I am a huge fan of essie polishes, they’re probably one of my favourite nail varnish brands. Gorgeous colours, wide brushes that make application a dream, and chip-resistant formula that means I can easily go 10 days without any flaws. So news of their brand new topcoat was met with much excitement. There are a few ‘gel finish’ topcoats and nail varnish ranges out there at the moment (applause for Barry M in particular, stink eye to the Revlon gel top coat which never EVER dried) so it was only a matter of time before essie released one. And here it is: Essie Gel Setter Top Coat!
The basic premise is that you apply your essie nail varnish (it also works with other nail varnish brands, I checked!) then top it off with the essie gel setter top coat. This gives the shine and high-end finish that you get from a professional gel manicure from a salon. I personally don’t think anything can rival the glossy shine you get from a proper gel mani, but if you want a more affordable way to achieve this look at home then I may have found the solution.
Look how shiny it is! I painted this on Friday and I can confirm that it is still just as shiny now with no chips. It isn’t as fast drying as my beloved Seche Vite so remember to do thin layers to avoid waiting around for ages. If you have slightly more patience than me and don’t mind waiting for the dry time then I would really recommend this topcoat.
The colour shown in the majority of these pictures is essie ‘Fiji’ which is an unbelievably pretty pale pink polish that looks so classic and clean. The photos at the bottom shows the gel setter topcoat over essie ‘bikini so teeny’ – a really pretty periwinkle blue-lilac with a subtle blue shimmer.
You can get Essie Gel Setter Top Coat from Boots HERE.
Lex