Everyone who knows me knows that in my world, on time means “five minutes late.” Yes, I know this would get me disqualified from a go-see challenge on America’s Next Top Model, and yes, I’m working on it, but until then I will continue to run behind schedule. Sometimes it truly is out of my control (subways, stop lights, etc.), as if there’s some mysterious force willing me to never be on time. Other times it’s because I’m perfecting my winged liner or I’ve decided I simply must paint my nails before heading out the door, which inevitably leads to me smudging my polish all over myself.
Even if I have nowhere to go, I like my nails to dry fast. I mean, who really enjoys sitting there helpless, hands akimbo? But every quick-dry nail polish I’ve ever tried has either (a) not lived up to its claims and taken just as long as a regular polish to dry, or (b) dried quickly but been streaky or lumpy. Still, each time I hold out hope that a five-minute manicure isn’t the stuff of myth. So when I first got my hands on Essie’s new Expressie Quick-Dry Nail Color, which just won a Glamour Beauty Award, I was eager to put it to the test.
Essie’s big claim is that Expressie dries in “just under a minute,” which isn’t super specific but is also fairly standard for a quick-dry polish. The bottle is taller and slimmer than Essie’s other bottles, and the angled brush is meant to “seamlessly hug” your nail, which is supposed to make it easier to paint with your nondominant hand. Honestly, to me the most exciting aspect of the polish is the range of 40 new shades, which has some classics but is mostly made up of cool, offbeat colors like camo green and earthy clay.
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