Five-topcoat wear test

I've only been really into polishes for a few months, so I haven't settled on a 'favorite' topcoat yet. I have a few accumulated, but I alternate them depending on my mood. So, I've gathered them up and decided to put them to the test. The challenge is this:

I will take my 5 topcoats, and use one each over each finger of one hand. On the opposite hand, I will use the same TCs in a different order - since, for instance, I get more wear on my index finger than my pinkie, this will level the field a little.

At the end of a week, OR when my polish becomes horribly mangled, whichever comes first, I will end the challenge and compare the wear of the different top coats.

The players are:

Seche Vite, naillovers' favorite. Known for its fast-drying capabilities, epic shine, and unfortunate shrinkage problems. MSRP £8.95.
Sally Hansen Teflon Tuff, my current go-to TC most of the time. MSRP unknown, £4-5 maybe?
Sally Hansen Maximum Growth Quick Dry TC, a new acquisition in my collection. MSRP £4.50.
Make Up Academy Nail Varnish - Clear, a £1 polish from Superdrug. MSRP £1.00.
Allura Topcoat, a mini bottle of TC I got as part of a French manicure set at the pound store - making its approximate price 20p or so. MSRP £? (£1 for manicure kit)

I've decided to test ultra-cheapie polishes against some more well-renowned brands to really see what difference a high-end topcoat can make. Will I have a much better experience? Will it not actually matter that much? Time will tell!

I painted my nails with the usual basecoat and one coat of Barry M nail paint in Limited Edition Pink. I had high hopes for this color since I love it in the bottle, but I don't think the coolness of the pink (leaning on purple) flatters my skin very much. Oh well. I put one coat of each top coat on - for the quick-dry polishes I waited about 2 minutes after applying polish; for the rest I let them completely dry.



Here are how my nails look on night 1, right after cleanup. This is probably about 30 minutes after I painted my nails - I ran my fingers lightly over my nails, and the two quick dry polishes (SV and SH Maximum Growth) feel totally dry to the touch, while the other polishes feel ever so slightly 'tacky'.

Visually, they all look the same except for my left ring finger and my right thumb - the clear Make Up Academy polish - where I can see the texture of brush strokes. It looks like it wasn't thick enough to even itself out after application.

I'll post an update once they begin to wear. We'll see if you really get what you pay for, or if any of these polishes are a screaming deal.

Day 1
Days 2 & 3
Day 4 and final results


Nailgirl