Essie

Essie Fall 2023 Collection Nail Polish [928 - Dance ‘Til Dawn] Review

By Maychiri's Thoughts - January 17, 2025

One regular-sized Essie from a bit older collection! This is the Essie Fall 2023 Collection Nail Polish, shade 928/Dance ‘Til Dawn!

 
BIPA had a promo where, if you bought any Essie nail polish, you’d get a free mini Essie nail polish for free so, duh, of course I’d go buy a new Essie! Why not? There’s always at least one pretty colour I don’t yet have... like this one! It’s not such an old collection, just barely over a year old, which isn’t too bad for nail polishes. And it’s a collection that somehow slipped right by me! And now that I look at it, oh wow! Yeah, I see why I didn’t pay much attention, it’s mostly just very dark colours but the names are, as always, particularly fun! I wish this was ‘Meet Me at Midnight’... ah, I miss the Eras Tour already. Anyways, this is the only light shade from that collection, therefore, the only one I would buy, realistically. It looked nice enough at BIPA, like a cool grayish pink. That sounds like it’s going to be very cool! Now, let’s dance – and see what this nail polish is all about!
 
 
 
 
Packaging: classic Essie bottle, that I adore! It truly does look luxurious and expensive, especially if you look at the sides, where the embossed Essie logo is! Ooh, fancy! The bottle feels robust and high quality, as is usual for Essies. The text is white, which is a bit harder to read on this particular colour, but it fits very nicely. It makes for a very soft colour combination! The cap is white and closes extremely tightly, to ensure that the nail polish doesn’t dry out too soon. This is also where you’ll find the information sticker, and, if you look at the top, where you’ll find a sticker with the name of this shade. I said it before and I’ll say it again, Essie nail polish bottles are gorgeous! 
 
 
 
 

Ingredients: nothing nourishing, also, 3-free (DBP, formaldehyde, toluene). This nail polish contains colophonium/rosin, which can cause allergies in some people, so be aware of this! The scent is just like any other nail polish. The expiration date is 24 months after opening.
 
 
 

Brush: pretty large flat brush, and super bendy as well! This is the standard Essie brush which is so incredibly easy to use that it makes painting nails child’s play! The brush picks up a ton of polish, so don’t forget to tap off the excess! But man, it applies nail polish so evenly and precisely! Like, only a few brushstrokes and that’s it – perfectly painted nails each time! However, it may be a bit large on the smaller nails like the pinky, and may make a bit of a mess there. But for most nails, I was able to avoid making a huge mess on the sides. And since it’s so large and fans out nicely, it ensures that the nail polish is applied properly each time. I won’t stop praising this brush as it’s worth the praise, truly!
 
 
 

Colour: grayish off-white is a good description of this colour, but it’s not just gray. It has a distinctly pinkish tone to it, which sets it apart from others light pink or off-white nail polishes. It’s an incredibly elegant colour, perfect for all kinds of occasions, be it formal or casual. I think that this colour is quite similar to ‘lavender blush’, but it is more grayish, less vibrant. This is one of those colours that looks good on a myriad of different skintones, but it looks particularly great on pale skin. I was worried that it would wash me out, but it doesn’t! It actually enhances my skintone! I love this colour so much, I am so glad I picked this one! It’s so neutral, but so elegant at the same time, perfect!
 
 
 

Ah, I do love this formula! It’s the well-known super silky Essie formula that we all know and love! The formula isn’t too thick, but it’s also not thin, either. It feels maybe a tiny bit thicker than usual, but it’s just as silky and smooth as always! The polish applies evenly and, since the formula isn’t goopy or runny, it’s extremely easy to paint your nails properly. Very, very high quality formula, and perfect for beginners as it’s super easy to use! There’s a reason why I already have many Essies – I just looove their formula! It’s always so luxe!
 
 
 
 
 

With one coat, the polish isn’t quite opaque. I can still clearly see my nails underneath, and the colour isn’t as intense as it should be. But – it is super even, which is nice! I would definitely suggest adding one more coat, though. Indeed, it looks the best with two coats. Now, the colour is exactly what it should be, and it’s completely opaque. It doesn’t look too thick, but I really wouldn’t add more coats, two is really the ideal number. The texture is glossy, nothing too special, but it looks amazing on this greige-ish colour!
 
 
 
 
 

Longevity is amazing, but this is an Essie so this isn’t a surprise! Essies are usually unmatched in their longevity, and this one proves that! It stayed completely chip free for 3 days, until I somehow managed to chip it on one of my thumbs. It was a small chip, so it didn’t bother me too much. But the rest of the nails stayed in literally perfect condition! The nail polish was largely unfazed by me washing my hair; it only chipped on one finger, and even then, it was such minor damage that it’s no big deal. Also, there were no scratches at any point! So it is obviously very durable – as Essies tend to be! See why I keep coming back to Essies?

 
 
 
 
I didn’t have issues removing this nail polish. The top layer took a bit of... persuasion... to break through, but the rest was smooth sailing. I didn’t need to rub too much to remove it and, since it’s such a light colour, there was no staining.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

All in all, another incredible nail polish by Essie! Just like I knew it would be! There’s so much good here that I don’t know where to start... let’s begin with the... brush! Oh yeah, this brush is amazing! It picks up a huge amount of pigment, which it then deposits so evenly that the first coat already looks luxe and high-end! No uneven patches, though it is fairly transparent still. But that can be easily fixed by adding another coat! Then it looks perfect! Simply perfect! And the colour is unexpectedly gorgeous! I thought it would be pinker, but this grayish lavender rose kind of colour is so much better! It’s incredible- just look how elegant it is! It would be perfect for any formal occasion! Oh and the formula must be praised as well; this is the usual Essie formula which is super silky and smooth and so easy to use! I adore it! And the longevity is stunning; it lasts for days without even the smallest of chipping – and no scratches either! This all comes together to make one bloody spectacular nail polish, one that is well-worth its higher price point! I think I am going to do a little dance now, to celebrate how amazing this nail polish is – just not til dawn, as I desperately need sleep haha! I might've wanted ‘Meet Me at Midnight’ for the name alone, but I am more than happy with this one... and no, this will not be the last Essie I purchase ;) ! I will give this nail polish my high recommendation, shame it’s part of a limited edition!



Rating: 8.5/10


Would buy again? YES


[Song recommendation: Dua Lipa – Dance The Night] 
 




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