Nail Care Series: Top Coats

Today I'm going to talk to you about top coats for the next part in my nail care series. :) A top coat isn't exactly a "nail care" item exactly, but it's essential for any manicure. I'll let you in on which top coats I love and some other options too.

Were you like me when I was younger? I'd never even heard of a "top coat" for nail polish until I was 13, and I was like "why the heck would you put clear nail polish over a colour..?". It wasn't until I actually started getting into nail art and polish that I knew why it was so important to use a top coat.

Top coats are important for a few reasons and can help in a few areas.

- To smooth out the nail (eg. if you used a glitter polish, you will definitely want to use a top coat to make the nail feel smooth) and even out any brushstrokes or unevenness.

- Some top coats can speed up the dry time of your manicure dramatically. Who wants to wake up in the morning with sheet marks on their nails?! Not me!

- Top coats can also alter the finish of the manicure. Some nail polishes have a matte finish, such as neons, and if you don't like that, you can add a shiny top coat. Or if you want a shiny polish to be matte, you can add a matte top coat!

- Using a top coat (and a base coat - I'll talk about these soon) will make your manicure last a lot longer than it would if you didn't use a top coat.

Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

SV is my holy grail fast drying top coat! It's extremely fast drying. I can do my manicure, and then go to sleep 15-20 minutes later (ok I don't ever fall asleep that fast but you get the point) and wake up with ZERO sheet marks or smudges! I absolutely love that about it. But it also has some disadvantages. It can shrink really badly on some polishes, which is where the polish pulls away from the tip or cuticle (it only happens at the cuticle for me, when my bottle gets a bit thick and low), and when you get about half way down the bottle, it gets extremely goopy and almost unusable so you definitely have to have some thinner on hand (Seche has one called 'Restore' which you can probably find wherever you buy Seche from). Another thing to note is that this top coat is NOT 3 free. It contains toluene and I'm not an expert but I have heard that this can be bad which is why some people don't use it. I've heard that you should not use this top coat if you are pregnant. I'm not totally sure of why but you can Google that if you're curious.
Although there's many downsides to it, its ultra fast drying time is what makes me love it! I bought the 4oz professional refill size and it's lasted me 5 months so far! I used to have to buy a new topcoat every few weeks but I think this will last me at least another 5 months! Seche Vite also doesn't smudge nail art. :) (If it's smudging for you, it means you probably don't have enough polish on the brush). It also gives a seriously amazing shine to the mani and smooths out any glitter. :)
I buy my Seche Vite on eBay and the 4oz bottle only costs $20!

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat

The Sally Hansen Insta Dri top coat was one of my favourites before I tried Seche Vite. It dries pretty fast but I'd probably have to wait close to an hour before going to bed to avoid messing up my nails. I still have a bottle on hand just in case!
This top coat is 3 free and doesn't contain any harsh chemicals as far as I know so this would be great if you want an alternative to Seche Vite.
I also had a good experience with Sally Hansen's Mega Shine top coat which I also found to be similar, perhaps a little faster drying. It comes in a silver chrome bottle (I actually found that kind of annoying because you can't see how much is left lol, I guess you could put the top coat into an empty polish bottle though).
Sally Hansen Insta Dri retails for about $17 here in Australia so I'd probably buy it online next time I want to repurchase it, lol.. (The 4oz Seche Vite on eBay costs about $3 more for 9 TIMES the amount of product...)

OPI RapiDry Top Coat

I first tried the OPI RapiDry top coat in a mini size. It's fairly similar to the Sally Hansen Insta Dri top coat so I don't have a whole lot to say about it, except that this one DOES smudge nail art for me. And it's pretty expensive here in Aus too. You can find it in David Jones or Price Attack, or online (eBay, Amazon, etc).

Essence Gel Look Top Coat

Essence Gel Look is a slow drying top coat that I use to smooth out really gritty glitters, under my Seche Vite (so in order I use glitter polish, Gel Look and then Seche Vite). It really helps to give a smooth, glassy finish. :)
And best of all - Essence Gel Look only costs around $3! WOO! :D I buy it from Target or Priceline.

Rimmel Lycra Pro Matte Finish Top Coat

This matte top coat is the only one I've tried and it's not the best, but it's okay. I find it gives more of a satin finish rather than a true matte. When I use this, I always use it after using my Seche Vite because matte top coats are known to take FOREVER to dry!
Rimmel Matte top coat costs around $10 in Australia and can be safound in Priceline, Target etc.
Other matte top coats that I've heard are good but haven't tried, are China Glaze Matte Magic, OPI Matte top coat, Butter London Matte top coat and Essie Matte About You.

Some other popular fast drying top coats that I've heard about are:

Poshe fast drying top coat, INM Out The Door, and Cult Nails Wicked Fast.

Some other 'glitter food' top coats I've heard good things about are:
Peita's Polish Glitter Glaze, and Nail Pattern Boldness Glitter Food.

So tell me, what are your favourite top coats? :)

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