Hey everyone!

Today I wanted to show off a nail polish I recently picked up at Ulta. I’ve heard a lot about Essence polishes- namely that they are high quality for such a low price, and have a cute color range. There were about a dozen colors for sale at my Ulta, and Dream On was the only one that really caught my eye.

How did this $1.99 polish perform on me? Let’s dive in!

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So, this color is called Dream On by Essence Cosmetics.

The proper way to use this polish line is the Essence gel base coat and then their gel top coat. I didn’t purchase either the top or base coat, but the polish will perform without those other steps. I used my OPI Nail Envy base coat and Seche Vive gel top coat. No LED light is needed.

About the color…

This nude is a marshmallow tan. It’s light, pale, and really pops against my pale skin. It is a lovely vanilla shade that pulls very neutral. It’s not yellow or white- it’s beige.

The formula…

For a $2 nail polish, this polish is pretty awesome. I mean, most of the time, a dollar polish is going to be pretty much meh- thin, chip-prone, messy, etc. But this Essence didn’t disappoint FOR A CHEAP POLISH. It looked beautiful on my nails, and I didn’t have to adjust my technique too much.

However… Compared to a lot of my mid-range polishes, this polish really sucked. It was thick, hard to work with, and took a long time to dry. It chipped by the next day when I hadn’t even done anything, as you can see on my index finger in the photo below. I think you can also see how thick it is on the tips of my fingertips.

Here’s what I should have done: I should have added nail polish thinner and been more patient with it. I could have done one very thin coat, waited as long as it took to dry in between, and then done the next coat. I also could have done two patient coats, instead of these thick three.

Other thoughts…

So, I don’t know if this one is worth messing with. For the price, this is great. I can’t think of another $2 polish that you can pick up at Ulta and actually performs like a gel polish. Even some OPIs give me a hard time sometimes, so I can’t be TOO tough on this one. The color is STUNNING and unique, and would be great for stamping and other nail art.

I would not put this color on my toes as a pedicure. No WAY. I do wish it lasted a little better on me- chipping in my sleep is not such a great sign, and that annoyed me so much I took this off after two days. So I don’t actually know how long this would last…

If you’re new to nail polish, this is a cheap and nice way to experiment with nude nails. It’s a gorgeous color and photographed well.

I’m definitely going to buy some higher end marshmallow shades next.

What do you think of this nude color? Do you wear nude polish often?

Have a great week!

-Taylor