A couple of weeks ago, all big magazines were suddenly posting: “ESSIE IS BRINGING BACK WALTZ AND CLAMBAKE”. Confused I stared at my screen. I had just picked up Essie Waltz a couple of months earlier and I had no idea it was gone. When I read the articles I sighed. Clambake was apparently the most requested retired shade on social media (what?! Who is requesting that?) and I have no clue why they even discontinued Waltz. I always raise my eyebrows when I hear brands bring back popular discontinued shades. Why did they even discontinue it in the first place if it was so popular? Is Essie Waltz even worth our money and time? Today I am going to try to find the answer to this question!
Swatch of Essie Waltz
Essie calls Waltz an elegant sheer white. The first thing I thought was really? Another sheer white? But hear me out! Essie Waltz is not your average sheer white, and is definitely different from other sheer white Essie polish you might already own! On the first coat Waltz is a bit streaky, but not as streaky as other Essie sheers that I own. If you’re not too perfectionistic, you could definitely wear it. With two coats, you will get what seems to me like the perfect french manicure look. With three coats, it is not completely opaque yet, but all the minor streaks and patchiness are gone. You will be left with a perfect jelly white manicure. It’s a bit difficult to see, but in the picture above my tips are still shining through. It will be difficult to reach complete opacity with this polish.
Comparison of Waltz vs Allure vs Tuck it in my tux vs Marshmallow
The past year, I have been quite actively collecting Essie’s milky whites. So far I own Allure, Waltz, Tuck it in my tux, and Marshmallow. I first thought they would probably be sort of similar. But boy, I was wrong!
Marshmallow is the most opaque out of the colors. It is also the most ivory. If you’re wearing three coats of marshmallow, you definitely can’t tell the natural nail line anymore, but it looks less stark than a regular white creme.
Waltz and Tuck it in my tux are the most similar. They both are translucent, but not as translucent as Allure. Also in terms of color, they are very similar. Maybe Waltz is a tiny bit off-white, but it is very hard to tell. In terms of application, Waltz is so much better than Tuck it in my tux. Waltz isn’t perfect, but I found it so much better than Tuck it in my tux! The base color of Allure is much closer to Marshmallow than to the other two.
Allure has the sheerest formula, which looks transparent in one coat. Three coats of allure look similar to one coat of Waltz.
Conclusion
So what’s my final verdict? I personally love Waltz. From the four shades I showed you here, it is definitely the easiest to apply and the most versatile. I would say that the shade is not really beginner-friendly. But I think the formula shouldn’t be a problem for the more experienced nail polish lover. In the short time that I’ve owned it, I’ve already worn it twice, which is really an accomplishment to me.
Essie says Waltz is back for only a limited amount of time. You can find it over here on Amazon (affiliate link). I definitely hope that Essie changes their mind and keeps Waltz longer around (let’s just discontinue another sheer polish instead OK?)
