Essie Gel Couture Top Coat Review

This top coat is so great!!

The formula is lovely and paints on super smooth. It is super high gloss which I LOVE! It really brings the colour to life. The drying time is super fast! And it dries nice and hard leaving your nails feeling protected.

The bottle is a cool twisted geometric shape and interestingly it’s white rather than the usual clear bottle.

I absolutely recommend this top coat and can’t wait to try it over different polishes!

I used the Essie Gel Couture Top Coat and Gel Couture polish in buffed and beige together and the effect was very good. I applied two coats of the polish with a little time to set in between followed by one coat of top coat. From start to finish it took about 15 minutes, with another 15 or so to let them dry completely. It was very long lasting, but I wouldn't say 12 days, for me it was more like 7 before I needed to touch up the tips. the overall effect is very nice and smooth, looking very professional with very little time or effort.

Like the nail polish the top coat comes in a glass bottle that has a twisted shape which makes it easy to spot in my nail polish drawer. The glass bottle is a non transparent white which I also found handy as I knew automatically that it was my top coat because I do not have any other white bottles. The smell is intense on application but goes away as soon as you put the lid back on the bottle. The brush is flat and larger than I have used previously and I loved it ... it made application super fast and smooth and easy. Drying time was super fast and I didn't dent or ruin my nails within minutes of application like I normally would. I haven't even dented them a week later which usually happens - I am really happy with this top coat. A week down track it is just the very tips of my nails that starting to slightly chip away - but you have to look very closely to notice. My nails have been through everything punishing this week and they shouldn't be looking this good but they are - thanks essie gel top coat! The top coat gave my nails a beautiful shine and when I re-applied a few days later (as recommended) it made my nails look like I had just freshly painted them. They looked fresh and shiny once again! Impressive.

Application was smooth and the top coat dried to the touch in only 1 minute. It was already resistant to dents and scratches in under five minutes. In a few hours it was fully set. I'm pretty sure it sped up the overall setting time of the polish beneath it.

When some of the top coat got onto my skin and I wiped it with my finger, the consistency surprised me. It has an almost oil like feel to it and it's very slippery rather than tacky like most top coats and polishes.

I don't know if it is possible, but it sure seemed as though the top coat shrunk as it dried... I noticed the next day that the polish was ever so slightly back from the tips of my nails, about half a milimeter but certainly noticeable up close. I definitely remember painting right to the tips of my nails. I can only assume it also shrunk at the base of my nails and on the sides too. It's not a big issue for me, but it's something to be aware of.

The final result was super shiny, I love how it looks! It lasted nine days without a single chip. On the seventh day of wear my sister asked me if I'd had my nails professionally done, so I would call that a win! It really does give a gel like finish in my opinion. I would recommend this as a long lasting, shiny and chip resistant top coat.

First off I LOVED the brush. The tip is slightly rounded helping you get close to the cuticle without going onto it. It spreads well enough to cover nail easily and fast.

One coat of this top coat works amazing. It seals in the colour and gives it a nice sheen.

I left one nail on each hand to free to see if the top coat really helped seal it all in and help prevent chipping and it really did. The nails without started chipping within a few days the others lasted a week and a half. and i am really rough and work in pretty hands on work all day.

I think this is my new go to top coat for all my nail polish!

I really liked this top coat! When used with the colour nail polish it made it last longer and made the colour more shiny. I also used it by itself and it made my nails look shiny, feel stronger and healthier. However the only downside is that i felt it didnt last as long as a traditional salon gel manicure but overall i was impressed with this product compared to the normal non gel at home nail polishes.

The twisted square bottle is super easy to hold while applying - why do they make round bottles anyway?!

I tried this on both my hands and my toes. It was really easy to apply over the colour coat, which without the top coat was a nice finish but a bit dull.

The gel top coat makes the colour shine! It's stunning! I love it! The top coat definitely adds that gel longevity and finish. As per the instructions I reapplied the top coat every couple of days to my fingernails for the duration of the trial - I'm on day 13 (I think) and they actually still look really fresh and neat!

I only used the gel top coat on my toes once, upon the initial application. The colour hasn't chipped, or disintergrated at all. I think my zombie corpse will still be rocking perfectly pedicured toe nails, 5 years into the apocalypse.

I highly recommend!

This is probably the best top coat I have ever used. The brush is really wide and smooth and I found it super quick and easy to apply. The top coat dries down quickly so I don't have to sit around waiting to be able to use my hands again. I like that it has a really nice glossy finish. It definitely extends the wear of my polish and locks it into place. The bottle has a really cool design too, always a plus! I'd definitely recommend this product.

I was fortunate to be on this trial team. I also trialled the polish. The top coat went on like a dream and it certainly stood the test of 10 days of wear. I was expecting it to look more shiny/gel like on application.

I love the shape of the bottle. Its been sitting on a shelf in my lounge and friends have asked "whats in the cool-looking bottle?". It would look equally fab on a nice stark white or glass bathroom shelf! Loving this product and I will definitley be using it in the future.