NOTD: OPI vs Essie

Seeing as it is currently exam time for me, absolutely any activity is deemed more exciting than actually revising.  I have therefore spent many hours this week cleaning and painting my nails (as if I really need an excuse!)

I have always loved doing my nails but until I discovered the online beauty commnity I never really realised just how many different colour polishes there are out there.  Couple that with being in the UK and having a pretty limited range of drug store colours and you get someone who thought a purple polish is just a purple polish.  Well after realising the true extent of the colour range out there and finding my favourite eBay seller I now realise just how wrong I was....!

I therefore decided to see just how much difference there is between OPI's Done Out In Deco and Essie's Lilacism.

The result?  A pretty big difference -

The OPI is a lot darker and more of a grey toned purple whereas the Essie is what I see to be a true Lilac.  They are both beautiful colours but I think I am leaning more to the Essie if I'm honest... it's just that little bit more summery.

As for the the difference in brands?  They both come in at 15ml (0.5oz) and lasted pretty much the same amount of time on my nails with Seche Vite on top - some slight wear on the tips after a few days but no major chipping to note.  The major difference I found was with the brush - OPI's is much larger and although this allows for a smooth finish over all, the Essie allows for a more precise and neater application near the cuticles.

My overall opinion?  Essie wins this one - I prefer the colour, it's easier to apply and comes in cheaper (£2.70/$3.99 vs £3.40/$4.99).

Which colour do you prefer?!  Let me know!  Also are there any great Essie colour recommendations you have for me?!  I need to build up my collection!

xxx