November 10, 2016 – The Hustlin’ Homemaker

Essie is the latest brand to come out with the at home gel manicure system. They have released a ton of new colors, plus a gel topcoat. This new system is supposed to last up to 14 days, and make your nails look super shiny and gel-like without a lamp. It also is supposed to be very easy to remove.

I purchased one color of polish for $11.50 at Target. The shade is called Stitch By Stitch, which is a medium neutral pink creme. There are a ton of pretty colors to choose from- it was really hard to just pick out one. This polish does not require a base coat, is supposed to be streak free, and have a neat “swirl stem brush”.

I also purchased the top coat, which was also $11.50 at Target. The top coat is supposed to be quick drying, and give an ultra glossy shine. It is also said to be shatter and chip proof.

So, right off the bat, I love the unique twisty shape of the bottles. They are really cool. The wands inside the colored bottles are also twisted, and what I really liked was the shape of the brush. The brush is bigger than the normal Essie brushes; they are flat and thicker. One swipe of this brush does my pinkie nails.

The application of the color was amazing. Just a couple of swipes was all I needed for the first coat, and it was pretty opaque already, but I always like to do two coats. It wasn’t streaky, and I didn’t get any nail polish at all on my skin. The brush was that good.

Now, onto the top coat. This is by far the shiniest top coat I’ve ever used. After applying two coats of the color, I swiped on the top coat and it just glided on effortlessly. My nails were SO SHINY. I let them dry for about 30 minutes and they felt totally dry. When I woke up the next morning, my nails felt like they had hardened, and the nail polish looked so shiny. I couldn’t stop looking at them.

I left the polish on for the full 14 days, and let me tell you, it was hard. I am used to changing my polish one or two times per week.

Before I show you the after picture, just know that I am super hard on my nails. I am not careful at all, I open up packages and juice boxes, give baths to my kids every night, wash dishes…and usually my nail polish is chipped within 3-4 days. But not with this one!

14 DAYS LATER. Believe it.

I am in shock over this polish. No chips at all, only a bit of wearing on the tips. As you can see, there is a gap from the cuticles just from nail growth. Pretty good for 14 days, I’d say. Removal of this was also a breeze, just like removing regular nail polish.