So I have a million of these 'almost black' colors at home, think OPI's Black Cherry Chutney, Royal Rajah Ruby, Lincoln Park After Dark etc. All of them turn out just black on my nails, no exception. And I don't want black fingernails. I was therefore hesitant about purchasing this as it does look awfully similar to Black Cherry Chutney in the bottle. However I have been searching for an eggplant color with no brown undertones forever (for some reason, a lot of purples or eggplants have a brownish hue in them when applied on my nails, another thing I don't like). Fortunately, this color is finally what I've been looking for. It turns out clearly not black, but as a deep purple with absolutely no brown in it. Perfect. The quality is as with most Essies, on my nails, none stick without chipping for more than two days (no matter what I do) which is OK as I match my nails to my clothes and therefore change color almost every day. Price is 8$ I think in retail, I paid 5$ in a beauty supply store in Chinatown in SanFran. I find the price OK and would pay full price too.