Essie Nail Polish

Before becoming a parent, I'll admit, I never really kept up my nails. But since the birth of my son August, six years ago next month, I've been pretty faithful to a nail routine...although I very rarely get them professionally done. I suppose the change came because unlike showering, shaping and painting my nails only needs to be done once a week...and the results are seen throughout each and every day.

Glancing down at them as I change a diaper, pour the thousandth glass of milk for the day, or when I'm folding laundry, they remind me that I'm still me...and that I need to care for myself as well...when I get the time. And at least I know that I'll take 30 minutes each week to do so. At least that's the weekly plan.

I discovered Essie nail polish about 8 years ago and have never looked back. It is incredibly durable, they offer the best colors, and the square bottles are easy to hold in between my knees when I'm applying the polish and they store neatly with no wasted space.

Although I have over 20 bottles of Essie polish, there are 8 colors that I go back to again and again. There are photos of them all above, in the order they are presented below:

Potato Fields is the best neutral color I've ever found. It's nearly a clear, but with a hint of a cream that makes me feel more put together than clear. It's a great daily polish for us moms who use our hands a lot because when it nicks, it's not very noticeable.

For winter I love Downtown Brown and Alligator Purse. Downtown Brown is a deep brownish red that is bold and dark. Alligator Purse looks more orange in the photo than it is in person. It's more of a deep burnt orange with some red in it. And now that I have Spring on my mind, I'm thinking of pulling out my bottle of Russian Roulette, a lighter shade of Alligator Purse (another orange red, but with more pep).

Once Spring and Summer are in full swing, I'll be rotating the following four colors: Mini Shorts/Bright Tights, E-Nuff Is E-Nuff, One of a Kind, and Cute As a Button.

Mini Shorts has been discontinued and is no longer available to purchase from Essie, but can still be found online and in some boutiques. It's a bright fluorescent orange that I fell in love with last summer. I wore it really often and will again this year...and will be purchasing a couple more bottles online while I still can! If you can't find it, Bright Tights looks pretty similar, but lighter. Orange is once again this summer going to be The Color so it'll be a nice way to add some pop to your every day!

E-Nuff Is E-Nuff is a dark cherry pink...like a raspberry. It's a fun color when you're feeling vibrant. One of a Kind is a red with a hint of orange...it's like a poppy flower. It's probably the color I wore the most last summer. And lastly is Cute As a Button...a true pink. I'm really not a pink kind of girl but my daughter helped me pick this one out and I wear it when she wants me to...and then I put some on her and we match, which she loves. It's a true cotton candy pink.

I apply all of my Essie nail polish with a base and top coat of Sally Hansen's Ultimate Shield...it's the best I've found, including all of the expensive brands.

So there you have it, my favorite little way to feel put together and pamper myself even on days I have no time to shower!