MUA Nail Varnish: Essie dupes?

Well they certainly look like Essie dupes but are these little pots of joy or disappointment?

As the sun is finally being to shine once again, I have been craving more spring/summer nail varnish colours. My first port of call was going to be Essie as I had decided it was high time to invest in something really nice! 

But having once again seen the price of them, I made a detour to the MUA stand in Superdrug and was pleasantly surprised to see these little gems. They were the exact colours I was looking for. Plus comparing it to the little jar in my hand, practically it's twin, I couldn't help but wonder if they could possibly be a well discovered dupe. 

Essie nail varnishes are renowned for there range of colours but there is some debate over just how well they last and at £7.99 - £9.99 a pop I nearly always second guess about purchasing them. 

And so when I had an Essie varnish in my hand and came across these MUA alternatives for only a £1, I went and put the Essie Polish straight back. All I could think of was that I could buy a rainbow of these MUA alternatives for the same price as one of "better" branded ones. 

So was it a good decision? Yes. 

I actually really love these nail varnishes and will definitely be buying more, I purchased the colours Lush Lilac and Frozern Yoghurt (also I just love brands that give their products cute names). I find that they seem to have no different lasting power to any Essie varnish I've tried, or in fact any other brand for that matter. Especially if you combine it with a good top coat ( I use Sally Hanson Mega Shine). You do, however, need at least two coats but for such a low price I really don't mind spending that little bit longer on my nails! 

And if I'm honest, the brush is very small which may annoy some people. But I have found that with a bit of getting used to and the fact that it slows me down whilst applying, I actually do a much neater job! Also, although the range of colours is no comparison to Essie, I adore every single one of them and will probably have to have get the lot. And I'll only have to spend the equivalent of buying two Essie polishes!

So yes I would say that these are an excellent Essie dupe that are fantastic if you are short on cash but love having an ever-changing splash of colour at your fingertips! 

What do you think?