Recommendations for Base and Top Coat for Nails

maddiemay

Murphybear wrote: »

I have seen advice loads of times about keeping nail polish in the fridge to stop it getting too thick. I haven't tried it myself but would be interested to know if it really works. The problem is I would need another fridge for my ever expanding collection :rotfl:

I have OPI polishes from the 2003 Las Vegas collection as well as a few Rimmel etc, they are all fine and just live in an Ikea Helmer cabinet in moderately warm bedroom or bathroom out of the sun. Unless you live in a hot climate I cannot see the need for using the fridge. This is lifted from the Sally Beauty website.

No. It is not recommended to store polish in the refrigerator because it can cause it to thicken. Once taken out of the cold, it could take quite awhile to warm up to room temperature. Today's polish formulas and preservatives improve the shelf life of polish.



Like you I would need a lot of fridge space:D:D

LCM

In between gels, I have switched to 10 free/vegan polishes. I've loved Essie and Seche Vite in the past. Deborah Lippman is good too if you can get your hand on it.

The 10 Free/Vegan ones i love currently is the Zoya naked base and top coat is really good (Nail Polish Direct or Zoya). The Naked base comes in a set so it's better value and you get free hand cream with the set too!

Love Kure Bazaar for colour (natural, 10 free and last 10 days) but it's £16 a pop (although sometimes you can get some from £5.66-£12 on Amazon. Jin Soon is also fabulous (but it's also £16 a pop at Liberty), it's also 10 free and very long lasting.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Salon gel is the best for resistance to chipping if you're quite tough on your nails, especially when you've relied upon acrylics for so long (it's hard to break them, but much easier to damage a natural nail). It's not a massive expense when you consider the length of time it stays on.

Always soak it off, rather than try to peel it if it does chip (avoid hard gels, as they have to be ground off) - I'm very harsh on my nails and they tend to weaken due to Psoriasis from time to time, but a gel polish will last with only a couple of chips as they're growing out enough to need redoing.

You can put polish on top of gels for a change, too - as long as you use removers containing acetate, not acetone, so ones suitable for false nails only.


If you do still want to stick with natural and not have proper gel (ie, not the stuff over the counter, the ones in a salon that are cured under LED/UV), I find Seche Vite ridge filler gives a great basecoat, especially if you ensure the brush runs across the tip and sides; so much so, that my cheap as anything Barry M and Stargazer polishes last for much longer than I intend for them to!

Murphybear

I've got a few Barry M polishes, for the money they are awesome.

I've come to the conclusion that it is all about the preparation of nails and the base coat/top coat which really makes the difference (a bit like painting the woodwork) to how long a manicure lasts.

I splashed out once on some Estee Lauder polish. The colour was fabulous but I wasnt impressed with the coverage. Because it was expensive I contacted EL and they sent me an apology and a cheque for the full amount

Murphybear

maddiemay wrote: »

I have OPI polishes from the 2003 Las Vegas collection as well as a few Rimmel etc, they are all fine and just live in an Ikea Helmer cabinet in moderately warm bedroom or bathroom out of the sun. Unless you live in a hot climate I cannot see the need for using the fridge. This is lifted from the Sally Beauty website.

No. It is not recommended to store polish in the refrigerator because it can cause it to thicken. Once taken out of the cold, it could take quite awhile to warm up to room temperature. Today's polish formulas and preservatives improve the shelf life of polish.



Like you I would need a lot of fridge space:D:D

Thanks for that, I'll carry on not putting them in the fridge

dawn1980

In my opinion the best base coat I have found for my nails that makes things last really well is No 7 Protect and perfect. I'm on my third bottle. (Taking a break to use Orly Bonder and that is providing some crazy staying power too.)



Top coat-I use Seche Vite as it is super fast and I'm lazy. It can peel off with some bases but not the no 7 one (unless I go swimming.)



Essie gel couture polish and top coat also has immense staying power.


I have been using UNT peel off base for Christmas glitter and it does work really well. However if I am using my hands too much I can lose a nail's polish.


I use Sally hansen to remove cuticles and sweep rubbing alcohol or acetone over before I paint- this makes a difference to lifting and peeling. I also use cuticle oil daily. Since I started oiling my polished nails the polish has been staying fresh longer and doesn't crack. I can keep polish on for nearly a full week now.

dzozzi

I use semilac (semilac.pl) products for my nails, it's a Polish brand and I love it very much. I don't know if he is here, but if it is there I recommend to try.