beautiful pedicure that stayed for a solid week without chipping or wearing. Woot! A nail polish that stays in place without a lot of babying. Imagine that.

Next time you are looking to try a new color on your tootsies or fingernails, give Essie a try. For around $8 a bottle, this is a nice little beauty splurge. You can find it on Essie.com, at Target, and at your local chain drugstore. I give Essie Nail Lacquer 8/8 well-earned tentacles.

Rating: 8/8 tentacles

Essie Nail Polish is one of SHAPE's 2012 Beauty Awards winners. Neither Hot Ink nor Dixie was asked to review this product or received any compensation for it. We just love it!