One Coat Nail Polish Wonders

essie gel couture caviar bar swatch

essie gel couture caviar bar swatch

Updated 2025.06.26. This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, Lots of Lacquer and its partners may earn a commission or other compensation, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

One coat nail polishes are rare gems in the nail polish world. 

They’re treasured because they:

  • Only require one coat of color for even coverage

One coat polishes improve your chances for flawless coverage in one swipe, eliminating potential mistakes in coat two or three.

  • Speed up your manicure routine

They get you on to your next task faster, due to a shorter drying time required by fewer coats.

They decrease the rate at which you use up your products and have to replace them.

Most polishes on the market today require two coats of color to reach even coverage, some require three coats, and some require even more coats than that.

Here at Lots of Lacquer, we usually draw a line at three coats of polish.

Two coats are preferred over three, and one coat coverage polishes are the shining stars. They’re just efficient. They help save time and money.

So below you will find a list of the one-coat nail polishes we’ve found so far:

OPI Purple Palazzo Pants swatch

OPI Purple Palazzo Pants swatch

OPI Purple Palazzo Pants

Purple Palazzo Pants is a one coat pastel polish. Yes, a one coat pastel. They exist and this is one of them.

This dreamy light purple cream was first featured in the article: OPI Purple Nail Polish Swatches.

Use coupon code LOTSOFLACQUER for 10% OFF at Beyond Polish

essie gel couture caviar bar swatch

essie gel couture caviar bar swatch

essie gel couture caviar bar

caviar bar is a deep, inky navy blue that looks almost black in some lighting. Ulta describes caviar bar a “magnificent deep navy.”

This is a truly minimalistic shade. It’s a color in essie’s longwear 2-step gel couture system that requires no base coat. Seal with the gel couture top coat and you’re done. 

Get essie gel couture caviar bar and the gel couture top coat at Ulta
OPI Red Hot Rio swatch

OPI Red Hot Rio swatch

OPI Red Hot Rio

Red Hot Rio is a bright red that offers an even, sheer finish in 1 coat.

Use coupon code LOTSOFLACQUER for 10% OFF at Beyond Polish

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Luxe Finish Silk Is… swatch

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Luxe Finish Silk Is… swatch

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Luxe Finish Silk is…

Silk is… is a sheer, off-white gold pearl shimmer with pink undertones. It looks like a candlelight’s glow on the nail.

essie out of this world swatch

essie out of this world swatch

essie out of this world

From the 2019 intergalactic metals collection, out of this world is a silver metallic with lilac undertones. 

One thing to love about metallic nail polishes is that they are often one coaters. If you’re looking to frugally enjoy nail polish, metallics really help you maximize your investment so you can make your polish stretch.

One Coat Nail Polish Wonders text overlay essie gel couture caviar bar swatch

One Coat Nail Polish Wonders text overlay essie gel couture caviar bar swatch

To end, these are all the one coat wonders we’ve identified so far. We’ll update this list as we discover more of these unicorn formulas along the way.

Add any of these shades to your collection by following the links above!

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Lots of Lacquer

Our purpose is to celebrate the joy of fresh nails. Our goal is to help you have fun and awesome nails at the same time.

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