Is OPI or Essie The Better Nail Polish?

Versus

 

I rarely get manicures and pedicures with the exception of an occasional trip to the nail salon with a girlfriend or two, which happens maybe once or twice a year. That means I give myself a lot of manicures and pedicures at home.  If you're good at doing nails, then you really should reconsider all those expensive trips to the nail salon.  Just think about this, you could get maybe four or five bottles of a luxe nail polish brand for the cost of a salon manicure and pedicure, but which luxe nail polish should you buy?

 

There are several luxe nail polish brands-Essie, OPI, Orly, China Glaze, Zoya-that are stocked at the make-up meccas Ulta and Sephora.  I'm not going to waste my time product reviewing Orly, China Glaze, or Zoya, because they suck.  Essie and OPI, on the other hand, are fantastic!  With that said, they are very different from each other, but do share some similarities.

 

Both Essie and OPI have lasting power.  Whether you use Essie or OPI, your toenail polish is going to last for maybe one and half to two weeks, and that's not an exaggeration.  Your fingernail polish will look good for probably three days.  By the fourth day, you're going to have some chipping.  This is actually pretty good when you think about everything you do with your hands and nails during the day.  

 

OPI, unlike Essie, has a wide brush with a fat handle, which makes it faster and easier to paint your nails.  Swipe, swipe, you're done unless you go back and apply a second coat, which I always do.  Then it's swipe, swipe, blow nail, swipe, swipe.  Essie has a thinner brush with a skinny handle.  Because of its thinner brush, you do have to do about three swipes on the nail, and you have to be a little more careful to make sure you get an even paint coverage.

 

OPI nail polish may have a wider brush, but Essie doesn't get thick and goopy like OPI does after you've had it for a while.  The thick goopy sets in about a month after buying OPI, which is way too soon considering its price.  You can still use it, but the finished job isn't going to look as good as it did when you first used it.  That's why I prefer Essie to OPI, but I do have to admit OPI has more cutesy names for their colors, but what's in a name?

 

Take your pick.