Cover yourself top to bottom!

Today I'll be going over top coats and base coats!

I feel like I have tried every brand of top and base coats that have been made. When I first started polishing I had NO idea where to turn to help keep my mani on for more than a day. I researched and researched and found gobs of different brands that people swore by. These are the ones I've tried and how they have worked for me...

Top coats:


Seche Vite...

As you can see, this one gets used A LOT. I typically use it on my everyday manicure; it's fast drying (about two minutes until it's hard) and creates a wonderful shine with a smooth finish. The formula can be a bit of a stink after a month or so, it becomes thicker and slightly goopy. I have a bottle of Seche Restore that makes the goopy go away. I got Restore off of Amazon for ~$8. I know people say it's awful, but if you're having a big issue with it, adding a drop or two of polish remover will help make it smoother and more easily managed.







Out The Door...

This one was my first 'real' top coat. I do like it, it's a great normal top coat. The only reason I use my Seche more than this is because of the smoother finish Seche offers. OTD is fast drying as well and gives you a nice shine. When I do use this, I usually use two coats of it to really smooth out my mani.












Out The Door - Northern Lights...

I just recently got this one. As you can see, it's a holographic top coat. That just means it has GLITTER! The formula for this one is the same as the regular OTD top coat, I don't have anything really negative to say about it. It's neat because if you leave it sitting all the glitter goes to the bottom and it can be used as a clear top coat OR if you shake it you get the glitter top coat. When I do want to spice my mani up with this I either do two coats of it or one coat of this and then a coat of regular OTD on top. 


























Nubar - Diamont...


I am on the fence about this one. I love it but it's also slightly annoying. It gives a GREAT shine and it smooths out lumps perfectly, BUT drying time stinks. It says it's fast drying but I've used it ~5 times and each time it took a good 20+ minutes before I felt comfortable enough to use my hands like normal. 












Zoya - Armor


I am not a huge fan of this. It goes on thinner than I like my top coats and I felt like it didn't make my polish last any extra amount of time. I do use it when I use Zoya polishes, just because I'm crazy and I like matching brands. This is on the more expensive side so I wouldn't honestly recommend it... But that's just my opinion.  :)












Seche Vite - Seche Natural


This is a matte top coat. That just means when applied over your polish it takes the shine away. This is a great matte top coat, nothing to complain about for this one. I've tried a few others and this one makes my nails last an extra day. I generally use two coats of this when I do use it.










Base Coats:

Orly - Bonder

I never really understood the point of base coats until I tried this one. It's a sticky base and it's supposed to grab onto your nail and onto the polish and keep them there. It works WONDERS! My polish stays on longer and when it does chip, they're small little chips. No more peeling, no more losing huge chunks. It's glorious. 













CND - Sticky base
This is another sticky one (obviously). It does the job well, good formula, no real complaints. I switch between this and my Orly and they hold up just about the same. This one DOES have one thing I love more than the orly, it's the brush. It's a thin flat brush and it helps with application. Though when it comes to base coats, I don't think the brush is all that big of a deal.












Essie - Protein base coat
This is one I use when my nails are feeling weak or after I've done something harsh to them. I really like the formula, it's a sheer white color when applied and it actually helps smooth out  your polish and makes sheer polishes a bit more opaque. I don't know how well it helps with your nails, I haven't seen a difference worth mentioning but I like the idea. Overall I like this base coat, it's a great starter or for someone who is trying to get some nutrition back in their nails. 










Seche Vite

I'm not a fan of this one. I feel like my nail polish peels off in chucks far more when I wear this one. The only thing I've really found it good for is my toes. It keeps the stains off and my toe nails never chip so it works fine for that. 














OPI - Ridge filler

This does exactly what it says; it gives you a smooth base to polish on. This is typically for people who bump their nails or who have gone over board with their nail file. I don't think it makes my polish last any longer, but I don't think it hurts anything either. Overall it's a pretty good base for what it's made for.













Zoya - Anchor

Like their top coat, I wasn't that impressed. I got this as part of the Zoya "system" and it just doesn't do it for me. For the price I expected something better. It works well for toes but that's about it. I don't recommend these, which is sad because I LOVE Zoya polish. They just aren't extraordinary. 













So, in my opinion the best combo to buy is Seche Vite fast drying top coat and Orly Bonder as your base coat. My mani last 3-4 days when I'm not working and 2-3 when I am working. You can get both of these at Ulta, Sallys, Amazon. I recommend Amazon, it's the cheapest! I've tried others but none I felt were worth mentioning. If you have questions about others please let me know and I'll try my best to test it out and let you know. Thank you for reading! Have a wonderful weekend



Happy polishing,
Amber