Wedding accessory: Nail polish

I started wearing nail polish at the age of 12.  Not that I have my nails colored often then.  I just remember getting my first brush of nail color at that age because I attended a cousin's wedding as one of the junior bridesmaids.  From then on, I would, every now and then have my nails done.  In theory, I liked having them colored as often as possible.  But the reality is that finding the perfect shade and the would-not-chip-in-days brand just seems to be impossible.  Until about two years ago.

For the longest time I was an Orly girl.  I have tried numerous brands (local and international) but it was only Orly that got me satisfied.. to a point.  It was only Orly that at least lasted for 3 days.  Actually, by the 3rd day, it would start chipping but by then I was just happy that I could have 2 days of still (almost) perfect polished nails.  I thought this was the best I could get even from a top of the line brand.  The Essie nail polish line proved me wrong.

Me wearing Essie's "Mauve-ing Along" polish while holding my favorite "After Sex" nail polish color.

When I discovered the Essie brand, I have been a convert and very satisfied user ever since.  It's not chip-free BUT the chipping would be so minimal that it's hardly noticeable.  I could even wear my nails for more than a week and the paint would still look more than decent.  And that's saying a lot because I'm a computer programmer and my work requires me to use the keyboard on a 9-10 hours shift, 5 days a week.  You can just imagine how much beating my colored nails must get from me.  I remember a year ago when my friends and I went to Boracay and I had my nails done on a Monday (with Orly Moonlit Madness).  I had to have my nails colored again by Thursday (in time for our Friday trip) because by Wednesday, the polish started chipping noticeably.  Boo hoo!  If I had known of Essie then, I probably could have saved money by going to the salon only once!

Source: Essie Nail Polish

For my wedding day, I am definitely getting my nails done and will be using Essie.  Just have not decided yet on what color.

Locally, the salons I know that uses them are Tips N Toes, Nail Spa (have yet to try here), and Relaksasi Spa (this is where I got a hold of the brand!).  If you want to buy your own bottle, Rustan's have it on stock (limited colors, though).