Hailey Bieber started quite the moment with her glazed-doughnut nails. Ever since the model and her manicurist, Zola Ganzorigt [1], created the look for the 2022 Met Gala, it has caused a spike in requests at the salon [2] and inspired countless spinoff designs [3] (glazed-doughnut french [4], anyone?). While the "glazed" effect is traditionally created using a thin coat of chrome powder, the exact one Ganzorigt uses is only available to professionals, and the process involves multiple steps, making it not the most DIY [5] friendly. That's where the new Essie Expressie FX Iced Out Top Coat [6] ($10) comes in.
When I first came across the Essie Expressie FX Iced Out Top Coat, which coincidentally came out in August, my mind immediately went to glazed nails. The pearlescent polish looks like a glazed-doughnut manicure in a bottle without needing the salon-only chrome topper (which is a little hard to get your hands on if you're not a professional). Here's how to use it to re-create that same shiny finish at home.
Step 1: Apply an Opaque Nail-Polish Color
Just as Ganzorigt did with Bieber, I used a pink-hued nail polish for the base of my glazed-doughnut nails. I happened to have the Essie Gel Couture Nail Polish in Matter of Fiction [7] ($13) on hand, which is one of my favorites for a neutral manicure. I applied two thin layers to my nails and allowed it to dry completely before moving on to the top coat.
Step 2: Apply a Thin Coat of the Iced Out Top Coat
In the bottle, the Essie Expressie FX Iced Out Top Coat looks like the glaze you get on a doughnut. It's a pearly white that shifts to hues of pink, purple, and teal as you move it in the light, giving it a holographic chrome finish. It also contains Essie's quick-dry formula, making it ideal for topping off your manicure. The formula layers nicely on top of other nail-polish shades and goes on smoothly and consistently. You can immediately see the pearlescent finish.
Because the Essie Expressie FX Iced Out Fx Top Coat has the express-drying formula, it doesn't take long for the nail polish to dry completely, leaving behind a really shiny finish that looks even more beautiful in the light. Though the pearlescent pigments pair really well with a pink or white base color, I'm already planning on trying out the top coat with other nail-polish combinations — perhaps to copy Bieber's chocolate glazed-doughnut manicure [8] for fall.
If you're someone who likes doing your nails at home and wants to save money on getting glazed-doughnut nails at the salon, run to Target and get the Essie Expressie FX Iced Out Top Coat immediately.
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