essie has recently released their new Gel Couture Line. This collection consists of 42 long lasting polishes that give the gel effect without having to cure your nails under a UV light. This is a two step method that requires two coats of Gel Couture polish and then the Gel Couture top coat, no base coat is needed. One of the new features of this collection are the bottle shape. The bottles are twisted in order to signify the twirl of a dress in the fashion world. Another new element to these polishes is the swirl stem brush that creates perfect coverage and easier clean up. This line is split into four different collections, the ‘Atelier Collection’, the ‘First Look Collection’, the ‘After Party’ collection, and the ‘Fashion Show’ Collection.
(photo taken from the essie website)
The ‘Atelier’ Collection consists of 12 polishes and is based on neutral colors. This group of polishes ranges from sheer pink all the way to a baby blue.
(photo taken from the essie website)
The ‘First Look’ Collection has 6 shades that are all in the pastel family and are perfect for those who like a lighter nail color.
(photo taken from the essie website)
The ‘Fashion Show’ Collection consists of 12 bright shades of polish that are sure to add a nice pop of color to any look!
(photo taken from the essie website)
The ‘After Party’ Collection has 12 deep sultry colors that are great for those times when a dark nail is an absolute must!
(photo taken from the essie website)
You can buy this line at Walgreens, Rite Aid, CVS, Ulta, Bed Bath & Beyond, Walmart and other participating stores. They retail for $11.5o each but can be found in two packs at some retailers! So far the only polish that I have purchased from this collection is ‘Zip Me Up’, a silky satin mint. In the photo below I used no base coat, three coats of ‘Zip Me Up’, and one coat of the Gel Couture Top Coat. I was happily surprised at how well the formula applied and that it was not goopy or thick like I always assumed a gel polish would be. The top coat is super shiny and leaves a nice glossy look to your nail. The large paddle brush is definitely something that is going to take some time to get used to as I am used to the much smaller brush that the original essie polishes have. On the plus side it is convenient how you can cover your entire nail in only one or two strokes and it made for a very small amount of clean up to do at the end due to the swirl stem brush.
Here are my swatches of ‘Zip Me Up’, a silky satin mint. On the left is a photo taken inside and on the right is a photo taken outside. I chose to share both since I was having a very hard time getting an accurate representation of the color and showing all the shininess of the top coat! The picture inside almost makes the polish look mattified when it most definitely is not!
For the best coverage and to get up to 14 days of wear make sure to allow 60 seconds to dry between coats. Its recommended that you use no base coat but I am a bit skeptical about this since I am a true believer that a base coat really helps to make a manicure last longer and helps with nail staining. However, I tried it without a base coat since this is how essie recommended that you apply the polish. I wasn’t going to buy the Gel Couture Top Coat since I am a big Seche Vite fan and always have been but I decided that the polish was made to go with a specific top coat and will most likely last longer if used with said top coat.
In the past I haven’t really been a fan of long lasting polishes. I always change my nail color so much that it really didn’t make much sense for me to spend extra money on gel polishes when I would just be changing my nail color again in a few days. However, I recently started a new job and I am having trouble keeping my nail polish on for as long as I used to be able to. With that being said I am super excited to see how long these new Gel Couture polishes really last and will update you all on my findings! If this line ends up working for me I will definitley be stocking up on more polishes in the near future as I am already eying the colors that I just can’t live without.
Have you bought any of the Gel Couture polishes yet? If so what are your thoughts on them and were they truly long lasting?
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