Essie

Essie is the iconic American nail brand that turned founder Essie Weingarten's life savings into one of the most recognised names in beauty. Launched the brand in 1981 with just 12 shades, flying from New York to Las Vegas with a crate of polish and a belief that nails deserved as much attention as any other part of a beauty routine. The brand's global reputation was cemented in 1989 when a letter arrived from Buckingham Palace requesting a bottle of Ballet Slippers polish for Queen Elizabeth II, putting Essie firmly on the world beauty map. Today Essie remains centre stage on runways worldwide, offering trend-driven colour collections season after season with a salon-quality formula and the whimsical shade names the brand has become famous for.

Essie's shade library spans thousands of colours, but a handful of classics have stood the test of time. Ballet Slippers is perhaps the most iconic, a pale pink so beloved it famously caught royal attention and remains one of the most sought-after shades in nail history. Glass Nails Cin Cin is a more recent favourite, delivering a soft pink finish with a high-shine, glass-like effect that feels fresh and modern. Mademoiselle offers a sheer, barely-there nude pink that works beautifully as an everyday wear or as a clean base for nail art. For longer-lasting colour, Gel Couture in Fairy Tailor delivers up to 15 days of gel-like wear in a simple two-step system, with no UV lamp required and easy removal with standard nail polish remover.

Getting the most out of your Essie polish comes down to prep and layering. Start with your base coat, then layer two coats of your chosen Nail Lacquer for full-bodied colour that sets the perfect base for a polished finish. For something more adventurous, Gel Couture in Spiked With Style offers gel-like wear for up to 15 days with no UV lamp required. Top either shade with the Gel Couture Top Coat for a glossy, long-lasting seal that locks in colour and prevents chipping. Feeling creative? The Nail Art Studio Special Effects Top Coat in Gilded Galaxy adds a stunning multidimensional glitter finish over any base colour. For maximum longevity, cap the free edge of each nail with every coat and avoid getting polish on the surrounding skin.

Essie offers a full range of nail care products designed to keep nails healthy and strong between manicures. The Apricot Nail & Cuticle Oil nourishes and softens dry cuticles with a lightweight, fast-absorbing formula for everyday hydration. For damaged or weakened nails, To The Rescue UV Gel Damage Repair strengthens and restores with a gel-like treatment that visibly improves nail condition over time. If you're dealing with cracks or breaks, Break Fix Liquid Nail Patch offers a quick and easy solution, sealing splits and reinforcing the nail without the need for acrylics. Finally, Good As New Nail Perfector in Light Pink conceals imperfections and evens out the nail surface, leaving a clean, polished finish even on bare nails.

Yes, all Essie products are cruelty-free, and the nail polishes are vegan-friendly, formulated without animal-derived ingredients. The original nail polish, the Expressie quick-dry formula, the Gel Couture longwear formula, and Essie's care products are all 100% vegan and 8-free, meaning they're also free from eight of the most commonly questioned ingredients in nail polish formulation.