Just a random note — if your Essie’s are thick, you can probably fix them with nail polish thinner. There’s a consensus for the OPI thinner or KBShimmer brand. But the Beauty Secrets brand is worked fine for my polishes without glitter and is easier to find. (To be honest, it worked totally fine in my glitter polishes when I didn’t know any better but I want to play it safe with my indies.)
I like Essie Gel Setter Top Coat and ORLY Bonder Basecost to extend longevity, as well as a new layer of top coat every few days. People also recommend capping the nails.
All the indie brands mentioned are really lovely but they are kind of pricey and I’d recommend finding a destash group on Facebook or checking out the Polished Mage blog/channel sale.
Good luck!!!
A popular quick drying top coat is Seche Vite but there’s a bit of a learning curve. Thin coats but you want to make sure there’s enough on the brush so it doesn’t drag, moving fast, and not letting the nail color under dry too much to prevent too much shrinkage/peeling. Once you get the hang of it, it’s such a time saver, feels really smooth, and helps smooth out little mistakes as well. But there are other quick drying top coats I see recommended sometimes bc they’re similar but easier to work with and don’t have these issues (which I’m hoping others here will suggest)
Edit: But I haven’t used Essie in awhile so there might be an Essie one that works better with the polishes you already have
I recently switched from Seche Vite to Essie’s Gel-Setter, and I really like it! It’s got the same glassy look as Seche Vite but less shrinkage (in my experience). Gel-setter is technically not a quick dry but I find that the top layer only takes a few minutes to set, similar to other quick dry top coats I’ve tried.
Zoya and Orly are fantastic drugstore brands. You coukd try some of the indie and boutique brands. You’re in for a treat, because so many indie brands have sales or releases starting today. I would look at Lynb Designs. She has a new release today and with a coupon code you can get 50% off on everything on her site. Her polishes are amazing. I would also look at ILNP. Start an account and start shopping. Wait a bit and they will probably send you a coupon. Later today Bee’s Knees Lacquer will have some knee polishes and some older ones available on their site at 15% off. Ethereal Lacquer is re-releasing some gorgeous polishes tonight, too. The sister brand to Ethereal is Lumen Lacquer. I would definitely check out Cracked Polish. She has beautiful shimmers, creams and jellies. She released three new shades yesterday. There’s also Cirque Colors, Lurid Lacquer and Emily de Molly all have beautiful polish.
it could definitely be the top coat. no matter the brand you want to make sure you're using a "quick dry top coat(QDGT)" as that's what will dry your mani quickly and make sure it stays shiny and chip free for as long as possible.
i typically use Holo Taco's "Glossy Taco" since i purchase so much from them anyways and it's 5 free. i've also enjoyed Vibrant Scents' "Fast and Hard" QDGT but it isn't 5 free (didn't realize that when i purchased) so that's something to consider if you're trying to avoid certain chemicals.
At the end of the day i recommend playing around and seeing which combo of top and base coats work for you as they all work differently depending on your chemistry. a base coat that lasts a week on you may chip in a day on me and vice versa
Most drugstore brands like Essie, Sally Hansen and OPI have…inconsistent results. I finally just gave up on them after being disappointed far too many times. Before I switched to indie/boutique brands, Essence was my favourite drugstore brand.
If you’re willing to try a boutique brand, ILNP are by far my favourite. Incredible range of colours and finishes, and they all go on smoothly and easily. Their Glass Candy top coat is excellent.
For base coats, Holo Taco has a good variety based on different needs (smoothing, peel-off, durability, bringing out the shine in chrome polishes, etc).
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Just a random note — if your Essie’s are thick, you can probably fix them with nail polish thinner. There’s a consensus for the OPI thinner or KBShimmer brand. But the Beauty Secrets brand is worked fine for my polishes without glitter and is easier to find. (To be honest, it worked totally fine in my glitter polishes when I didn’t know any better but I want to play it safe with my indies.) I like Essie Gel Setter Top Coat and ORLY Bonder Basecost to extend longevity, as well as a new layer of top coat every few days. People also recommend capping the nails. All the indie brands mentioned are really lovely but they are kind of pricey and I’d recommend finding a destash group on Facebook or checking out the Polished Mage blog/channel sale. Good luck!!!
A popular quick drying top coat is Seche Vite but there’s a bit of a learning curve. Thin coats but you want to make sure there’s enough on the brush so it doesn’t drag, moving fast, and not letting the nail color under dry too much to prevent too much shrinkage/peeling. Once you get the hang of it, it’s such a time saver, feels really smooth, and helps smooth out little mistakes as well. But there are other quick drying top coats I see recommended sometimes bc they’re similar but easier to work with and don’t have these issues (which I’m hoping others here will suggest) Edit: But I haven’t used Essie in awhile so there might be an Essie one that works better with the polishes you already have
I recently switched from Seche Vite to Essie’s Gel-Setter, and I really like it! It’s got the same glassy look as Seche Vite but less shrinkage (in my experience). Gel-setter is technically not a quick dry but I find that the top layer only takes a few minutes to set, similar to other quick dry top coats I’ve tried.
Zoya and Orly are fantastic drugstore brands. You coukd try some of the indie and boutique brands. You’re in for a treat, because so many indie brands have sales or releases starting today. I would look at Lynb Designs. She has a new release today and with a coupon code you can get 50% off on everything on her site. Her polishes are amazing. I would also look at ILNP. Start an account and start shopping. Wait a bit and they will probably send you a coupon. Later today Bee’s Knees Lacquer will have some knee polishes and some older ones available on their site at 15% off. Ethereal Lacquer is re-releasing some gorgeous polishes tonight, too. The sister brand to Ethereal is Lumen Lacquer. I would definitely check out Cracked Polish. She has beautiful shimmers, creams and jellies. She released three new shades yesterday. There’s also Cirque Colors, Lurid Lacquer and Emily de Molly all have beautiful polish.
Thanks for the Lyn B info. I just got a handful of new colors!
You’re welcome. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
it could definitely be the top coat. no matter the brand you want to make sure you're using a "quick dry top coat(QDGT)" as that's what will dry your mani quickly and make sure it stays shiny and chip free for as long as possible. i typically use Holo Taco's "Glossy Taco" since i purchase so much from them anyways and it's 5 free. i've also enjoyed Vibrant Scents' "Fast and Hard" QDGT but it isn't 5 free (didn't realize that when i purchased) so that's something to consider if you're trying to avoid certain chemicals. At the end of the day i recommend playing around and seeing which combo of top and base coats work for you as they all work differently depending on your chemistry. a base coat that lasts a week on you may chip in a day on me and vice versa
Most drugstore brands like Essie, Sally Hansen and OPI have…inconsistent results. I finally just gave up on them after being disappointed far too many times. Before I switched to indie/boutique brands, Essence was my favourite drugstore brand. If you’re willing to try a boutique brand, ILNP are by far my favourite. Incredible range of colours and finishes, and they all go on smoothly and easily. Their Glass Candy top coat is excellent. For base coats, Holo Taco has a good variety based on different needs (smoothing, peel-off, durability, bringing out the shine in chrome polishes, etc).
Thanks for posting, /u/goopy-loop! A quick reminder: If this is a **nail image**, you must provide a complete product list within 6 hours of posting. **This includes any posts with broken nails or if you're seeking advice.** Posts without a complete product list will be removed after 6 hours. [Product List Requirements.](https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditLaqueristas/wiki/rule2faq) If the nail look shown was **NOT created by you**, you ***must*** flair properly. If this is a **text post**, flair properly. Be sure to follow all of the above to avoid post removal! [Consider joining our Discord](https://discord.gg/redditlaqueristas) - Get questions answered in realtime, get notified for releases and deals, post your manis, and more! **This is a new server as of 5/7/24!!** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/RedditLaqueristas) if you have any questions or concerns.*