Do nail polish base coats and top coats really do anything?

K

I have never found that putting a base coat or top coat on my nails helps my polish last any longer than when I don't use them.- and I've tried a bunch of brands. Are base coats and top coats just marketing hype? Are they really formulated differently than regular nail polish? I'm starting to think they are just putting plain clear nail polish in a different bottle and doubling the price.

PurpleRules

No, base coats and top coats are not just marketing hype. A base coat helps prevent staining and gives the lacquer a good, smooth surface to adhere to; just like a paint primer does. A top coat protects the lacquer, making it last longer and preventing chipping. It also can give the polish a glossier finish, or a matte finish if that what you want. There are also quick dry top coats that really work and cut drying time down to 20 or 30 minutes. You might have to try different brands and different combinations to find what works best for you.
My favorite base coats are Orly bonder and CND super sticky. I like dark, vampy colors and have no problems with staining when I use these base coats. My favorite top coat is Lippman Addicted to Speed. It's a quick dry top coat and requires a little technique to apply correctly but it's worth getting the hang of. I also put a coat of Revlon Colorstay topcat over the color but under the topcoat to prevent chipping. I tried skipping this step a while ago and found my polish started chipping after a day or two. It takes me about 1/2 hour from the time I start until my nails are dry enough to go to bed and not wake up with sheet marks. I can easily get a week out of a manicure although, to be honest, I rarely keep polish on that long.
Poshe and Seche Vite are also good quick try top coats but I get some shrinkage with them. I've read on MUA that you get less shrinkage if you use the Poshe and Seche Vite base coats with them so I picked up a bottle of each and I'm going to try some side-by-side experiments with different combinations of base and top coats on each hand to see how they wear and how the shrinkage compares. All of this makes me realize that I have a nail polish "problem" and that I spend too much time reading this website.

Janis

When I wore the stuff, the base coat used to keep the deep reds I liked from staining my own nails disgusting sick yellow colors. *shudder* Revolting.

Top coat was just good for giving it a little more robustness and chip-proofing. Both worthwhile.

Janis

Top coat also keeps the polish from leaving streaks on any papers that you may handle during the day. If I left it off, I'd always find little razor-thin red streaks on my homework and test papers where the very edges of my nails had scraped across them quickly. Top coat prevented this.

K

Thanks for the help girls! I guess I was just using crappy products. I'll try what you suggested PurpleRules!

Erryns H&B

I agree with Purple Rules too!
CND Stickey start is da bomb.Gives your polish a great anchor and i use CND super shiney as a top coat .I like the dark colors too my fav is OPI Linkin Park After Dark and without a basecoat I have to buff the residue off my nails after I take it off.I like to throw some essie instant dry oil on over top of it all just so i dont screw my polish up until it dries.

Ally E.

Everyone talks about base/top coat, what about vitamin/hardener as a base coat? Or you're just not that into conditioning your nails, girls? :) I always use hardener and if i put that plus base then 2 colour coats, then top coat it would never dry :D 6 coats altogether... just sick.

celeste821

I haven't polished my nails since high school. It seems that it is peeling by the end of the day, I thought it was because of cooking and cleaning. Are you saying that I can, oh be still my heart, take up manicures again if I use quality products?

PurpleRules

I'd give it a shot. You can get a good base and top coat at the drug store or local beauty supply store and a couple of fun colors for not too much money. The new quick dry top coats really do work so it's not a huge investment in time or money. Different top coats and base coats work best for different people but Orly bonder gets universally good reviews so I'd start there with either Seche Vite or Poshe as a top coat. Using the Revlon Colorstay topcoat under the quick dry top coat really does prevent chipping. In the US, it's only sold as part of a set with a color but it's still cheap and one bottle lasts a good long time.
I do 5 or 6 coats routinely and don't have a problem with drying time unless I had a glass of wine first and the coats are too thick so now I just wait until I'm done before I have my glass of wine. I don't use any hardeners or treatments. The NailTek line of treatments is supposed to be good and are Big 3 free so there's no formaldahyde. They're not base coats though. Do they leave a layer or are they absorbed in? I don't know if you would include them in your coat count. I do use the NailTek primer but it doesn't deposit anything on the nail. You do have to let it dry before applying the base coat. Aside from the primer, I don't wait for one coat to dry before applying another so it doesn't take long even though I'm applying 5 or 6 coats.

Ally E.

i found that if i don't polish my nails with nail hardener and polish after washing up and cooking and other everyday stuff my nails start to layer...

taiwanesegurl

I got lazy a while back and applied gray nail polish on without a base coat or top coat. It didn't peel/chip until about a week later, which was amazing, but my nail was in gross shape when I took the color off. I also think my nails stained a bit.
After looking at my nails for a while, I decided to just apply another color, this time using a base coat. I still didn't use a top coat since I'm still lazy.

celeste821

Thank you ladies, I am polishing my nails again. I got the cnd stickey base and an orly color and no chip. Today I got another orly color and top coat.

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