Topcoat challenge, day 4 (final results)

By the fourth day of wear, not only was I getting seriously tired of the Barbie Pink (which doesn't suit me at all), but two of my fingers were looking seriously grody.

I was getting tipwear with every polish, and some fingers were losing their shine. I decided to end the test the afternoon of day 4, and I've come up with some results.

1. Seche Vite shrunk, but Sally Hansen didn't.
2. Make Up Academy shows brushstrokes (yuck!).
3. Allura goes completely matte after a few days! Here is a comparison between my two index fingers:

How ridiculous is that? But then, I wasn't expecting much for a polish that gets sold for less than a pound. Into the franken pile it goes.

My new standard topcoat will be Sally Hansen Maximum Growth quick dry, because it's nearly as shiny as Seche Vite, dries just as fast, and doesn't shrink. Seche shrinks on me at least 75% of the time, and it's incredibly annoying. Even when I wrap my tips, it manages to shrink.

So basically, the higher-end polishes (I mean, Sally is still a drugstore brand, but not a discount drugstore brand) performed better, with the caveat that SV shrinks - but people already know that. This was a useful test for me, as I have accumulated all these TCs, but haven't paid attention to which works better. Now I know!

Topcoat Test Introduction
Day 1
Days 2 & 3


Nailgirl