A few weeks ago as I was enjoying some downtime and browsing my favorite blogs, I came across Fran’s review of Essie’s Gel Couture Nail Polish. I confess, I am not a big ‘beauty’ person, and I usually don’t have time to do my nails, but as soon as I read her review, I wanted to try it out!
I love the look of painted nails, but I usually don’t take the time to do it because – between dishes and everyday life – they just seem to chip really fast. But for polishing my toenails, my brand of choice the last few years has been Essie. I love the colors and the quality. I’ve been curious about these so-called gel polishes that’ve been popping up (which claim to operate sans light), so when I saw Essie’s offering, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to investigate.
My Process
I pretty much followed Fran’s multi-step process, minus the base coat. Always in a hurry, I started right off with the nail color. (I didn’t even do my cuticles, oops!) I did three coats of the color, and then two layers of the special top coat. I did the first four layers in an hour, and then the final top coat the next day (because I ran out of time the previous day). Even though I was painting them on kind of fast, the layers still went on and dried really nice and smoothly, almost like gel.
The gel polish has a much wider and more tapered brush compared to regular Essie colors, and it made applying the polish exceptionally easier! I could almost paint it on with three simple strokes. I don’t know about you, but the more I use the brush over and over on my fingers, the more I tends to make a mess of things!
The Results
I am really impressed! The overall effect of this feels very fresh-from-the-nail-salon. For the first week, I felt like I was was walking around with a professional manicure – something I always want, but don’t want to take the time or money to invest in. The polish wears very smooth and shiny, a lot better than regular nail polish.
At twelve days in, the paint had worn down in some spots on the edges of my nails, but it really only chipped by the cuticle. I think if I had prepped my nail beds a bit, this might have been less of an issue. About a week in, I did start to see some cracks in my polish, but even then, my nails still looked really nice.
I used Spool Me Over (Shade 20) and Top Coat (00), and I really like the effect of this color. It’s neutral and subtle, the kind of shade I usually want on my fingers.
In total, the price of the nail polish and the top coat was about $23 – less than the price of a manicure, and now I can do it anytime I want! A definite bargain if you ask me.
Have you tried this or any other gel-polish? I’d love to hear what has worked and what hasn’t!
xo,
Andrea
Is it difficult to get off?
Nope, I just used regular nail polish remover and cotton balls to take it off, though it did take slightly longer.
Love it! I gravitate towards all shades of pastel pink, white and nude for my nails. It just feels so clean and classy. The shade you used is so pretty.
I haven’t given Essie’s gel nail polish a try but I did see it in the store and I quite like it. I have been using Sally Hansen’s line and I also quite like it. It doesn’t last very long, but I can definitely go a week without reapplying or fixing anything. And that’s all I am asking for from the nail polish, to get me from one weekend to the other :) I will definitely be trying Essie out!
I’d love to hear how it works for you! I agree, regular polish that chips so fast just isn’t worth my time. But if gel polish can get me a week or two, that’s pretty darn good!
I’ve never tried gel polish. It looks super thick, so I’m curious, what is the removal process like?
Hi Lo, I removed the same way I take off normal polish. With cotton balls and regular nail polish remover. It took a little longer than regular polish, but it was still fairly quick.
I should try this….it’s the same price as a gel mani here. I love painted nails, but never do it because of dishes, gardening, and yard work! I have got a gel mani several times and love it, but it’s too pricey to do regularly in my budget. This looks like a good compromise!