Topcoat challenge days 2-3

The polishes continue to wear at a steady pace. If you see the small chips on my thumbs and index fingers, don't give them undue weight - compare them with the other fingers painted with the same TC. I know I shouldn't, but I do use my fingers for prying things off, picking off stickers, etc., so my thumb and pointer fingers definitely wear faster than my other ones.


I didn't take a picture for day 3 because not much changed. My tipwear is getting pretty bad, but there are no major chips or anything new like that. The cheaper polishes are gradually losing shininess. I think the results of this test are becoming clear...

Topcoat Test Introduction
Day 1
--
Day 4 and final results


Nailgirl

Topcoat challenge day 1

I have two sets of pictures for the first 24 hours of wear - one the morning after I painted my nails, and one after a full day.

In the morning, I woke up an examined my nails -

I found that all of my nails looked about the same as they did the night before, with two exceptions. There was a tiny amount of shrinkage on the Seche Vite nails. More distressingly, however, my left pinky and right middle finger - the bargain-bin Allura topcoat - had become practically matte, and looked textured rather than smooth. Either that polish is extremely slow-drying and I made impressions on it in my sleep, or the shine wore away overnight.

Currently, the Sally Hansen Maximum Growth quick dry and the Seche are shiniest. The rest (except Allura) are still shiny, but not as much as those two.

Here's how my nails looked 24 hours after I painted them:

There's some minor tipwear all around, in addition to the shrinkage from the Seche. I purposely didn't wrap my tips for this test, because I wanted to see how each topcoat would wear naturally. The nails with Allura look a mess upon close examination - not smooth at all.

I'll check in again in a few days, though I think I'm already noticing the differences between these topcoats.

Topcoat Test Introduction
--
Days 2 & 3
Day 4 and final results


Nailgirl

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

Barry M Dusky Mauve + funky french

I did another funky french - these are the best solution for tipwear ever, I swear. They look fun, they're simple, and they extend my mani another few days.


A few days ago I tried on Barry M Dusky Mauve, a dupe for Chanel Paradoxal. I can't compare myself since I don't have it, but the consensus is that it's a total, perfect dupe. You can find comparison pics here, here, and here.


Dusky Mauve certainly is an extraordinary color - in most lights, it varies between a slate gray and purpley mauve creme. But every once in a while, depending on how you look at it, you get a flash of magenta shimmer. It's gorgeous. I'm not generally a huge fan of dark polishes, but this one is special.


From the pics online that I'd seen, I didn't know how 'hidden' the shimmer really is. Most of the time, it looks just like a purpley-gray creme. But when it hits the light just right, you get the secret shimmer. I really like it, and I've never had a polish like it before.


I did a basecoat, two coats of Dusky Mauve #313, and a coat of Seche Vite - unfortunately the topcoat shrunk HORRIBLY on me, making my brand-new mani look days old. So the next day, I went over them with another set of funky french tips! These are done with Rimmel Lasting Finish 240 'Bling', which is a cooler and more silvery gold than my last set of tips which were much more orangey.


In the past week I've also tested out another dupeish drugstore polish, Accessorize Pink Spice - which is nearly a dupe for the fabled MAC Bad Fairy! Pics soon :)

Nailgirl