NAIL POLISH - TOP COAT
However good your nail polish, the way to make it last longer is to apply a top coat – and reapply daily if possible to prolong chip-free polish survival. Plus, a top coat can also give your nails an extra coat of glossy gorgeousness if you like that look; though we note there’s been a trend for a more matte finish recently. We always recommend using a base coat too, see the Award winners here. From a clutch of entries, these impressed our testers. Pretty damned quick, pretty damned effective, we’d say. One last thing: if your nails are weak and flaking, there’s only a certain amount that top/base coats can do. So the motto is: please take care of your nails if you want them to look their best.
GOLD AWARD and BEAUTY STEAL Mii Cosmetics Shine + Shield Turbo Dry Top Coat
A very high average score for this ‘easy glide’ top coat with a turbo dry formula, which features dual technology to shield and protect colour against UV, as well as extending the length of your polish and maintain high gloss. Apply one coat, the brand advises, sealing the free edge for extra protection, then top up every other day for that ‘just manicured’ look. The small 9ml bottle comes in at a Beauty Steal price, too. Mii’s won so many Beauty Bible Awards (and others, obvs) that they probably need their own Wall of Fame and we’re delighted that our tester panel was so happy with this product. (Just in case you wonder, Mii is pronounced… ‘me’.)
£11 - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘A great top coat with a nice glossy finish that really helped nail polish last on my short weak nails. The brush was a good size and it was easy to apply. One coat was fine and went on smoothly with a nice finish, taking about five minutes to touch dry. The colour stayed true and lasted three days without chipping which is quite good for me; I can chip nail polish the first day so this really helped me’ • ‘A miracle worker and does what it says on the tin. I seldom wear nail varnish because it chips so quickly. This product was the answer to my prayers. Great brush, easy to apply, Beautiful shine and really enhanced my nail varnish. Dried More or less straight away. I had to get changed and ready to go out very quickly so was very impressed with the speed and no smudges. Perfect’ • ‘It lasted one week before starting to chip; usually my polish only lasts a couple of days before chipping. The product does recommend applying it every other day to maintain shine and I think this also prevented chipping. A brilliant top coat which gives great shine. I’ve actually found myself applying polish much more often than usual ’ • ‘My usual product can sometimes feel a bit sticky but this product was like air on my nails. It was so light, dried very fast and more importantly didn't feel heavy. It made my nails feel really smooth; I could not stop touching them. It does smell quite strong however the scent doesn't last after being applied to nails. The brush was very agile and was able to sweep around corners and my cuticles with ease’ • ‘The top coat went on very smoothly and the finish was very pretty. It was subtle but gave a really healthy looking shine. The coverage was very smooth and even. I do think it helped my nail polish last longer and my nails felt stronger when using this product. I would say its a perfect top coat.’
£11 - click to buy
SILVER AWARD Manucurist Paris Green Top Coat Sunshine
This French manufactured product boasts an impressive up to 84% bio-sourced ingredients; it’s vegan, 12-free and comes in eco-friendly packaging. The formula promises exceptional shine and staying power for a “gel effect” without the lamp. The formula reacts to natural UV light and speeds up the drying time, they say. (One tester who’d had a gel nail disaster was worried about the wording so please note that it’s “gel effect” and the UV activation is from natural light.) As an added bonus, it will make your manicure ‘everything-proof’ – even using hand sanitiser won’t affect it, they say.
£15 - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘’10/10. This is a shiny topcoat, which made my nails look finished and smart. Also it did help to strengthen my short nails against breakage. When I've tried to grow them they tend to split quite low down on the nail bed and are sometimes sore. The brush size was a good size to cover the nail in 2 or 3 strokes and the coverage was very good. It went on very smoothly; I preferred to use one coat rather than two, as this was the optimal for it drying properly and longevity of the polish. It is a very glossy finish and makes the natural nail bed look a very healthy colour, I wear colour polish only occasionally but when I did to trial this, the colour was very even and smooth, and stayed very bright for the duration of time I kept it on. It lasted a good 4 to 5 days - but I do a lot of washing up’ • ‘Makes normal nail polish last like a gel manicure – over two weeks. Amazing on toes too. Really long lasting - I reckon it would last until I removed it; there was no sign of any chipping or loss in shine after over two weeks. The brush is fab; I love a flattened brush for nail products and the slight curve meant it was easy to get close to the cuticle line without making a mess. The product gave such a high finish gloss that there was no need to apply additional coats. I left it ten minutes to dry. The top coat levelled beautifully and there were no bumps of imperfections in the finish. 100% I would buy. This is a great topcoat and lasted on my toenails really well and my feet get a bashing as I swim a lot. It lasted till I got fed up with the colour, which was over 2 weeks’ • ‘A lovely, high quality, gel like, top coat that prevents chipping for longer. I have short nails that tend to snap easily and usually apply a topcoat. I really enjoyed using this gel effect top coat and it was very effective. Applied smoothly and one coat was adequate to give a good shine and protection for a few days (around 4). Nail colour looked much better with this glossy smooth finish and no chipping for several days, which is definitely longer than usual! I will definitely be buying this again’ • ‘I’m pretty impressed with this. I was having regular gel manicures and despite using gel that’s supposed to care for your nails my nails ended up in a disastrous state. My beautician called a halt to it before I could, as the nail plate was beginning to lift. My nails are now recovered but I haven’t been wearing polish, as it just doesn’t last. This certainly helps. It gives a very glossy finish and I’ve noticed that I can get about an average of three or four days before I need to remove it which is terrific.’
£15 - click to buy