Essie Gel Setter Top Coat Polish

I would leave 10 stars if I could. THE best shine and wear. Dries in a snap. Just make sure your polish is well dry before applying. PERFECT nails.

Never disappoints. I use this top coat over all my different polish brands to extend the life of my manicure. The top coat lets the color of your polish shine through. my tips: I have one bottle for top coating over dark colors and one for light colors just to make sure there is true color through the top coat. Remember to wear gloves when you do the dishes, even this hard working top coat is no match for a night's worth of pots and pans.

This is hands down the best top coat I’ve ever used for regular nail polish. I use it on my toes specifically, as I use gel on my finger nails. I work out a few times a week and thanks to this top coat, the polish does not chop.. the polish stays on for weeks

good

As a big fan of Essie products, I purchased Essie's Gel Setter top coat in 2015; when I initially tried it, I didn't love it, and didn't think it was any better than others (Essie's Good to Go top coat has always been a favorite). I've kept it with my nail polish supplies, however, and have tried it periodically. Fast forward to late September 2017, when two minor changes to my nail polish routine have COMPLETELY changed my mind about this top coat, which is rapidly becoming my new favorite! With this new routine, I find that I can regularly get a full 7-10 days out of my manicure with no (or nearly no) chipping; this is especially true if I reapply the top coat 4-5 days after my initial manicure. It really does do a great job of mimicking a shiny salon gel manicure, without the damage and removal hassle that can come with gel polishes. So what's my routine? 1. After my cuticles are pushed back/trimmed (I love the CND CuticleAway Gel for this) and my nails are filed/buffed, I wash my hands thoroughly with soap and water, scrubbing with a nail brush. 2. After drying my hands, I use acetone or alcohol to clean my nails, ensuring that there's no soap or lotion residue on the nail surface. 3. I apply one quick coat of OPI's Bond Aid to my clean natural nails; this dries almost instantly, and is a huge help with polish adhesion. 4. I apply one coat of Essie's Grow Stronger Base Coat to my nails, and let dry for about a minute. This is the first of the two changes I made recently, and changing to this base coat has made a world of difference in terms of preventing chips. 5. I apply two coats of regular Essie polish (in whatever color suits my mood - generally, it's Mademoiselle if I'm going light, or Wicked or Carry On if I want a darker color). I wait about 30 seconds between coats. 6. I finish my manicure with one coat of Essie Gel-Setter Top Coat. 7. I then let my nails air dry - NOT UNDER A DRYER - for about 15 minutes. This is the second change I made to my routine. If my nails are not dry by this time, I then use a standard nail dryer fan (with UV lamp) for regular polish (not a gel dryer) to finish drying my nails. This gives the polish layers some time to cure, and ensures that bubbles don't form. I've attached a picture of my most recent regular manicure (I am wearing Essie's Mademoiselle) using the routine described above, taken after four days of wear. I have not reapplied the top coat. It's maintained its super shiny finish, and so far, I have no chips or lifting - and I've been using my keyboard constantly, and have done dishes and used antibacterial wipes and other cleaning products on various surfaces (with no gloves). Hope this is helpful! I paid FULL price for this product, and have not been given any discounts or incentives in exchange for leaving my review.