essie ballet slippers VS hi maintenance

Updated 2025.11.29. This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.

In this post, you’re going to see a comparison between 2 of essie’s loveliest sheer nail polishes - ballet slippers and hi maintenance.

essie makes so many gorgeous sheer milky white and pink nail polishes. They also make a variety of sheer milky pink nail colors.

So if you’re a fan of a classic pink and/or white nail look, which I am as it is always demure, always feminine, always luxurious, essie is a brand to consider investing in.

We first started featuring essie shades on the blog because that’s what we had on hand, and we’ve continued to feature it because it is a reliable, trustworthy brand, with a variety of formula types that all perform well.

There are so many essie shades that I have repurchased multiple times, because I’ve used them up. When I say the formulas are good, that’s what I mean.

Now let’s discuss today’s shades…

essie ballet slippers is a long time best seller from the brand and it’s a sheer, light off-white pink.

essie hi maintenance is reader favorite here, and it’s a sheer, light baby pink.

essie essie ballet slippers and essie hi maintenance share the below traits:

• Cream finish, they have no shimmer or glitter

• Designed as sheer light pinks

• Standard 5-7 day wear formula

• Made by essie

They differ in these ways:

• ballet slippers is medium coverage sheer, whereas hi maintenance is a light coverage sheer

• ballet slippers is a white with pink undertones, whereas hi maintenance is a baby pink

To see the differences for yourself, below are two swatches of each color in two coats, starting with essie ballet slippers, followed by a final comparison photo.

essie ballet slippers swatches:

essie ballet slippers is a milky pinkish beige with white undertones.

essie hi maintenance swatches: 

essie hi maintenance is a sheer baby pink with rose tones.

Now for the final comparison:

All in all, essie ballet slippers has more opacity and white tones; esse hi maintenance has more translucence and pink tones. For a lighter pink and fuller coverage, get essie ballet slippers. For a more saturated pink and sheerer coverage, get essie hi maintenance. For best results, pair them with the essie strong start base coat and the essie speed setter top coat.

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