Average rating includes incentivized reviews Original

Smokin' Hot

Break all the rules in stone-cold fox gray nail polish that burns hotter than any flame. A runway hit that's famous with nail pros.

FLAWLESS COVERAGE: Achieve a flawless manicure by applying 2 coats of polish. Apply a thin 1st coat, and while the polish is still tacky, follow with a 2nd coat.

SALON-QUALITY FORMULA: essie original nail polish provides a salon quality, vegan formula for flawless coverage.

EASY GLIDE BRUSH: Our exclusive easy-glide brush allows for quick, even professional application on nails.

ENHANCE YOUR MANICURE: A base coat and topcoat are recommended to enhance the wear of your manicure. A base coat can prevent chipping and nourish your nails. A topcoat will make your manicure dry faster, last longer, and create a shinier finish.
essie is a vegan brand – contains no animal-derived ingredients.
Full ingredient list:

ETHYL ACETATE, BUTYL ACETATE, NITROCELLULOSE, PROPYL ACETATE, TOSYLAMIDE/FORMALDEHYDE RESIN, ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL, TRIMETHYL PENTANYL DIISOBUTYRATE, TRIPHENYL PHOSPHATE, ETHYL TOSYLAMIDE, CAMPHOR, STEARALKONIUM BENTONITE, DIACETONE ALCOHOL, STEARALKONIUM HECTORITE, BENZOPHENONE-1, SYNTHETIC FLUORPHLOGOPITE, CITRIC ACID, SILICA, ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE, COLOPHONIUM / ROSIN / COLOPHANE, CALCIUM ALUMINUM BOROSILICATE, AQUA / WATER / EAU, ALUMINUM CALCIUM SODIUM SILICATE, CALCIUM SODIUM BOROSILICATE, DIMETHICONE, ALUMINA, POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE, OLETH-10 PHOSPHATE, POLYURETHANE-33. MAY CONTAIN : CI 77891 / TITANIUM DIOXIDE, MICA, CI 77120 / BARIUM SULFATE, CI 77491, CI 77499 / IRON OXIDES, CI 19140 / YELLOW 5 LAKE, CI 77510 / FERRIC AMMONIUM FERROCYANIDE, CI 15880 / RED 34 LAKE, CI 15850 / RED 7 LAKE, CI 15850 / RED 6 LAKE, CI 77000 / ALUMINUM POWDER, CI 77163 / BISMUTH OXYCHLORIDE, CI 77742 / MANGANESE VIOLET, CI 77266 / BLACK 2, CI 42090 / BLUE 1 LAKE, CI 77007 / ULTRAMARINES, TIN OXIDE, CI 77510 / FERRIC FERROCYANIDE, CI 15880 / RED 34, CI 73360 / RED 30 LAKE, CI 75170 / GUANINE, CI 47000 / YELLOW 11, TITANIUM DIOXIDE.

Discover essie's original professional nail polish

As the color authority since 1981, all essie original nail polishes offer vivid, streak-free color. Get saturated payoff and shine in every coat with our billion pigment formula and patented camel-stem brush for precise, controlled application.

Find your perfect shade, with 1 bottle sold every 5 seconds.

Color with a Reputation

Anyone can create color, but only essie earns a reputation worth keeping. Discover our collection of instantly recognized, impossible-to-imitate shades that always make a statement.

Master a salon-quality nail look

1. Base Coat

Apply 1 coat to bare nails to prime for color while strengthening.

2. Color

Apply 2 coats for optimal opacity.

3. Top Coat

Apply 1 coat for up to 7-day wear.

Shop your essential essie 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

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73 reviews with 5 stars.

2 reviews with 4 stars.

0 reviews with 3 stars.

1 review with 2 stars.

0 reviews with 1 star.

overall rating

4.9

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dark
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1 to 8 of 76 reviews .

1 – 8 of 76 reviews

5 out of 5 stars.

My favorite

2 years ago

My very favorite nail color. I wear it year round and get lots of compliments.

type of nail polish userdedicated/loyalist

helpful?

5 out of 5 stars.

Beautilfu dark gray almost purpley blue color

3 years ago

What a great shade! I included pics of daytime (pale winter sunlight) & indoor lamplight for comparison. Very smooth finish, creamy, shiny & not streaky in the slightest. This is a rich, luscious deep gray that is on the cool side with undertones of purple-ish blue.

favorite essie color family?grays

type of nail polish userregular/average

great to wear forgirls night out

yes, I recommend this product.

helpful?

5 out of 5 stars.

best fall color ever

4 years ago

I'm so particular with my polish colors. I usually do a nude or light pink. I LOVE THIS COLOR! It's smokey but not too dark and you can still tell it's purple with 3 coats on. Also, really great color coverage.

favorite essie color family?nudes

type of nail polish usernovice/new user

great to wear foreveryday

yes, I recommend this product.

helpful?

2 out of 5 stars.

It’s a bit disappointing

8 years ago

I bought this color less than 2 months ago and the colors are already separating. This color also appears much lighter and purple/gray but in reality when applied to the nails it is a dark brown and most of the time appears black. It doesn’t look good on most skin tones either.

type of nail polish userdedicated/loyalist

no, I do not recommend this product.

helpful?

response from essie:

8 years ago

Consumer Care Center

Hi there! We are sorry to hear that our polish began to separate. With proper care, nail polishes can last a very long time. Always keep the neck of the nail polish bottle clean and store it somewhere cool, out of any direct sunlight. In fact, you can store nail polish in the refrigerator or freezer. If the nail polish starts to settle, just roll the bottle between your hands and the enclosed two steel balls will re-mix it properly. Finally, make sure the cap is always sealed tight after each use to prevent unnecessary drying of polish caused by air. We hope this information is beneficial!

5 out of 5 stars.

Best Pedicure Color!

9 years ago

I always have my toes painted with this color! It's pretty dark, much darker than this picture, but you can still see the purple very clearly.

Q: favorite color?

A: Smokin Hot or Ladylike

type of nail polish userregular/average

great to wear foreveryday

yes, I recommend this product.

helpful?

5 out of 5 stars.

Great Color

10 years ago

This is a beautiful color. Great quality, and it only takes max 2 coats to get the full opacity. A great everyday, fall color. Definitely a must have in your collection!

Q: goes great with this shade

A: Good to Go Top Coat

Q: favorite color?

A: Sexy Divide

type of nail polish userregular/average

great to wear foreveryday

yes, I recommend this product.

helpful?

5 out of 5 stars.

Great quality

10 years ago

It is a nice really dark grey with a hint of purple. It's very great quality as it only takes two coats to look very nice.

Q: favorite color?

A: Penny Talk

type of nail polish usernail art lover

great to wear foreveryday

yes, I recommend this product.

helpful?

4 out of 5 stars.

perfect dark grey

10 years ago

This is the perfect dark grey color with a slight perplex undertone. Perfect for everyday! I get a lot of compliments ween wearing "smoking hot".

Q: goes great with this shade

A: cinchilly

Q: favorite color?

A: eternal optimist

type of nail polish userregular/average

great to wear foreveryday

yes, I recommend this product.

helpful?

1 – 8 of 76 reviews

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