9 Best Gel Like Nail Polish: Your Buyer’s Guide

If you’re looking for that wet, gel-like shine that lasts and lasts, you need to check out Gel Genius. I was sent a sample of this one and it immediately pushed its way into the best top coats of my collection.

A gel-like top coat is much more versatile than gel polishes because you can use it over any of your polish colors to give it that gel look.

It comes in an opaque bottle because while it air dries, this one is also reactive to the UV rays in sunlight. When light hits it, it cures in the same way that gel polish does, making it stronger as you wear it. You don’t need any special lamps or any special steps to remove it though–it’s the best of both worlds.

Gel Genius dries with a high shine that looks constantly wet and won’t dull on you even after days. For me, it didn’t feel very hard on the first day or two, but now I’m on day five and the top coat feels rock hard.

I’m very impressed with how long it lasts. The first time I tried it I smudged my thumb badly enough to see the top of my nail and figured, “Well, that nail’s done,” but I left it to see how the top coat handled even with the seal compromised and that polish lasted four days before it started wearing. The nails that I didn’t smudge lasted much longer and never lost their shine.  As long as you have a quality base coat, this could last you a week easy.

It says it’s quick drying, but it seemed fairly average to me in drying time. Totally worth it for how it extends the life of your manicure.

The applicator brush is thick and full. Perfect for applying in one to two strokes without leaving brush marks. 

This is an eight-free, vegan, gluten-free, and cruelty-free top coat that also contains rapeseed flower oil to nourish your nails.

Essie, a brand with nice shine on its normal polishes, has kicked up the gloss with their line of Essie Gel Couture. This line of colored polishes is meant to be worn without a base coat and topped with their Essie Gel Couture Top Coat.  I’m featuring these two-piece sets where you can choose your polish shade and it comes with the Top Coat included, but you can also buy them separately.

The colors are creamy and highly pigmented. Two coats give off that plump, gel look. It has an easy to use formula that goes on well, though some colors might be a little thinner so you need to be mindful of not flooding your cuticles.

They say you can get 14 or so days out of this, but unless you’re extremely gentle with your hands, you can probably count on a week of chip-free nail polish. 

The Vinylux Longwear System was created by CND, the same folks who gave us Shellac nails so they know their stuff. It doesn’t need a UV or LED lamp to cure, but it is reactive to sunlight. The formula is designed to air dry like nail polish but contains some of the same polymers from gel polish that react to light in a similar way to gel, but in much smaller quantities. This gives it a hint of gel’s staying power, but not the way gel looks. 

This means that as you go about your week (yes week) whenever your nails are exposed to natural light, the polish hardens and strengthens just a little bit more, extending the life of the manicure. In this way the Vinylux Weekly Top Coat occupies this middle space of between gel and regular polish.

While it has a longer life like gel polish, it doesn’t necessarily aim for trying to pass as gel appearance-wise. The gloss is bright but it has a lower profile similar to regular polish.

It works best and lasts longest when used with CND Vinylux Nail Polish which comes in over 90 shades.

If you’re laboring under the impression that all nail polish brands, drugstore and high-end, are basically the same, we need to talk about Adesse New York. I grew up on drugstore nail polish and didn’t really think I was missing out on anything until I took the leap. There is a difference and Adesse New York needs to be on your radar.

The shine on this Gel Effect nail polish was so bright that I was a little afraid to put a top coat over it for fear of dulling the shine I was getting on the polish alone. I used Jessica Brilliance which is extremely bright and it might have covered up a little of the ultra glossiness.

Adesse New York sent me a couple of sample colors, with no guarantee of a positive review or even a mention of their brand at all, but here is my experience. The lacquers go on smooth with no pooling and self-leveled well.

I wore the featured shade, Irina, a soft grey, for six days. My first chip was five days in and that’s only because my nail chipped taking the polish with it. I was getting antsy for a color change so threw a stamp over it for the last two days and I think that’s what really did the polish in.

But six days with regular nail polish that doesn’t need a lamp is frankly miraculous, especially with how rough I treat my manicures. The only downside for me was that it wasn’t fast drying.

Irina was opaque in two coats and had a gloss that could rival the best gel polishes. While it had a slightly higher profile than some, I wouldn’t say it was a very plump polish.

It is thick enough that my nails had a smooth profile even though I have ridges and didn’t use my ridge-filling base coat.

They have lots of great shades to choose from including soft nudes like 14th Street and flashy multi-chromes like Lady Liberty.

Adesse New York polishes are vegan, cruelty-free, and gluten-free. It’s 12-free meaning it omits 12 of the nastier chemicals normally found in nail polish like formaldehyde. These polishes are also fortified with bamboo extract and shea and argan oils.

If you’re looking for a cheaper gel-like alternative, Seche Vive Gel Effect is not a bad option. You’re probably familiar with Seche Vite, the fast-drying top coat that is actually fast-drying. I love my Seche Vite but it’s not without its issues so Seche Vive takes the good things about Seche Vite and improves on it.

There’s a great comparison video on YouTube but to sum up they’re very similar. It still has that high, plump gel look and same glossy shine.

Seche Vite dries just the tiniest bit faster but Seche Vive lasts longer. Vive has a slightly thinner formula to begin with that’s easier to apply and anyone who has dealt with their Seche Vite thickening up in the bottle knows that it can be a little tough to work with.

Vive seems to also have solved the problem that some people have had with Vite where there was some shrinkage and lifting. Honestly, they’re both decent gel-like options, but Seche Vive is slightly improved.

Gel Setter isn’t thick or difficult in formula but it sits thick on your nails with that plump gel look. It’s hard like you expect from gel and this lends great support for your nails and keeps them from breaking.

The high glossy shine won’t fade and with decent quality nail polish this top coat can extend the life of your manicure to around a week. Check out this swatch video on YouTube to see how shiny this top coat is.

Like most top coats, you’ll get longer wear if you apply a second coat three to four days into your manicure.

A brand that deserves more attention, Maxus Nail’s Top Coat is one way to get that gel-like shine on any of your nail polishes. It gives you a bright, shining surface that looks like a pane of glass.

Maxus recommends reapplying a thin coat of the top coat every two days, which not only extends the life of your manicure but also creates that gel effect plump look.

Maxus Nails sent a sample to try out and I was incredibly surprised by how quickly this one dries, which scores a top coat huge points in my book.

It’s fast-drying, vegan, and 11-free. This top coat can help your manicure last around five or more days with that gel-like high gloss by including nylon and ceramic powder in their formula for a durable finish.

If you’re going for the gel look and don’t care whether or not your manicure lasts as long as gel polish, the Deborah Lippmann Gel Lab Pro Duo Set will give you a stunning plump, high gel shine. However, it’s the most likely to chip first among the options on this list.

The set comes with a base coat and top coat. The top coat is thick and applies like a gel polish but without needing a lamp. This thickness is what gives the finish it’s high glossy shine, but it doesn’t hold its shine any longer than a normal drug store polish.

For the first couple of days, this is among the most gel like in appearance, but simply doesn’t have the staying power I wish it did.