The History of Essie Nail Polish

In 1981, Essie founder, Essie Weingarten, moved to Las Vegas to promote her nail polish line there. She took 12 shades with her. Notably, three of those original shades are still in production today — Blanc, Bordeaux, and Baby’s Breath. Within a year, Essie was in 10,000 salons nationwide. The brand’s first base coat and top coat were introduced in 1982 and in 1983, Essie got its first celebrity shout-out from Joan Rivers, who announced to the world that she was wearing the Jelly Apple shade while hosting The Tonight Show. In 1985, Essie began using its now-iconic square-shaped bottle. Over the years, Essie has gained many more famous fans, including Queen Elizabeth, who was a devoted fan of one of Essie’s most popular and enduring shades, Ballet Slippers. Later, Kate Middleton famously wore her own favorite Essie shade, Allure, on her wedding day. In 2013, the Essie shade Bikini So Teeny became the best-selling trend nail polish color of all time. In 2016, Essie’s Gel Couture collection debuted. Today, Essie is one of the most popular nail polish brands and is known for its seemingly endless array of shades.