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I have one clear polish I use for both base and topcoat. Been doing that for years and my nails are not stained
If anything, I would prefer to use only color and a top coat, in order to make it last longer but mostly so if I accidentally brush my nail against something, it doesn't leave a streak.
Red seems to be the color that stains most often on me, but luckily I don't use it that much.
Back when I wore nail polish -- when I was still young, thin, hot, and gave a damn -- I remember reading that if you didn't use a clear base coat, your nails would discolor. Alas, mine seemed to turn orange (I wore A LOT of polish) whether I used a base coat or not, whereas my friends never seemed to have that problem, for some reason. So maybe that wasn't true?
I haven't done the base coat/color/top coat thing in decades. I'm too impatient. Two reasons for doing it, that I'm aware of, are to help the color grab on and last, and to prevent your nails from being stained by certain colors.
^^ This ^^ Especially if you wear a darker color on your nails. The base coat helps protect your nails.
I ended up with a Sally Hansen 'primer.' It's got a huge brush and is thick and semi-opaque, so the first time I wore it, I wore it alone and it lasted a week. That's good mileage.
It's also good for smoothing out your nail. Pretty happy with it!
I ended up with a Sally Hansen 'primer.' It's got a huge brush and is thick and semi-opaque, so the first time I wore it, I wore it alone and it lasted a week. That's good mileage.
It's also good for smoothing out your nail. Pretty happy with it!
I use at least three coats, depending on how good the coverage is with the colored polish.
A base of Sally Hanson's Hard as Wraps. It lays down thick and smooth and creates a nylon tough coat.
Then the color.
Then a topcoat of Hard as Wraps.
Be protective of, gentle with, this for at least twenty-four hours. It's dry but it seems to need a good couple of days to cure.
With this method I can get at least two weeks of wear from my nails. Sometimes longer depending on the household tasks I'm performing. I've had it last as long as four weeks on vacation but by then, of course, the new nail has grown out quite a bit.
It may seem more expensive but in the long run keeps me from having to touch up or redo so often.
Is it really necessary? Is there any difference between something sold as a base coat, and clear nail polish? Any experiences, recommendations, are welcome. Thanks.
I use a base coat then about 2 coats of color then a high end top coat. As previously mentioned the base coat helps to protect the nail bed from getting stain with the color that you choose along with giving the polish a good foundation to stick to.
I redo the top coat every 2-3 days to help the polish last longer. It normally lasts about 2 weeks before I have to redo it.
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