It's hard to argue with $0.99 for a mini bottle of nail polish, so I didn't even try. I was wanting a sparkly polish that I could layer with others, and figured this Essence would be a good place to start (in spite of the order in which I am reviewing them, I got this polish before any of the Sinful polishes).
Space Queen
It's very thick, which seems to be a thing with glitter polishes, but it's not unwieldy or anything, and is definitely thinner than Sinful Nail Junkie.
2 coats Space Queen over Scotch tape in sunlight
The glitter isn't as dense or variegated as in the Sinful polishes, but 2 coats was sufficient to give me a decent sparkly look when layered over Wet N Wild Black Creme. The pinkish tint doesn't show up when layered, though, so don't go into it expecting that!
2 coats Space Queen over 1 coat WNW Black Creme on Scotch tape in sunlight (wow, that is a lot of prepositions)
It's not particularly fast-drying, so it loses points in that regard, but it's a nice choice for a cheap, portable glitter if you're not sure how you feel about them or need something small for travel. Layered over another polish and topped with top coat, it lasted more than a week on my toes; removal is a hassle, but the tin foil trick takes care of most of it.
Overview
$0.99 for ???oz, available at Ulta, Fred Meyer, HEB, und German drugstores
Quality: 7 (the glitter isn't particularly interesting or vibrant, but it's a good basic to start with)
Effectiveness: 3 (not fast-drying)
Ease of Use: 3.75 (easier to apply compared to the Sinful, though you do need more coats if you're wanting anything approaching opacity, but removal is still a pain)
Senses: 4.5 (without a top coat, it's bumpy from the glitter, but one layer of top coat takes care of that)
Pigmentation: 4 (I wish more of the pinkiness came through)
Duration: 5
Consistency: 4
Price: 5
Value: 4 (it is miniature-sized)
Grade: B-
I probably wouldn't buy again, but it worked well as a foray into glitter polishes for me, and I would recommend it as a low-risk way of trying them out.
Have you used any of Essence's nail polishes? What did you think?
