essiebuff Q&A

I recently asked you guys to send me some of the questions that you have been wanting to ask so that I could make one big post answering them all. One of my favorite things about ‘essiebuff’ is that I can help those who may just be starting in the nail world or do not know much about it and give them insight on particular topics. This post was by far one of my favorites to write as I loved all of the feedback and questions that I received. Thank you to those of you who sent me questions!

Do you have any information about the frequent inhalation of nail polish fumes? 

I really am not educated enough about this part of nail polish to be able to answer this question correctly and with accuracy. I do feel that inhaling polish fumes is probably not fantastic for you and overtime could lead to health issues but I do not have any information to back this up so I can’t give a real answer to this question.

Since you only wear essie do you ever crave an OPI or Zoya polish that makes you want to “break the rules”?

There are definitley times where I will see a polish released in a new collection from a different brand and I think wow I would really love to have that polish. However, 9 times out of 10 essie has a polish close enough that I can just purchase that one instead if I don’t already own it. For me its more about staying loyal to the brand that consistently comes out with amazing colors, with great formulas, and new lines tailored towards what their consumer wants. Honestly I just love essie and don’t really feel a need to start a new personal collection with a different brand. If essie wasn’t creating new products that I liked/wanted then I would definitley feel the need to swich/start buying from another company but I don’t see that happening anytime soon!

How do I take my photos? 

I take my photos in a white light box that I bought from a photography store when I was home in Vermont. It did come with two lights but I don’t feel like they are strong enough/provide quality lighting so I don’t use them. Unfortunatley I don’t have a website or product number for the particular one that I have but if you click here it will bring you to a page with a similar light box in a similar price range. I use two standup lamps that I bought at Walmart and point them at my light box in order to get better lighting. I also have it placed in front of a large window and try to take my photos when it is sunny out. All of my photos are taken from my Iphone 7 Plus.

How do I paint my nails? 

I am going to be making a separate blog post about this in the coming weeks and hopefully try to take a video to show you how I paint my nails so stay tuned!

What was your first essie polish?

My first essie polish was ‘Sew Psyhed’, a soft cashmere pewter. This polish came out in the Fall 2010 Collection and you can click here to see what it looks like! One day my Mom and I were out shopping and I came across my first essie display. My hand reached down for ‘Sew Psyched’ and I knew at that moment it had to be mine! I had never seen a polish color quite like it before and was enamored with it instantly. After begging my mom to purchase it for me, we left the store empty handed and I was devastated (I was young at this time and couldn’t purchase it for myself). One day soon after this I walked in the house and there it was waiting for me on the counter! My mom had gone back to get it for me and to say I was thrilled was an understatement. Little did she know she was about to start the biggest obsession of my life, my love for essie.

How old are you?

I just turned 23 on June 6th!

Where are you from? 

I was born and raised in South Burlington, Vermont but moved to North Carolina for college. I currently live in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with my cat Duchess.

Do you prefer the original essie brush or the Gel Couture brush?

This is a tough question to answer since I honestly like both of the brushes but if I really had to pick I would say I like the Gel Couture brush better. The only downfall I do have with it is that its a bit too big for my pinky nail so sometimes polish gets on my cuticle! Overall I like how it applies better and that it covers most of the nail in just one stroke!

What Top Coat do you use? 

For years I have used the Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. I love the shine it gives and that it doesn’t smudge nail art when it is applied on top. Last year when essie came out with their Gel Couture Collection they also released a Gel Couture Top Coat and I fell in love with it! I started using it over all of my manicures even with normal essie polish because it made my polish last so long. When essie released their new Gel Couture Gala Bolds Collection this past month they released an upgraded Gel Couture Top Coat called the Platinum Grade Top Coat and it is pure gold! My last mani lasted a week with little chips using this top coat and I can’t recommend it more!

What are your top five favorite essie colors?

This is the hardest question for an essie lover to answer and took me longer then I would like to admit to figure out. As of this moment my top five favorites would have to be ‘Big Spender’, ‘Smokin Hot’, ‘Chillato’, ‘Blue-La-La’, and ‘Need A Vacation’. These are constantly changing as I switch my mind everyday about what my favorites are but these are mine as of today!

How often do you change your nail color?

When I was in college I changed my nail color about 3-4 times a week. Now that I have a full time job and more of a hectic lifestyle I change my polish color once or twice a week depending on how much time I have. This does not include changing my polish color for my posts because when I am swatching colors for my Instagram/Blog I change my color multiple times in one day so that I can have enough content for the upcoming days.

Do you use a latex barrier? If so what one do you recommend? 

I use the Bliss Kiss Simply Peel Latex Barrier. It doesn’t smell great but it definitley gets the job done! You can find it here for $13.00!

What is your nail care/cuticle care routine? 

I am going to make a separate post on my cuticle/nail care routine and will be posting this in the upcoming weeks!

What products should every nail “artist” have?

There are definitely a few products that I think anyone who paints nails should have in their tool box. Although these are not all of the products that I have/use here are the main ones!

• Burts Bees Cuticle Cream
• essie Apricot Cuticle Oil
• essie Platinum Grade Top Coat
• Seche Vite Clear Base Coat
• Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
• Bliss Kiss Simply Peel Latex Barrier
• Beauty Secrets Polish Thinner
• e.l.f concealer brush (for clean up)

What is your favorite nail oil?

My favorite nail oil is the essie Apricot Cuticle Oil. It’s only $9.00 and it smells so good! I apply this every time before I paint my nails and off and on throughout the week whenever I feel like my nails/cuticles are dry. I also really like the Simply Pure Hydrating Oil by My Bliss Kiss. I especially like the oil pen because I can stick it in my purse and take it with me on the go! This is perfect for work, travel, or just everyday use!

Those were all of the questions that were sent to me! Thank you again to everyone who submitted questions for this post! If you have another question or didn’t get yours submitted in time please DM me on Instagram and I will answer that during my next Q&A. If you have any questions about my answers let me know so that I can clarify for you!