Glazed Donut nails are all everyone is talking about and it's fair to say that Essie Expressie wants to join in on the hype. The glazed look is the sexy older sister of the oatmilk nails and we get it. Hailey Bieber said that they’re the done thing, and who are we to argue with Justin Bieber’s wife? But we're not just trend followers, we're taking glazed donut nails into the autumn with an edit of iridescent shades.
Essie’s Expressie nail polishes are the DIY secret to taking the trend in-house and come in four unique formulas that can be layered to give you infinite hues of kaleidoscopic dreams: oil slick filter, 24k gold filter, holo filter, and iced out filter (which is the one you need for some glazed donut action). Essie is of course known as nail polish royalty so we were expecting big things from this FX range. The brush is wide and fan-shaped for easy application. The colour payoff means that they’re buildable and able to transform from a gentle pearly sheen to a more dramatic and eye-catching finish when layered with a darker shade. The quick dry time is a delicate and thoroughly appreciated bonus. As for longevity, well Essie is yet to let us down, so we hope it lives up to expectation.
Here are five GLAMOUR’s staffers' honest thoughts on the new Essie Expressie nail polishes…
Essie Expressie FX Quick Dry Nail Polish, £8, ASOS
Sophie Cockett, GLAMOUR’s Commerce Editor
Shade: Oil slick Filter
I'm a devoted fan of gel nail manicures, but having not been down to my local salon for quite a few weeks (*ahem* waiting patiently for payday), the launch of Essie's Expressie nail polishes was very well timed. My nails are short and weak (and my nail-painting skills poor), so the brand's latest formula had its work cut out.
It took a solid three coats to get the colour pay-off I was after, but the wide brush made application super easy – and my nails dried in record time. Ideal, for a clumsy, chip-prone gal like me. I'm eager to try a couple more shades – because I think the nudes and whites might suit the sheer finish a little better than Oil Slick Filter did – but on the rare occasion I do paint my own nails, this is definitely a product I would reach for.
Rating: 7/10
Elle Turner, GLAMOUR’s Beauty Editor
Shade: Iced Out Filter
Hailey’s glazed donut mani has broken the beauty internet, but if you don’t have the time and money to go to the salon, I love that Essie’s new Expressie FX Iced Out Filter can fake the impact of pro chrome powders at home. It’s sheer with a pinky-lilac pearlescence to it and layered on top of another of my favourite Essie shades, Allure, it delivers on all the yummy glazed donut vibes you could wish for.
And even better, there’s no limit to which shade you can top off with this nail filter, so for autumn, I’ll be layering it on top of caramels and taupes. A salon-level mani for £8? It’s a ten out of ten from me.
Rating: 10/10
Denise Primbet, GLAMOUR’s Commerce Writer
Shade: Holo Filter
To be completely honest, I barely ever use nail polishes, mainly due to my lack of application skills and my love for nail extensions. Still, there are days when I'm in the mood to have a lil' fun and play with whatever nail polishes I have at hand. When I got my hands on the new Essie FX Expressie nail polish, I couldn't have been more excited.
I opted for the holo filter 455 colour, which is a silvery polish that I imagined would look great on both bare nails and as a topper to another colour. Since I didn't have other colours at hand, I decided to apply it to my bare nails, which resulted in a subtle, sheer-looking silvery shine – a cute look for everyday wear. But as someone who normally goes for a more visibly dramatic look, I'm not sure the coverage was enough for me. Even after applying two layers, I still couldn't shake the feeling of wanting a bit more.
Still, I have no doubt that it would be a great topper coat for a base colour: I'm thinking white, pink, or even black? But what I was truly impressed by is how quickly it dries down. As someone who has zero to no patience and the nail polish application skills of a potato, I appreciated that I didn't have to sit still for ten minutes for it to dry. In fact, I'm pretty sure it took less than a minute.
Would I ever use it again? Absolutely, provided that I apply a base colour and get better at applying it in the first place.
Rating: 7/10
Georgia Trodd, GLAMOUR’s Commerce Writer
Shade: Oil slick Filter
I very rarely paint my nails anymore if I’m honest – I’m usually much more of a gel manicure girl, purely for the quick-drying and longer-lasting results. However, Essie’s new FX Expressie range quite literally has ‘quick dry’ printed on the bottle, so my interest was instantly piqued. I won’t lie, upon application, I was a little let down.
The colour pay-off wasn’t what I expected, but because Essie has cleverly titled each shade as a ‘filter’, I can forgive the watery results. It didn’t chip as quickly as other nail polishes do, so I’ve got to give credit where it’s due; if you’re looking for something that’s going to last longer than a few days, this formula is for you. I think next time I reach for it, though, it’ll be to use it as a top coat over a dark, plummy red. Imagine the iridescent effect it’ll give throughout autumn – chefs kiss.
Rating: 7/10
Lian Brooks, GLAMOUR’s Audience Development Manager
Shade: Iced Out FX
Essie Expressie FX nail polish uses a formula that promises to dry in around a minute, AKA a game changer for someone like me who does everything at the last minute. I used the colour Iced Out FX for an iridescent, perfectly sheer, and pearly finish that's reminiscent of Hailey Bieber's now-famous doughnut glazed nails. After a minute, and with no need to furiously blow on my nails to speed up the process, they were dry enough for another coat, and I mean actually dry, not tacky-dry.
The great thing about this shade is that you can use it as a top coat for a subtle sheen on another colour, or build it for a shimmery finish that can be spotted from afar. Two layers felt like enough for my desired effect, with the curved brush making the product a breeze to apply in one swipe, while the quick drying formula meant that the entire process took no time at all – a win-win in my books.
Rating: 9/10
For more from Glamour UK Beauty Writer Shei Mamona, follow her on Instagram @sheimamona
