34 Comments

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Cherie Avatar

I haven’t tried many but enjoy Sally Hansen’s base coat. Seems to work better than the OPI one for me. Not sure why though 🙂

MakeupVixen Avatar

Liquid Glass Nail Laminate Polish. Very Hard to find. Bed Bath and Beyond has it near me, utla.com use to sell it. I had to stock up on them since they are so hard to find. Great for brittle nails, makes them harder and thicker. Great base and top coat. I have turned so many people on this this, it’s great. Stops the breaking, helps the nails grow strong.

Aurélie Avatar

Nailtek foundation II ! The best I EVER tried, I won’t try anything else ever. Makes my nailpolish stay on for day and my nails are so strong, I even cut my BF once ! Can’t live without this stuff.

Kira Avatar

I’ve been using Barielle’s “Hydrating Ridge Filler with Silk Fiber” for the past month. And I *think* I’m impressed.

My nails don’t seem to be peeling as badly (and it has been dry, dry, dry this winter).

I also think my staining is growing out … which I didn’t think was ever going to happen.

I’ll need a couple more trials before I’m ready to sing praises, though.

teresa Avatar

I love Orly’s Bonder! It keeps my nailpolish FOREVER! (okay, close to forever), but my friends always comment on how my nailpolish seems to stay on so long and look decent after weeks of wear 🙂

amy Avatar

Essie 3 in 1 glaze. It is a nail straightener, base and topcoat in one. When I used this I never had a broken nail and they were strong, even though I painted my nails almost everyday or have polish on everyday for about 4-5 months. Without this 3 in 1 glaze my nails would be dry and brittle from too much nailpolish.

Elysia Avatar

I use CNDs Ridge Filler (lots of ridges on my nails), I like it because I can wear it alone if I don’t have time to do a complete polish!

Twaniesha Glenn Avatar

I love OPI base coat but my favorite is called Christina Ashley. I don’t know where its sold because I go to cosmetology school and my teacher orders it.

Christina Avatar

I just think that’s really awesome because my name is Christina Ashley. Totally have to try it now!

I’ve been really loving China Glaze’s Strong Adhesion Base Coat lately.

Ashley Avatar

Does anyone use any that are free of formaldehyde, toluene and DBP? I don’t often paint my nails, but my nails are prone to drying out and getting ridges, so I am wanting to use a base and top coat that is a little less harsh on my nails!
I’ve seen a brand called Ecrinal, but I don’t know if it’s available outside of Canada, or if anyone has ever used it and liked it :/

Mariah Avatar

From my experience, it’s really personal. There are some that work like magic for some and crap for others! Some will hold your polish like iron, but stain like a fiend! (Ahem, Orly Bonder…)

I’ve been using Barielle Protein base coat for a while, and it’s been really good at stopping my peelies, which are a huge problem for me. But it still lets polish stain my nails. I’m kinda sick of it, so I’m switching to a Nubar that I got for free from an order. I’ve heard from a lot of people that some Nubar base coats stop the staining.

Meika Avatar

Orly Bonder. My polish lasts for two days instead of one (I wear latex gloves at work and that cuts down my nail polish wear time).

Anna Avatar

Zoya Anchor Basecoat. It makes my manicures last forever. It also works well with Seche Vite (my fav. topcoat). It helps with the shrinkage that Seche causes.

Yumika Avatar

I love Dermalogica’s Active Moist. It moisturizes the dry areas, and also helps oilyness. My skin has been so much more even toned and I’m not so oily! I love Dermalogica!!

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