Save or Splurge: Essie Gel Setter Review

I'm a big texture person. I can't take the feeling of lotion on my palms, hairspray making my hair sticky, or nails that are anything but smooth all over. For this reason, the second a nail chips or breaks, I have to redo all ten. I started getting gel manicures about a year ago because it seemed like a good idea. I mean, a manicure that doesn't chip for two whole weeks? Amazing! But at $30 a pop at least twice a month it comes out to $720 a year. For fingernails. And then you have to factor in additional costs, like when my nail tore from bowling too many games (maybe my thumb is a weird shape or something because this always happens to me), or when I tried a new salon that didn't do a great job but somehow charged more. It doesn't take a financial genius to figure out that there are better ways to use that much money.

Now, this is going to sound really crazy, so don't ridicule me, but I was scared to stop getting gel manicures. I was worried about what I'd find underneath the gel. Every time gel is removed at the salon they use a file to rough up the nails so that the next gel polish will stay on better. Naturally I was worried that after I removed the gel, I'd have to have bumpy nails until they grew out, which could take months! But I was determined to save money, so I went to Target to buy gel polish remover to start the process. Then, something in the aisle caught my eye. I hadn't shopped for polish in a year, so somehow I'd missed out on the latest, greatest Essie product: the Gel Setter Top Coat claiming to have the shine and durability of a gel polish. I figured I might as well try it, and at $10 it was still cheaper than a real manicure, so I bought it.

I'll spare you the details of removing gel polish at home, but suffice it to say that it is terrible, burns, and smells like a chemical spill. Once I had my nails as bare as I could get them, I buffed them with a simple four step buffer, shaped them, and then began the manicure process. One base coat, two layers of Essie polish, and then the top coat. I practically held my breath with anticipation while the top coat dried. I kept waiting for it to lose its sheen, or for the bumpy texture of my beat up nails to show through...but it didn't happen. Three days later, my nails are still super shiny and in perfect condition. It feels just like a gel manicure, but the removal process is easier (no soaking involved) and it didn't cost me $30. Essie, you're a dream come true!