As soon as I heard about the latest Essie releases to hit the shelves, I couldn't wait to get my hands on them. The Gel Couture polishes come in twenty-five new shades; A mix of darks, brights, pastels/neutrals, nudes and pinks, as well as a new gel top coat to use alongside. They retail at £9.99 a pop, though Superdrug is currently offering buy one get one half price (hence why I ended up picking up five on this occasion!).
Essie is without doubt my favorite nail polish brand on the market, with what is in my opinion - the best range of shades, the most effective formula, and of course having lead the way with those thick 'one stroke' brushes that we all now know and love. I hunted high and low the day this lovely lot were released (June 1st) to find them, and after trying every Boots and Superdrug in Liverpool city center I eventually tracked them down in the Superdrug on Parker Street (for anyone else having the same issue!).
It might just be the fact that we are within the warmer months now, but I was much more drawn to the lighter pastel and nude shades once I had the chance to inspect them up close, and ended up adding the following four to my collection;
Sew Me
Part of the 'Nudes' collection within the range - Sew Me is a creamy caramel rose with what I would also describe as having a very slight touch of peach to it. I could quite easily have picked up all of the colours in this collection as they were so super flattering (it's rare that I can find a nude that doesn't wash out my pale skin). 'Fairy Tailor' and 'Spool Me Over' are next on my list.
Stitch By Stitch
This is described as being a 'ladylike pink', but after trying it out I would say that it applies and dries less dusky and a little brighter than it appears in the bottle. More of a muted barbie pink, but still a very pretty one and flattering nonetheless as it still isn't too in your face like I find a lot of lighter pink shades to be.
Take Me To Thread
The first of the colours from the 'neutral/pastel' collection that I picked up - this reminds me a lot of Essie's 'Merino Cool' (one of my faves), and is a plush taupe - gray with a lilacy tinge. It's one of those 'go to' shades that you could slap on and wear no matter what the time of year, no matter what the occasion.
Zip Me Up
Definitely the most unique shade amongst the four I chose - a slinky satin mint, that has a very slight iridescent shimmer to it which appears in the bottle but that isn't as detectable once applied (it more or less just adds to the shine). Again, it's particularly flattering against pale skin for such a light shade, and I am super pleased to have finally found a mint green that suits me.
Left to right; Top Coat, Stitch by Stitch, Sew Me, Take Me To Thread, Zip Me Up
I was pretty sure that I was going to like these polishes having read the reviews, even before I had seen them in the flesh - and I have not been disappointed. Though it is perhaps a little early to comment on their longevity as yet, (I have only been wearing the shade I have on now for four days - so far so good though!) I am completely in love with the formula and am amazed at how even the lightest shades apply beautifully with the signature wide brush and only require one coat for a flawless finish.
They give a hefty amount of shine with a gel finish on their own, but with the addition of the top coat, provide you what I would consider to be a salon quality manicure with minimal effort required.
Essie say that the polishes can last fourteen days - chip free, and so I will report back as to whether this claim turns out to ring true. However, for the beautiful formula (hence easy application) alone, I would highly recommend trying these out for yourself if you get the chance. My only criticism, is that of the forty-two shades being released in the US, we in the UK are only getting twenty-five of them! Fingers crossed this will change soon though, as there are plenty more that I already have my eye on...
Sarah x
