I’m not one to usually gravitate towards gel polishes because I get very bored of wearing the same nail polish for more then 3 days. And let’s be real, I make my own nail polish… why would I need to buy anything else? Well let me tell you, Essie Gel Couture polishes definitely changed my view. The nail polishes apply in a 2 step application method and don’t need a special light to cure the polish.
NailPolishCanada generously offered to send me two nail polishes from Essie’s Gel Couture line, as well as their Top Coat ($10.95 CDN). I chose Blush-Worthy ($10.95 CDN) & Stitch by Stitch ($10.95 CDN). These Gel Couture nail polishes are gorgeous in person, and even nicer on my nails – especialy Blush-Worthy. Do you see those gold flakes?!
I swatched both of these polishes for photos, but decided to keep on Stitch by Stitch and wear it for a couple of days to see how well it wore. The application of my swatches were two coats of the polish, then topped off with one coat of the Gel Couture Top Coat. I couldn’t keep it on as long as I wanted because I had to swatch some other nail polishes for Beyond the Nail.
I ended up wearing it for 5 days (longer than I normally wear nail polish for), and I was surprised how well it held up! There wasn’t any signs of chipping or lifting. That’s another reason why I don’t tend to wear nail polish on for a long time. It starts to chip or lift off the corners of my nails and then I begin to pick at them. Essie Gel Couture nail polishes actually last long without the use of a UV lamp!
Stitch by Stitch is a light rose pink crème. I applied two coats, followed by one coat of Essie Gel Couture Top Coat. The formula was streaky on the first coat, but evened out nicely after I applied the second coat. With the addition of the top coat, everything was smooth and shiny!
Blush-Worthy is light blush with gold shimmer. I had to apply three coats, followed by one coat of Essie Gel Couture Top Coat to achieve this level of opacity. I think it would’ve looked even better with four coats. The polish is on the thinner side, but it’s formulated like that to show off those gold flakes! This polish definitely showed all the little groves of my nails, but after 3 coats and top coat, it was very smooth.
I’m definitely going to keep these polishes on hand when I go on vacation in March! I’ll be travelling for 2 weeks, so I will surely need a long lasting nail polish. You can find Essie Gel Couture nail polishes online at:
www.nailpolishcanada.com
