This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase.
Looking for Essie Gel Couture swatches? Check out our favorite 15 Essie swatches below!
I’m not a fan of salon gel manicures.
Let me rephrase that: I’m not a fan of what salon gel manicures do to your nails. While they’re on, it’s a party.
Shiny color!
Long-wear!
Until….you take it off.
Then it’s MONTHS of nails that break if you even look at them wrong.
But that wear time though.
So, I tried the home-based gel polishes. I tested brand after brand of what turned out to be glorified top coats.
Sure, your nails were safe underneath it, but don’t expect the salon wear time.
Essie announced a few months ago it was entering the gel game with the Essie Gel Couture nail polish (available here).
Could this finally be what I was looking for: long wear that doesn’t destroy your nails? I took it for a test drive to see…
The line boasts 42 brand new colors inspired by fashion and all its glory, from the wispy sheer of a flash of tulle to a vampy and mysterious after party.
To match the glamour of all, a newly designed twirled bottle with an also twirled taper-cut flat edge brush.
Essie says that Gel Couture provides up to 14 days of color and shine with the added bonus of easy removal. Also kind of a big deal, it doesn’t need a base coat!
Now, are you ready to swoon over these Essie Gel Couture swatches?
Essie Gel Couture swatches
(all colors are creme unless noted, shown with two coats for consistency)
Spiked With Style – dark red
Bubbles Only – classic red
Touch Up – light mauve
Sew Me – apricot-kissed nude
The It Factor – watermelon pink
On The List – Coral
Couture Curator – baby pink
Fairy Taylor – blush pink (sheer)
Off Duty Style – blue-green
Beauty Nap – sage green
Take A Walk – bright pistachio
Zip Me Up – mint green (iridescent)
Hanging Up The Heels – blacked teal (shimmer)
Surrounded by Studs – dark ocean blue (shimmer)
Find Me A Man-nequin – dark cobalt blue
Essie Gel Couture Nail Polish Review
I like these polishes, A LOT.
Coverage was consistently great. None too thick, none too thin, they’re like the baby bear of nail polish.
And not one of them were streaky. NOT ONE. Very impressive!
Coverage was consistently great. None too thick, none too thin, they’re like the baby bear of nail polish.
And the Gel Couture top coat (available here) is AMAZING.
It adds beautiful shine, blurs mistakes and adds a rich, strong layer of a “you want to just dive in it” gloss.
Conclusion: Essie Gel Couture Nail Polish Review
Did it give 14 days of wear?
It could if you’re not a total fussy britches like me.
I got to day 9 before any signs of wear showed and even then, it was slight.
But enough for me to remove it.
All in all, a very impressive entry into the gel manicure world by Essie!
Have you tried Essie Gel Couture nail polish?
You may also like these other Essie Reviews:
- Essie Retro Revival swatches and review
- Essie 2015 Bridal collection swatches and review
- Essie Dress to Kilt Swatches and Review
- Before and After Microblading Photos (And Why the Healing Process is A LOT Easier Now…) - November 3, 2019
- Here’s How to Fight Skin Aging Inside and Out… - April 23, 2019
- New Season, Healthier You - April 19, 2019
@stef — You are so right! I get a gel manicure a couple times a year for big sales meetings. My intention is that I want something to last and look nice for 5 to 7 days. After the gel manicure, my nails need serious rehab.
I have small nail beds so I gravitate to subtle colors for my hands. I was thrilled to be able to test Take A Walk (bright pistachio) and Color Creator (baby pink). I am not a PRO – at doing nails like some gals. I also get frustrated after painting them when the color does not last. The color was easy to apply — no special tricks needed. I am grateful to have an alternative to the professional gel manicure. This is a great alternative!! I am going to pick up other colors to have ready in my arsenal.
This is a spot on review. I’ve done gel manis at the salon and have gotten the same results–long lasting, high shine gorgeousness… until it’s time to get that gel polish off. It’s a little brutal.
I’ve been using an at home Gel Kit and it’s been a nice balance between shine and wrecking my nails… but it does take awhile to apply and cure the layers.
I got to try the The It Factor (bright watermelon pink) and Find Me a Mannequin (dark cobalt blue). I’ve never had salon gel manis so I can’t compare, but I cannot imagine the results would be shinier or longer lasting!
I found the Essie formula really easy to work with, and I especially love the brush– wide, flat, and precise. I will definitely be picking up a few more shades from the 42 (!) options.
I’ll have to check these out so I don’t feel like I have to hide my toes at yoga 3 days after painting them. :)
That’s me! (except the yoga part)
I got to test out Zip Me Up, which is such a delicate, clean green–it’s like sorbet for your nails. I got to 8 days of wear before I started getting a little shrinkage at the tips, but I am pretty brutal on my hands. The brushes and formula of these are great, and I love love love the twisty “couture” bottles, too.
I had never used gel anything on my nails before these. I’d say it’s mostly a love I have for this stuff. I love the thickness of the gel. That’s seriously good (and goof-proof) for horrid home painters like myself. Yes, application never looked so good or was so easy.
Now, I’m picky. I don’t mean choosy–I mean that I tend to pick at my polish. This is why the only mani/pedis that last for me are salon ones with a bazillion coats and a good shellack. So, while when I picked at this polish, it was very cool that it came off in sheets and I didn’t have to do that uneven, ugly patch-up job I usually resort to. I just re-polished the whole nail.
To that end, it did pretty much mess up my nail with a wonky top that seemed as though it took part of my top nail along with it. Good news is that, second time around, I used a strength building undercoat and things worked out much better.
Also, impatient me loved the relatively quick dry time. So YaY!
I tested out Touch Up, a beautiful mauve (on my toes) and Beauty Nap is the best pale green I have ever seen. I like the twisted bottle and the fact that I didn’t even need a base coat. It lasts awhile, and as always Essie does not disappoint.
I bought Twill Seeker (not pictured, but it’s a deep grey with green shimmer) on my own, wondering at the wear time on these. I’m on day 5 of the longest lasting manicure (NO CHIPS!) I’ve ever had and I’m waiting for 4 other shades to arrive. I don’t know about all of you, but when I paint my nails, I do not have a steady hand and I tend to get a LOT of polish on the skin around my nails. Whatever wizardry went into the design of this brush made it so that I can color inside the line and I only get polish on my nails. I gave myself a last minute manicure a couple hours before I needed to leave the house and this set solidly in that time period–I am not a girl who has ever enjoyed a last minute mani without smudging/denting. I think this formula is my holy grail and I’m probably going to have to collect all of these. Well done, Essie! :D