Essie Gel Couture Top Coat Review

Love the addition of the top coat on top of my Essie Nail Polish! Applying this top coat over my nail polish, gave me that completeness that my nails had that manicure salon finish.

The clear top coat applied to my nails easily (the brush is standard) and it dried really quickly which was awesome! It gave my nails once dried that manicured salon finish - they definitely felt like thick gel nails which I love!

My nails had a lovely glossy shine as a result.

I tried Essie Top Coat on the Beauty Review Trial Team along with the Essie Gel Couture Polish 240 in the colour Model Citizen, a pink shade of nail colour. The glass bottle, jar it comes in is a cool, it's white so you can't see inside it and it's a twisted glass shape. It's white with 'essie' embossed on the front. The lid is a cylinder shape with a silver label that says, 'platinum grade finish' on it It also has a label with 'Top Coat' on it. This is applied after the 2 coats of nail colour to seal the Gel Couture. I applied it to my nails once I had applied the colour and it went on easy, didn't smell and it dried pretty fast. It's clear in colour like a clear coat of nail polish. This coat of Top Coat did seal the nail polish on well. I've had it on for a good few days now and my nails are still looking pretty even after having hot baths, hot showers, doing dishes in hot water aswell as other things that usually make my nails brittle and fragile. Usually, my nail polish has chipped off by now but this Top Coat is making my nail colour last.

I will use this until it's empty as I'm liking my results so far. I don't think I would buy it myself as it's a little pricey for me but if you're wanting to spend some dollars to stock up your manicure supplies this and the collection would be the go. I had a browse online at Farmers, this is priced at $18.99 along with the 19 colours in the Essie Gel Couture range.

This makes your polish long lasting and super shiny. Would not use polish without this top coat from now on. It is fast drying too.

This top coat is so great!!

The formula is lovely and paints on super smooth. It is super high gloss which I LOVE! It really brings the colour to life. The drying time is super fast! And it dries nice and hard leaving your nails feeling protected.

The bottle is a cool twisted geometric shape and interestingly it’s white rather than the usual clear bottle.

I absolutely recommend this top coat and can’t wait to try it over different polishes!

Application was smooth and the top coat dried to the touch in only 1 minute. It was already resistant to dents and scratches in under five minutes. In a few hours it was fully set. I'm pretty sure it sped up the overall setting time of the polish beneath it.

When some of the top coat got onto my skin and I wiped it with my finger, the consistency surprised me. It has an almost oil like feel to it and it's very slippery rather than tacky like most top coats and polishes.

I don't know if it is possible, but it sure seemed as though the top coat shrunk as it dried... I noticed the next day that the polish was ever so slightly back from the tips of my nails, about half a milimeter but certainly noticeable up close. I definitely remember painting right to the tips of my nails. I can only assume it also shrunk at the base of my nails and on the sides too. It's not a big issue for me, but it's something to be aware of.

The final result was super shiny, I love how it looks! It lasted nine days without a single chip. On the seventh day of wear my sister asked me if I'd had my nails professionally done, so I would call that a win! It really does give a gel like finish in my opinion. I would recommend this as a long lasting, shiny and chip resistant top coat.

Definitely recommend using a top coat. It makes your nail polish last longer and your nail stronger. It gives your nail and nice shiny/glossy affect. My nails looked as though they were done by a nail salon but happy to say it was just me.

Let me start by saying that I love wearing nail polish and painting my own nails. I’ve tried multiple brands of polish and top coats including gel type polishes so I was super keen to try this Essie one to see how it compares. I’ve only used it for one week but so far I love it. Continue reading below to find out why.

I have used this top coat on top of the Essie gel polish colour I have. This polish has lasted really well. I have worn this polish for a week now and only one nail has started to chip (index finger on one hand). I’ve washed dishes my hand without gloves and I’m constantly typing at work too. There has been no tip wear or chipping or peeling around my cuticle area either.

This top coat is super shiny and adds a high shine to your nails making them look like they’re professionally done. This shine has lasted the whole time as well and has not dulled at all.

The consistency is slightly thicker than a regular top coat. But I’ve found all gel top coats to be on the thicker side. This polish went on smoothly and did not leave any streaks or bubbles.

The brush is really nice to use. The size enables you to apply the polish on your nail with three strokes. I also like to cap my nails when using a top coat. The brush is quite dense which allows you to fan the brush out across your nail when you are applying the polish. The dense brush also means it holds the right amount of polish to deposit on to your nail.

The bottle is a standard glass bottle with a twisted rectangular shape. It’s easy to hold and use. I like that this bottle is also white instead of being clear glass. This means that the polish is not exposed to too much light.

Overall I really like this polish and would definitely recommend this to everyone else.

This top coat is fantastic its a medium consistency its so easy to use and the brush seemed to just curve to my nail shape and which means less brush strokes each application. It does have a strong chemical scent but only lasted as long as the bottle were open and the top coat was drying, then gone. As its a top coat you really only need one coat on each nail. It really does last longer than a regular nail polish, i got around 7 days and with only needing one coat this will last quite a long time. I think that $18.99 is a reasonable price to pay when you can use this with multiple colours from the Essie Couture range. Its in a white Glass bottle that twists up vertically and looks very shiny and sleek. Overall this i a great top coat it dries quickly and leaves your nails so shiny and smooth. Its a good consistency that goes on smoothly and evens out any bumps or knocks that might of happened while painting that you have tired to fix. I found that it lasted well and came off with ease with a acetone nail polish remover and no damage to my natural nails at all. I love this and would recommend this to anyone that loves nail polish but hates that it chips so easily with regular life activities!

I really liked this top coat! When used with the colour nail polish it made it last longer and made the colour more shiny. I also used it by itself and it made my nails look shiny, feel stronger and healthier. However the only downside is that i felt it didnt last as long as a traditional salon gel manicure but overall i was impressed with this product compared to the normal non gel at home nail polishes.