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Essie's Gossamer Garment polish brings an elegant touch to this season's milky manicures

The epitome of sheer nail polish, this dainty, chiffon-like shade is perfect for achieving expensive-looking nails

A collage featuring product shots of essie's Gel Couture Gossamer Garment nail polish ( a sheer, cherry-pink colour) repeated in three, diagonal line patterns across a pastel pink sheer fabric background.
(Image credit: essie)

With barely-there manicures set to be very popular this year, having a nail polish in your arsenal that takes inspiration from famously translucent and glossy material feels very wise indeed. Moreso when said shade is also trending in its own right.

With the 2026 nail trends predicting hypernatural and glowing manicures will be on the rise, now is definitely the time to add a trusty, understated pink to your collection. After all, these sorts of subtle shades are very versatile. They can be worn alone, layered, or used as a base for a design, and come in handy during the transitional months, when a new season's trends might feel too soon, and the last's now dated.

Why essie's Gossamer Garment needs a spot in your kit

As mentioned, subtle and translucent milky nail polishes, as well as those that enhance the look of your natural talons, remain in very high demand this year, no doubt thanks to trends like soap and rosewater nails. Despite their trending status though, these sheer colours are deserving of their popularity, as not only are they incredibly versatile and timeless, but they also never fail to bring a very chic feel. Not unlike a touch of gossamer fabric would to your outfit, especially in the case of this pink hue from essie.

Described by the brand as a sheer, 'cherry-pink,' essie's Gossamer Garment is the shade for those seeking a glowing, your-nails-but-better look. Its formula is versatile, however, with one coat offering the latter, while two or three more will deliver a slightly more pigmented and solid finish - ideal for recreating elegant rose nails and so on.

Like OPI's Bubble Bath and Manucurist's Active Smooth (both of which are popular sheer shades), this polish also works incredibly well as a base colour for a French tip nail design. While its gel-like shine makes it quite the life-saviour, if you require a professional-looking manicure, at-home and in just a few minutes.

How to apply essie's Gossamer Garment nail polish

The key to a perfect sheer manicure is all in the prep. We recommend shaping and trimming your nails before applying one of the best nail strengtheners as your base coat, preferably a clear one, so as not to impact the tint of Gossamer Garment. All nail shapes and lengths will suit this nail colour perfectly, though we would make a case for squoval or short, square nails for a very minimalistic and au naturel look.

Then simply apply one, two, or three coats of Gossamer, depending on the opacity you would prefer, followed by the essie Gel Couture top coat, to help protect your manicure from chipping and really enhance that glossy, gel-effect shine.

Naomi Jamieson
Digital Beauty Writer

Naomi is a Digital Beauty Writer at woman&home, where she covers everything from makeup to skincare but specialises, particularly, in fragrance and nail trends. Through her work, Naomi shares her trend expertise and personal product recommendations. She is also a judge for woman&home's annual hair, skincare and beauty awards.

Previously, she worked as a Lifestyle News Writer for My Imperfect Life magazine, where she used her savvy for TikTok to bring readers the latest beauty buzzwords, fashion movements and must-have products.

Before that, Naomi split her time between both GoodTo and My Imperfect Life, whilst training for her Gold Standard diploma in Journalism with the NCTJ.

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