THE BATH, BODY & NAIL CARE THREAD

[veronika23]

A place to discuss anything relating to body care. Formerly known as the THE HAIR, NAILS AND BODY CARE THREAD

Ask a question, post a review, share your favorite products, tips or tricks... anything goes and is welcomed!

[Tamara76]

@veronika23  My nails get so messed up after back to back gel manis, so I like to use the Sally Hansen 18k Gold Nail Hardener.

I have a really hard time keeping any regular nail polish on for more than a couple of days, though, no matter which base coat or top coat I use...:(

[veronika23]

Thanks @Tamara76 🙂

[keana1]

@veronika23 I use the Essie Grow Stronger base coat and my manicures can last as long as 10-14 days without exaggerating. But you need a great top coat as well. The best top coat that I’ve used so far is the Essie Gel Setter . You don’t need to cure your nails with it and it’s so shiny! The best thing about Essie nail products is that you can find them in drugstores and they are quite affordable! Both of these Essie products can be used with other brands of nail polish except for UV gel polish since they need a special top coat and a UV lamp!

[veronika23]

Thanks for the info @keana1!  I have a few Essie colors and their matte top coat. Good to know they last for a long time! Thx! 🙂

[keana1]

@veronika23 You’re welcome 😉!

[RGbrown]

@veronika23@lmi82

Some time last year, a gwp bag from Ulta was supposed to have Perfect Formula Gel Coat in it. I'd never heard of the brand before, but was excited to try it once I looked it up. And then...it wasn't really in the bag, so I wound up buying a sampler later anyways (the ultimate gotcha 😅). I then set it off to the side and forgot about it for a while as I worked through my other base coats, but finally pulled it out 5 or 6 manicures ago. 

It's nothing short of amazing. I'm usually pretty hard on my nails, and they are fairly thin to begin with, so I normally have at least a couple of chips in a day or two. Longevity depends on the type of polish (creams seem to last the longest for me, where as super glittery stuff seems to fracture quicker), but I am getting 5-6-7-8+ days of good looking polish now instead of just one or two days. 

My sampler had both the clear and the pink gel coat, and with a couple -ish uses of each, I think the clear holds up slightly better, though that's debatable at this point. 

It is ridiculously expensive by my standards, but if it continues working well, it's totally worth it to me. I have no clue how easy or hard it may be to locate in Canada though 😐

[Tamara76]

Ohhhhhh - I have a bottle of the pink gel coat, but I've never used it as a base coat, @RGbrown!  I'm going to try it after I remove my current polish! ❤️  Thanks for the tip!

[veronika23]

Thanks so much @RGbrown!  I think Sephora used to sell this... you know I might have the pink somewhere... I have a bin with nail polish I don't use as often... I'll have to check.  I don't mind paying if it works. Thanks!

[veronika23]

Sephora still has the product page for the brand... In Canada anyways... I wonder if products will ever come back in stock?

@BrendaBT@KatieBT  will Sephora Canada restock perfect formula? Thank you

https://www.sephora.com/perfect-formula

[Aaliaa]

Hey @veronika23 @lmi82. I've been using the Nailtique's Formula 1 and Formula 2 base coat for years. They are a little harder to find in Canada but really great. They are protein based and each formula is developed based on your common nail concerns. They aren't specifically developed to increase longevity of nail polish but I think they work well as a base coat. I use Seche Vite as my top coat and to help with longevity.

[veronika23]

@Aaliaa  thanks!  Where do you find this one in Canada? I usually use seche vite too but wanted to try some OPI base and top coat since I somehow got conned into buying them a while back... one that's suppose to make your many last longer... yeah should have known it would destroy my nails... I'm not a huge fan of OPI to start with.  I just started doing my nails again because I went on a nail polish shopping spree (oops lol) and just want my mani to last 1 week!!!  Is that too much to ask lol  😄

[Aaliaa]

Oh also be careful, they have different sizes with the 15ml/0.5 oz (largest size) is comparable to a normal nail polish size).

[Aaliaa]

I normally stock up when I'm in the US but you can find it on Amazon and there is a Salon called Concept Salon in Toronto around Bloor and Bay that at least used to sell it. It is a little more expensive then other base coats, but without question saved my nails when I was regularly changing nail colours. @veronika23. 

I'm NOT SURE, but I think I might have seen it at Nordstrom rack in Toronto.

[veronika23]

@Aaliaa.  Is this it?  It's sold at Nail Polish Canada 🙂

[Aaliaa]

Yes, they have four types (Formula 1, 2, 2+ and 3). I think their website has a guideline about the difference between each of them so just pick one that suits your nails. Let me know if you like it @veronika23!

[veronika23]

Thanks @Aaliaa! I'll let you know if I like it if I pick it up. Looking up all the suggestions to see which would be the best fit. Thanks again! 🙂

[veronika23]

Great! Thanks for the info @Aaliaa! 🙂

[lmi82]

Oh, no! Unfortunately, I'm looking for a good base coat right along with you, @veronika23. I've been hoarding a few bottles of the discontinued Formula X Base Coat (my HG) and I'm almost out. 🙁 Hopefully, the others will have some good recs! 

[veronika23]

@lmi82  aw man sorry to hear your HG is discontinued. I hate when that happens.  Thx and let's hope so!

[ZombieMetroAnt]

Tis the season...

Spoiler

[veronika23]

OMG these are awesome @ZombieMetroAnt!!!