Top 5 Spring Shades.

I like to think that my love of all things Essie is just one of my quirks. A loveable quirk of course, but a quirk nonetheless. I didn't mean for this post to become Essie exclusive, it just kind of turned out that way. And if you're not convinced as to the full extent of my obsession, then check out this golden oldie of a post for details.

L to R: 'A List', 'Exotic Liras', 'Splash of Grenadine', 'Meet Me At The Altar', 'Island Hopping'

But I digress. It's not technically Spring until the 20th March but the weather is suggesting otherwise. There's a Spring-like crispness in the air, the days feel longer, the sky is bluer, and everything is generally prettier. And that's including my nails. Just like you update your wardrobe for a change of season, I like to keep my fingertips in check with the changing weather. In all honesty though, does anyone really need an excuse to wear a coral pink on their nails? Not me.
Hear me out. My love of Essie is completely justified. The application is great, the brush sizes vary between colours but you're either landed with a thin or wide applicator. Because I'm just so haphazard when it comes to actually painting my nails, a wide brush suits me better. It takes a mere stroke to cover the nail and you're good to go. Yet, some people are more meticulous when it comes to their manicures and would appreciate a thin brush for precise application. Hence why these few bottles are labelled 'Professional Application' - either way, you win.
At £7.99 a bottle, Essie falls in that middle category between drugstore and high-end prices. As a result, the formula is better than your average run-of-the-mill Barry M bottle but its equally not quite up there with the Chanel counter. Personally, I think it's a great middle ground. Essie is a fun, affordable brand with an incomprehensible range of colours - going near the Essie concession in my local Boots is like approaching a wonderfully wacky rainbow.
Narrowing my Spring shades down to just five bottles was harder than I thought it would be. But in the end, these shades just jumped out of me. 'A List' is a classic, Hollywood-starlet red that's not too OTT. I like my reds to be subtly glamourous, not so in your face - like I wrote in my Formula X Review, 'A List' just fits the bill. Out of my epic collection, this is the one nail polish which probably the most use and definitely the most compliments. 'Exotic Liras' is a funny one. I remember standing at the Essie counter feeling distinctly uninspired (when you spend as much time lusting over Essie as me, it's bound to happen) yet craving a new colour for my collection. I picked up 'Exotic Liras' thinking 'this will do' and wasn't even sure if I liked it very much, such is the intensity of my nail varnish addiction. But when I got home and gave it a trial run, I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not normally one to go for bold colours in the fear that they'll make me look pale. But this shade is the perfect pop of colour, a reddish fuchsia. I guess it just proves that trying something different can often really surprise you. It's fast become a favourite. 'Splash of Grenadine' is equally as fun, it's a bubblegum pink hue with a purpley tone that has the magic power of making my hands look tan. I love this colour because, although it looks bright and intimidating in the photo, it is actually quite an understated pink. Very girly and, again, not too in your face.

Clutching my Nancy's Nails Scented Topcoat - 'Exotic Liras'

My final two shades are slightly more muted in tone. I'd call them my foolproof Spring colours. The previous shades are for crisp afternoon dog walks, picnics, and brunch (any other Spring clichés you can think of?). They're great bold colours but they don't exactly cover the days when it's pouring with rain, it's still a little cold and you can't decide if it's time to retire the winter coat. That's where 'Meet Me At The Altar' and 'Island Hopping' come in. Two soft pinks shades (of course) that cover the not so glamourous side of this season but still leave your nails looking pretty. Because life's not short for neglected nails.