Local 4 intern Sarah Shurge tested the Essie Gel Couture polish to see if it really gives users up to 14 days of color.
I have never gone to the salon to get my nails done because I’m a firm believer in spending less money by doing them myself. Why pay more for someone to do exactly what I can do?
Some nail polishes claim to give salon results at home. Essie Gel Couture polish claims to give “14 days of color and shine.” I tested to see if it could last the whole two weeks.
Step 1: Nail color
I had never used gel polish before but I assumed it would be different from regular nail polish. I was wrong. The polish looked, smelled and applied exactly like normal nail polish.
It was a bit on the pricey side, costing around $11.50, which I assume is due to the clear-swirl bottle in which the polish comes. If there was a normal bottle for less money, I would happily use that.
However, the polish itself went on very easily.
After applying two coats, I couldn’t find any streaks. It was smooth and I didn’t have any problems with clumps or excess dripping.
In fact, I got barely any polish on my skin, which hardly ever happens. So cleanup with nail polish remover was not required.
Essie claims that no lamp is required for the Gel Couture, but I let it dry for five minutes before proceeding.
Step 2: Top coat
This step was new to me since I don’t normally use a top coat when I do my nails. The nail color looked good to me, so I was fearful that the top coat might mess it up. It didn’t.
Essie claims that the top coat “protects color and magnifies shine,” leaving the polish with an “ultra-glossy finish.” To an extent, I would agree.
Once I applied a single coat of the top coat, there was a glossy cover over the polish that did seem to brighten the color.
In fact, I could see where I missed applying a spot of the top coat on one of my nails because the nail didn’t seem as shiny and the color didn’t seem as bright.
However, the top coat came in a white-swirl bottle that also cost around $11.50 which makes me question whether I am paying more for the container than the product itself.
Paying around $20 total seemed a bit expensive to me since DIY jobs are supposed to be cheaper. But I thought that if the polish lasted the whole 14 days, I might be OK with spending the money.
The result
I went about my life in a normal fashion for the next 14 days.
I’m not normally extremely hard on my nails, but I do work two jobs. Not only do I intern at Local 4, I also work at a restaurant in Plymouth. I spend my days either typing away at a computer or picking up dishes and whiping off tables.
There are many ways my nails can easily get chipped, and I tend to wash my hands a lot, so polish can quickly wear off.
I painted my nails on Friday and when I checked back into the station on Monday, after a weekend of going to a party, working a shift at the restaurant, and working out, my nails had survived without one single chip.
For the rest of the two-week period, I spent my days working at the station, working at the restaurant, working out and going to class, and I was surprised by how well my nails continued to hold up.
After eight days, I started to notice some minuscule chips at the very tips of my nails, and day 11 is when I finally started to see some small chips, but still nothing significant.
When I checked in on day 13, the only real problem I had to report was not that the polish was chipping and looked terrible, but that it had lasted so long that my nails had grown out leaving a gap between the polish and the top of my nail.
So after the 14-day mark, when I could take off the polish, I used regular nail polish remover and a cotton ball to get the job done. The polish came off easily with no difficulties.
I’m not sure if it was a result of the top coat, or just the nail polish in general, but frankly, I was very surprised and impressed with the results I had.
Essie Gel Couture held its own for two weeks with hardly any chips, and even though it’s a bit on the pricey side, I would strongly consider using it again.