s/o nail polish: rec top and base coat please

[bethaboo]

I have so many nail polish issues. I tend to buy Essie, OPI and Zoya polishes, but then just grab a Sinful Nails clear coat and use it as both. Clearly, I need direction because my nails always chip after just a few days and (as mentioned in an earlier post) my polish almost always bubbles.

What do you use for a top and base coat? Should I be using a different polish for top and base?

(P.S. Thank you for the recommendations that I paint lighter coats. That helped a lot with the bubbling.)

[veruca5839]

I use Orly Bonder base coat and Poshe top coat. I also have Zoya Anchor base coat, which gets good reviews, but it just doesn't work well on my nails.

[iamali]

I've been using Essie Fill the Gap for a base coat (it's supposed to help fill ridges).

Seche Vite is my favorite top coat. It's a quick dry one and works very well. When you use up about half the bottle you have to add thinner though (NOT polish remover).

[pooh8402]

how many days is "a few days?" I consider 3 days for a single manicure with minimal chipping to be good. but I'm a nurse, so I wash my hands 50x/day.

here's my list. note, this is what works for me, but everyone has different chemistry. different brands and combos will work for different people.

base coat:
CND Stickey--works great to hold my manicure to my nail (can get 5 days if I don't work, 3 days if I am working), but I don't like the blue tint. the tint will actually change the color of my polish on top.
Orly Bonder--holy grail product for most ladies here. it was good but not great for me.
Zoya Anchor--eh.
China Glaze Strong Adhesion--best product I've tried after CND Stickey and what I currently use. I'm on day 3 right now, only had to repair one nail.

top coats--
Zoya Armor--works well with Zoya polishes, takes forever to dry
Poshe--fast dry top coat, thin, minimal "shrinkage"
Seche Vite--fast dry top coat,thicker which works great with glitters, more "shrinkage"
Gelous--thick gel-like top coat with a very slow dry time, awesome over glitters, forms a very strong shield.

all of the top coats I've tried need thinning about halfway through the bottle. I have a $4 bottle of polish thinner from Sally Beauty Supply that I've had for about a year and I'm not even halfway through the bottle.

I do this: CG Strong Adhesion, color (brand doesn't matter to me here), one coat of Gelous, one coat of SV. with the SV, my manicure takes 15-20 minutes.

[iamali]

Oh, I also want to add, it's really a trial and error process. What may work for someone else may not play nicely with you.

And of course some polishes have a funky formula and may not play nicely with a t/c & b/c that you've used for a long time with no issues.

[lmdbww]

Zoya Anchor base coat and Seche Vite for top coat.

[barleyhops]

I totally love nubar Diamont as a topcoat. Dries faster than Seche Vite and doesn't cause the shrinkage issues. For base, I rotate between Orly Bonder, Seche Rebuild, and Duri Rejuvacote.

Like PP's said, it really is a trial and error for your body chemistry.

[venice2007]

Base recently seche vite and it's amazing or I used to use orly bonder
Top seche vite again amazing

[prairieglitter]

I can't say enough about Poshe top coat. I love it.

[allibally]

My top favorite is Orly Bonder for base and Orly Sec N Dry for top. My second favorite is Cult Nails Get It On for my base and Cult Nails Wicked Fast for my top. Barielle has a good base for peeling nails that I'm using now.

As for the bubbles. Since it's summer and the weather is warm. Do you have a fan on while you polish? Turn it off as that's one of my main reasons for bubbles.

[bethaboo]

Thank you for all of the recommendations! I will have to buy a few this weekend and try them out.

Alli, I never even thought about the fan. My husband (who runs hot) is not going to like me painting my nails ...

[allibally]

Jul 25, 2012 15:00:22 GMT -5 bethaboo said:

Thank you for all of the recommendations! I will have to buy a few this weekend and try them out.

Alli, I never even thought about the fan. My husband (who runs hot) is not going to like me painting my nails ...

Mine is always warm too! Even with our stand fan across the room it can make my polish bubble as I put it on. So you don't even need to be sitting right it front of it.

[AngGee]

Jul 25, 2012 12:13:55 GMT -5 iamali said:

I've been using Essie Fill the Gap for a base coat (it's supposed to help fill ridges).

Seche Vite is my favorite top coat. It's a quick dry one and works very well. When you use up about half the bottle you have to add thinner though (NOT polish remover).

I noticed with Seche Vite my nail polish just peels off, like in one piece. It's strange. Anyone else have this issue?

[jewel]

I hate seche vite! It also makes my polish peel off in one piece, but the bigger issue is the shrinkage factor. No matter what I do, I can't get the seche vite to stay to the end of the nail, so the tip isn't protected and either peels immediately or my nail gets snagged.

(that paragraph really was just about nails and polish :-) lol....)

I like Nails Inc caviar top coat. $10 from sephora.

[AngGee]

Did any of you ladies see GMA this morning about the new suede looking nail polish? (did I spell that right?)
Looks pretty cool but NMS. (I don't think anyway)

[auntie]

I wish I saw this yesterday. I needed new base and top coat.
I asked the girl working the nail polish aisle. I ended up with CND Sticky over Orly Bonder and she suggested a quick drying top coat by either NailTec, Nailtique or of Duri. I forget which I bought.

I'll know in a few days. Loved the OPI Red I bought.

[FormerCityGirl]

I switched from Orly Bonder to Butter London's base. The last 2 bottles of Orly that I bought have not felt right going on my nails. I think Orly switched formulas without saying anything.

I use Seche Vite for a top coat. Poshe chipped in less than 12 hours for me while I was sleeping. I wasn't a fan of Essie either since it took forever to dry.

2 in 1 top/base coats never work. A base coat should feel rough and sticky to get polish to adhere. Most of the good ones contain rubber. A top coat should look like clear lacquer going on and coming out of the bottle. There is not a formula out there that can truly do both.

[allibally]

Jul 25, 2012 16:17:39 GMT -5 AngGee said:

Did any of you ladies see GMA this morning about the new suede looking nail polish? (did I spell that right?)
Looks pretty cool but NMS. (I don't think anyway)

I feel like they are trying to push an old trend. Suede Matte was popular in fall 2009. Zoya and OPI had some. OPI literally called it Suede.

I didn't watch GMA to know if this is the sane thing they talked about though.

[AngGee]

Well heck, you're right it IS from 2009. They talked about it like it was brand new... not for me anyway.

[ssmjlm]

I really like the nails, inc base and top coat. I seriously had a home manicure last the whole work week with it w/o any chips.
www.sephora.com/kensington-caviar-base-coat-P292006
www.sephora.com/kensington-caviar-top-coat-P292005

And the top coat is fast drying like seche vite.

[allibally]

Jul 26, 2012 6:42:12 GMT -5 AngGee said:

Well heck, you're right it IS from 2009. They talked about it like it was brand new... not for me anyway.

Haha. They got to boost sales somehow. I like it but it chips like hell. It's a one day wear type thing.