I have been very vocal in my love for essie polishes. The brushes, the formula, the colours, the longevity – all absolutely wonderful. So the news that essie were bringing out their version of ‘gels’ I was intrigued to try them. Have a nosey at my Essie Gel Couture review below (plus there’s a VERY exciting new launch at the bottom of this post so keep your eyes out for that as well!)
Most brands have now brought out a format of ‘gels’ – combining the affordability and ease of a regular polish (e.g. no curing with an LED light and no effort with removal), with the shine and lasting power of an actual gel polish. And I have 3 of the Essie Gel Couture polishes* to show you.
From an aesthetic point of view, these are certainly eye catching! I will admit, my first thought was ‘they are going to seriously mess up the look of my nail polish racks!’ The glass bottles are twisted which I think will have a love/hate response from consumers but I think they’re quite fun. The formula of the polishes is quite thick and you need to work fast as it’s quite fast drying. The top coat comes in an opaque white bottle and the brushes are flat, wide, and have a tapered end which makes them super easy to use. The top coat isn’t as fast drying as my true love – Seche Vite – but it is very fast, smoothes out any lumps and bumps and gives a high shine. These lasted about 10-11 days on average which is great for non-cured polish, but essie formulas always last very well on me so I had high hopes!
The first polish I swatched was Essie Gel Couture ‘Make The Cut’, a very pretty pearly greige. I thought this was going to be a sheer and wishy-washy colour but this was opaque in two coats.
Next up is Essie Gel Couture ‘Sew Me’, a peachy blush pink. This was another two coater and an absolute new favourite colour. It’s pretty but chic and neutral enough to go with most outfits.
The last set of swatches from the Essie Gel Couture range is ‘Hang Up The Heels‘. This is a dreamy dark forest green that looks almost black in indirect sunlight. LOVE. And it’s another two coat wonder!
This next polish is very exciting for me because I’m a nail varnish geek. Essie Weingarten (the woman who started the Essie brand) famously hated the colour yellow. Hated it. So she vowed there would never be a yellow Essie polish released. But the new Global Colour Director, Rebecca Minkoff, has taken over and she decided that – in their 35th year of making polish – Essie’s 1000th shade would be the brightest yellow I’ve ever seen! I’m so excited that Essie have released 1000 nail varnishes over the years, it’s such a huge milestone. Introducing Essie ‘Aim To Misbehave‘*! It’s a gold-toned yellow with shimmery flecks that catch the light. It’s hard to wear yellow when you’re pale like me, but I really like this as it’s so special. This polish is limited edition and the only place I can currently find it in the UK is Nail Polish Direct.
How do you feel about yellow polishes? Are you tempted to buy it just because it’s limited edition? (No judgement here!) What are your thoughts on the Essie Gel Couture polishes? Let me know in the comments below.
Lex
*PR sample. Some links may be affiliate. For more information please see my disclaimer tab at the top of the page.