Essie Gel Couture Nail Polish and Top Coat Review

Two beautiful products! These go hand in hand, so recommend you use both!

I have the Essie shade "Buttoned and Buffed" (beautiful dark nude colour) and the Essie top coat which has a platinum finish!

I have never had my nail polish last more than 3 days without either flaking or chipping off, and 5 days in, my nails are still strong and looking like my day one nails, even after wrangling a busy pre-schooler, lots of dishes and some gardening :)

I do think the top coat increases the longevity of nail polish immensely.

Loved the gel like nails these two products give, it really feels like you have had your nails done at a salon.

Both products are super drying and give a smooth shine like finish, love them and will definitely be purchasing more shades.

Love the beautiful twisted bottles too!

I followed the instructions and applied two coats of the divine pink colour (Model Citizen) and one coat of the top coat ... the first thing I noticed was the smell - such a strong smell of nail polish! But I can overlook the smell for a nail polish and top coat that apply that beautifully and dry that quickly! For the first time in my 42 years I did not dent or ruin a nail within minutes or even hours of application - it was a miracle for me! So happy :) The brush in both bottles are an excellent size and shape and makes application so easy - a really smooth application that was quite enjoyable to be honest. The bottles are an interesting shape - the glass has been twisted. It makes it easy to distinguish both on the shelf at the store and in my nail polish drawer at home. The top coat comes in a white bottle which After three days my nails were still in perfect condition despite what they had been through with typing, gardening, bubble baths with my daughter, playing, washing etc etc. No chips or dents, the only thing I noticed was the colour had lost its shine and the colour looked a little dull so I followed the instructions and applied another layer of top coat and taadaa my nails looked fresh, shiny and like they had just been done. Excellent! I am on day seven and my nails still look better than they would using a normal nail polish and top coat. They are starting to chip away slightly at the very end of the nail but apart from that they are still looking good. I will be applying another layer of top coat today to freshen them up again and I feel I should get another few days out of them looking acceptable... as long as the tips don't chip further because at this stage you have to look very close to notice.

Apart from the strong smell while applying I am really happy with these products overall and they will both definitely be my go to when it comes to nail polish going forward.

Using both the polish & top coat was definitely a better option. The polish did set slightly strangely, with a blotch in one corner than wasn't there when I painted them, but perhaps just a user error. Took quite awhile to dry, but has set well and hasn't chipped after a week of not being cautious of my nails!

This is long lasting. As I write there’s still no wearing off and it’s been 5 days. The top coat does a great job of selling the colour and adding shine.

I selected Essie Gel Couture in “Spiked With Style” (#360) for this trial. The polish is bottled in a clear twisted Essie branded glass bottle, so that the colour of the deep red polish is visible through the glass, while the top coat is in an opaque white twisted bottle.

There is no base coat with this gel couture system. It’s designed to be used as a two-step process; two coasts of colour followed by one coat of ‘platinum grade finish’ top coat.

To start, I filed and shaped my nails, pushed back the cuticles, gave them a light buff and then cleansed them well with nail polish remover to remove any natural nail oils before applying the first coat of polish.

The wide, flat, round ended brush mirrors the cuticle area perfectly, making it really easy to get a perfect coat in just 4 swipes of the brush; one down the middle, one down each side, and then one across the tip to cap the free edge. By the time I’d painted my second hand, the thin layer of polish on the first hand was dry and ready for a second coat.

Something I did notice is that this polish has quite a cold feel on the nails with each layer, including the top coat. Any accidental messes on the skin are easily cleaned up with a bit of nail polish remover on a cotton bud.

I did wait 10 minutes between applying the second coat and the top coat, as I wanted to be sure that the colour was dry. The top coat has a really nice thin consistency that applies really well. It’s better than any other traditional lacquer top coat that I’ve used the the past. It doesn’t smudge the colour coats below (like some top coats do), and has a very smooth looking and vibrant high-shine.

Silly me dinged one of my thumbs before the top coat was dry, and smudged the colour underneath, but it was easily fixed by rubbing a finger dipped in a tiny bit of nail polish remover lightly over the dented polish to smooth it out, and then simply reapplying a coat of top coat after the initial application had dried fully.

I used 4 layers of the colour Pre-Show Jitters (alabaster white) and two coats of the top coat to achieve an opaque and slightly more raised finish to closer imitate a gel-like manicure. The layers dried quicker than the normal Essie polish, and they self leveled very well which was great when my application was not as even. My nails were so shiny once the top coat was applied and in my opinion, looked very much like a salon finish.

I love the shape of the Essie's brushes compared to other brands, as they are wide, flat and have a rounded end making it easy to apply the polish in two or three strokes.

I did find clean up around the edges to be more difficult than Essie's regular nail polish. It took more effort as the polish did not want to be removed once it was on. The longer it dried, the harder it was to clean the edges up. For me, this was a good indicator that the polish would last. I was using an acetone free nail polish remover, first with a brush, then in a nail corrector pen.

My nails looked perfect for 6 days and only started to show signs of wear on the 7th day. The polish was cracking on a few nails where they bend often. This did not cause any chipping and was only noticable up close as my sister still asked if I had gone and got my nails done professionally. I'm writing this review on the 9th day and I have only one tiny chip!

I think this combination is worth the price and I would recommend it. It is simple to apply, dries quicker than normal nail polish, looks amazingly shiny and stands the test of time.

All I can say is wow. Using both these products together definitely makes your nails look like they were done professionally. Both easy to apply and dry really fast. The texture is really thin and glides on your nail so easily without hassle. Highly recommend these products. Think I've found a new favorite nail polish.

Let me start by saying that I love wearing nail polish and painting my own nails. I’ve tried multiple brands of polish including gel type polishes so I was super keen to try this Essie gel combo 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.

This polish has lasted really well. I have worn this polish and the top coat together 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.

The colour is really opaque. I only needed two coats and that was enough to get a decent application without streaks. The consistency is slightly thicker than the normal Essie polish but I like it better. I found that the normal Essie polish sometimes is too thin and you need to apply more layers. This polish went on smoothly and like I said did not leave any streaks or bubbles. The top is really shiny and glossy. It looks like you’ve had your nails done professionally.

The brush is really nice to use. The size enables you to apply the polish on your nail with three strokes. 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 also like that the clear top coat has a white bottle instead of being clear which means it’s not exposed to light.

Overall I really like this polish combo and would definitely recommend this to everyone else. I am keen to buy more in different colours.

Together the polish and top coat looked great. The colour was vibrant and glossy. I loved the way it looked and it was easy to apply. The only downside was that it didn’t last as long as it claimed. It lasted longer than the average nail polish but definitely not longer than a week and chipped within the first couple days

This duo is a match made in heaven, its a medium consistency. Which is the best to apply stays where you put it! Both brushes are the same and are very pleasing to use, they kinda of shape around you nail which makes application much quicker and easier. They both have a strong chemical solvent scent, but its only there while the bottles are open and once they are dry its gone. With the polish i needed two coats to get nice even coverage, and only one coat of the top coat. This lasted really well, i'm a mum and a cleaner so my hands are always in water. I got a good 7 days out of it and i could of had bit longer. At $18.99 each while seems a little pricey together, is quite cheap if you think about how many full nail coats you can get out of these bottles. These bottles and shiny, classy and sleek glass. They have a twist though them vertically and sit together beautifully its the kind of bottle i want to display on my shelf, not hide away in a draw. While i didn't get quite as long as they say, i am hard on my nails. I think they are really great products that have me impressed, they go on beautifully and wear just as well. It came off easily with an acetone polish remover and with no damage to natural nails. I love these products and would recommend them to anyone who loves pretty shiny nails but no time or money for the salon.