Average rating includes incentivized reviews Original

Watermelon

Flirty & chic. Make a fashion hit in deliciously refreshing juicy pinkish red nail polish. This beautiful, sweet, ripe color is always in season.

Sweet, bold, and always in season. Watermelon is a flirty and chic, deliciously refreshing juicy pink red nail polish that can't help but turn heads. This vibrant pink-red creamy nail polish hits that perfect sweet spot between fun and fierce, delivering dopamine-dressing energy straight to your fingertips.

RICH COLOR & SHINE: All essie Original nail polishes offer a salon-quality, billion pigment formula that is vegan, providing saturated color payoff and shine in every coat.

PATENTED CAMEL-STEM BRUSH: Our exclusive, patented camel-stem brush is designed for professional results at home. It provides controlled formula flow for precise application, ensuring a smooth, even finish.

FLAWLESS APPLICATION: Achieve the perfect manicure and pedicure by applying two coats. Apply a think first layer and then a second while tacky for a vivid, streak-free finish.

7-DAY WEAR: Elevate your look with a base and top coat. A base coat strengthens your nails and creates a smooth base, while a top coat locks in color with lasting shine and chip protection. Enjoy up to 7-day wear when paired with our Stay Longer top coat.

BEST SELLER: 1 bottle of essie Original nail polish is sold every 5 seconds.*

KEY FEATURES:
This product comes in a glass bottle:
Size: 0.46 ounces
Product Description: 1.140" Width: 1.140" Height: 3.543"
Product Form: Liquid Polish

NAIL TYPE: essie Original polish is ideal for consumers looking for a salon-quality manicure at home with saturated color payoff.

*L’Oreal custom product hierarchy calc based on USxAOC NIQ Scantrack for nail color. 52WE 12/ 27/25. © 2026, Nielsen Consumer LLC
How to use Watermelon, a hot pink original nail polish with a reddish tint:

Prep: 1 coat of essie Strong Start base coat to strengthen nails and create a smooth base.

Color: 2 coats of your favorite essie Original nail polish for rich color and shine.

Shine: 1 coat of of essie Stay Longer top coat to lock in color with lasting shine and chip protection.

Care: Finish with On A Roll Apricot Nail & Cuticle Oil to condition cuticles and prevent dryness.
essie is a vegan brand – contains no animal-derived ingredients.
Full ingredient list:

ETHYL ACETATE BUTYL ACETATE NITROCELLULOSE TOSYLAMIDE/EPOXY RESIN TRIMETHYL PENTANYL DIISOBUTYRATE ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL TRIBENZOIN STEARALKONIUM HECTORITE ACETYLATED HYDROGENATED CASTOR GLYCERIDE ADIPIC ACID/NEOPENTYL GLYCOL/TRIMELLITIC ANHYDRIDE COPOLYMER SUCROSE ACETATE ISOBUTYRATE STEARALKONIUM BENTONITE SYNTHETIC FLUORPHLOGOPITE BENZOPHENONE-1 SILICA BARIUM SULFATE DIACETONE ALCOHOL CALCIUM ALUMINUM BOROSILICATE STYRENE/ACRYLATES COPOLYMER CITRIC ACID ALUMINUM CALCIUM SODIUM SILICATE ALCOHOL DENAT. CALCIUM SODIUM BOROSILICATE COLOPHONIUM / ROSIN / COLOPHANE ALUMINA DIMETHICONE ISOPHORONE DIAMINE/ISOPHTHALIC ACID/TROMETHAMINE COPOLYMER TIN OXIDE CALCIUM TITANIUM BOROSILICATE DIETHYLHEXYL ADIPATE n-BUTYL ALCOHOL AQUA / WATER / EAU TRIETHOXYCAPRYLYLSILANE TALC ACETONE ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE [+/- MAY CONTAIN / PEUT CONTENIR CI 77891 / TITANIUM DIOXIDE MICA CI 19140 / YELLOW 5 LAKE CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 / IRON OXIDES CI 77510 / FERRIC AMMONIUM FERROCYANIDE CI 77007 / ULTRAMARINES CI 77000 / ALUMINUM POWDER CI 15850 / RED 7 LAKE CI 15880 / RED 34 LAKE CI 15850 / RED 6 LAKE CI 77266 / BLACK 2 CI 42090 / BLUE 1 LAKE CI 77742 / MANGANESE VIOLET CI 77288 / CHROMIUM OXIDE GREENS CI 77510 / FERRIC FERROCYANIDE CI 45410 / RED 28 CI 73360 / RED 30 LAKE CI 60730 / EXT. VIOLET 2 CI 60725 / VIOLET 2 CI 45380 / RED 22 ]

Watermelon Frequently Asked Questions

This shade features a luscious, ultra-smooth cream finish. It delivers a rich, juicy, and high-gloss result that coats your nails with rich, vibrant color from the very first application, leaving a smooth and flawlessly shiny look.
Yes. Watermelon is crafted with our 100% vegan formula, containing no animal-derived ingredients. Essie is also committed to being cruelty-free and does not test any products on animals.
Pair this juicy pink-red with our Stay Longer top coat for up to 7 days of chip-resistant wear. Powered by our premium formula, the bold color remains vibrant, vivid, and streak-free from day one to day seven.
Watermelon is formulated for a quick and easy application. It is designed to dry rapidly, allowing you to achieve a professional, salon-quality look at home without the long wait.
For best results, we recommend the Essie system. A base coat creates a smooth, nourished surface to prevent staining from rich pigments, while an Essie top coat is essential to lock in the juicy color, enhance the high-shine finish, and ensure your manicure lasts all week.
Start with one thin coat of Essie base coat. Use our patented camel-stem brush to apply two thin coats of Watermelon; the brush provides a controlled formula flow for a quick, smooth, and precise application of this creamy, high-impact color. Finish with an Essie top coat.
Despite its rich and bold pink-red pigments, Watermelon can be removed quickly and easily with any standard nail polish remover. No soaking or specialized removal tools are required.
You can find Watermelon at most drug stores and cosmetic stores. You can also find e-retailers that carry essie enamel nail polish right here on our website.

Enhance your manicure

Step 1 Prep

Prep cuticles, nail, and skin with Ready. Prep. Go. Advanced Cuticle Remover.

Step 2 Prime

Apply 1 coat of base coat to reinforce and harden nails.

Step 3 Paint

Apply 2 coats of essie original nail polish.

Step 4 Seal

Apply 1 coat of top coat for a plump, shiny finish.

Shop the routine

"essie original color is iconic. I love the brush, the hundreds of colors to choose from, and the fact that it was my first favorite." - Rita Remark, essie Global Brand Ambassador

Similar shades

reviews

rating snapshot

Select a row below to filter reviews.

87 reviews with 5 stars.

5 reviews with 4 stars.

0 reviews with 3 stars.

0 reviews with 2 stars.

2 reviews with 1 star.

overall rating

4.9

Review this Product

Select to rate the item with 1 star. This action will open submission form.

Select to rate the item with 2 stars. This action will open submission form.

Select to rate the item with 3 stars. This action will open submission form.

Select to rate the item with 4 stars. This action will open submission form.

Select to rate the item with 5 stars. This action will open submission form.

Adding a review will require a valid email for verification

Customer Images and Videos

Filter Reviews

1 to 8 of 94 reviews .

1 – 8 of 94 reviews

5 out of 5 stars.

beautiful!

10 months ago

love this color. It's a great pink for every day, and one of my favorites

favorite essie color family?pinks

type of nail polish userdedicated/loyalist

great to wear foreveryday

yes, I recommend this product.

helpful?

1 out of 5 stars.

nice color, not nice quality

a year ago

While the color is nice the quick to chip is not. Kind of a bummer in this economy to spend your money on a product and chips after 12 hours. Wasn't a one off either, both times I've used it so far, chipped within hours.

type of nail polish userregular/average

helpful?

response from essie:

a year ago

Consumer Care Center

Hi halesla. Thanks for reaching out about Watermelon. We are sorry to hear you did not get the results you had expected. We recommend trying our longwear polish, a gel that can handle it all. this 2-step system gives you a mani that lasts up to 15 days. no UV lamp. Hope you give it a try!

4 out of 5 stars.

long staying on the nail. does not chip easily.

a year ago

this shade is beautiful. a little too much pink for me...i used to own a salon and loved ESSIE products. There was a shade called SUNSET I think. absolutely gorgeous! I could hardly keep it in stock. one the client wore it she wanted to buy it~~ it was kind of the shade of a ripe tomato but not a RED. Do you have this ??? this was in the 80's-90's.

type of nail polish userdedicated/loyalist

helpful?

5 out of 5 stars.

Cool Toned

3 years ago

I have it shown with essie’s birthday girl, in the cab-ana, and sally hansen’s coconut. You can add a shimmer or not to make it match any event it is very multifunctional :] It is a cool toned reddish-pink

Q: goes great with this shade

A: In the cab-ana

favorite essie color family?metallics/glitters

type of nail polish userblogger/fashionista

great to wear foreveryday

yes, I recommend this product.

helpful?

5 out of 5 stars.

Juicy!

6 years ago

I'm in love with this color! It's going well from first layer.

type of nail polish userregular/average

great to wear forgirls night out

yes, I recommend this product.

helpful?

5 out of 5 stars.

Love this color!

6 years ago

Ever since I bought the first bottle a few years back I make sure I have this color in my polish supply. It's a red/pink and I love it. It is almost always on my toes and I get so many compliments on the color. Plus, you can wear it anytime of the year on your fingers.

Q: goes great with this shade

A: Baby's Breath

favorite essie color family?white

type of nail polish userdedicated/loyalist

great to wear foreveryday

yes, I recommend this product.

helpful?

5 out of 5 stars.

7 years ago

I love this nail polish because it is long lasting and it is also very affordable. I would buy this brand again.

Originally posted on influenster.com

5 out of 5 stars.

7 years ago

Watermelon is my absolute favorite shade from Essie, no matter the time of year! This polish is SO vibrant and can endure lots without chipping. Essie polish is amazing!!!!

Originally posted on influenster.com

1 – 8 of 94 reviews

next reviews