Something new arrived at Swatch And Learn headquarters about a week ago: the Essie Gel Setter Top Coat!
It’s an innovative Essie top coat that launches on July 1st across Canada.
It’s Essie’s first top coat that contains acrylates copolymer, which is supposed to provide a thick and luxurious coating to the nails that’s super shiny with anti-chipping properties.
It claims to deliver a glass-like shine, which mimics gel nail polish, yet it doesn’t require an LED or UVB light, and it’s easy to remove.
There are no promises about it drying fast, so when I try this out, I’m going to make sure that I have ample time to wait. (Fast-drying top coats are mandatory for me, so I’ll test to see if the dry time is worth waiting for to get that high shine and durability. Stay tuned for the upcoming review after I’ve given it a go for several manicures and collected my thoughts on it.)
Essie Gel Setter Press Release
Gel Set for the Jet-Set
Introducing Essie Gel Setter
London today. Paris tomorrow. New York for the weekend. Jet-setters need solid, go-getter shine that works as hard as they do. At last, Essie Gel Setter tops your favourite Essie colour with the rock-hard shine of a gel, in a foolproof formula for in-salon, at home (or in-flight) manis and pedis. This unstoppable top coat is truly a versatile companion – perfect for the style hunter in an urban jungle or cocktails & coconuts in turquoise & caicos.
Shout it from the rooftops! Around the world, women will delight in day after day of amazing high-wattage shine, thanks to ingenious Essie Gel Setter. This is Essie’s first top coat formula featuring acrylates copolymer. Why is that good news? It’s a new technology that provides a thick, plush coating with intense shine and anti-chip properties you can brush on over any Essie shade. It encases traditional polish in a crystalline top coat with all the glass-like quality of a gel – no LED or UVB light required and extremely easy to remove! Just polish, dry and go, go, go!
It’s everything you love about gels, but in a perfect top coat you can use anywhere and everywhere. So, whether you’re off to a desert island or dashing to your next meeting, now there’s a little something in your beauty bag that can keep up with your go-getter lifestyle: Essie Gel Setter. Bon voyage!
Gel Setter will be available at drugstores and other beauty destinations across Canada as of July 1st, 2015 at a suggested retail price of $11.99 CAD.
What’s your favourite top coat? Would you sacrifice dry time if a top coat delivered exceptional shine and amazing durability? Do you wear gel nail polishes? (I’ve never tried any.)
Looks like a great product, but the dry time is a factor. LOL Can’t wait to read your review of it.
Hey Melissa!
Since I wrote this post, I’ve used it on several occasions. It’s indeed very glossy, but it’s not significantly shinier than what I’m used to, and the dry time is longer than my quick-dry polishes, so I don’t think I’ll be switching to this anytime soon, unfortunately.
This looks very interesting! But I don’t know if I’m willing to give up that drying time lol. My favorite top got is Glisten & Glow H K Girl Fast Drying Top Coat. I always buy 4 at a time lol. I’ve never worn a gel polish lol.
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Hey Sasha!
I know what you mean. Fast-drying top coats are pretty much the only way I’m able to paint my nails frequently!
I need to try that top coat you mentioned. Seche Vite has been my go-to for years, but now it’s time to try something new. (Sometimes, it causes shrinkage. It never bothered me much, but it seems more noticeable now.)
Quick-dry top coats don’t work with my body chemistry, unfortunately, so I am used to some wait time with my top coats. My favorite so far has been CND Super Shiney, but I am interested in this Essie one. It’s already available in the US – I saw it at Target last night – but I’ve been waiting for some more reviews before I decide whether or not to try it. Waiting anxiously for your thoughts!
Hey Carolyn!
Aww, sorry to hear that fast-drying top coats don’t agree with you. I rely on them a lot, and I don’t think I’d paint my nails as often as I do without them.
I’ve tried the Essie Gel Setter Top Coat a few times since writing this post, and it definitely doesn’t dry quickly. The shine is wonderful, but I don’t see a huge difference between other top coats I use. (I’ll need to test it out more, though. So far, I still like my favourite fast-drying top coats.)
A Canadian friend of mine swears by Essie No Chips Ahead topcoat and says all her manis last a week and she’s hard on her nails. Mine usually last 1-2 days! So I tried No Chips Ahead and its dry time is abysmal. I was getting sheet marks and dents hours after I did my nails. So while this sounds great if it extends wear and just needs regular remover, if it takes hours to dry then it isn’t going to look nice on me anyway. I like to do my nails just before bed, so I like using a QDTC.
Hey Maureen!
Since writing this post, I’ve tried the Essie Gel Setter Top Coat several times. It definitely isn’t a fast-drying polish, so I waited an hour before going to bed. In the morning, I didn’t get any sheet marks. Hmm…but I still prefer fast-drying top coats over this.