Sally Hansen Topcoat Challenge - Day 1

This week's topcoat is Sally Hansen Insta-Dri. This is about as bog-standard as you can get for topcoats, available in drug stores all over. It's cheap, easily available, and dries super fast.

The main issue I had with application was dripping - I had a couple of nails that required extra clean up due to topcoat dripping onto my cuticles. Other than that, this is a quick, easily applied topcoat, with no strong odours.

I cleaned and buffed my nails, then applied three thin coats of Hits No Olimpo in Dioniso, the same polish I used for the Poshe Topcoat Challenge and Seche Vite Topcoat Challenge. I also kept the same unwrapped finger - the middle finger on my right hand, due to how short it is.












Here it is right after application.

Left hand:


Right hand:

Seche Vite Topcoat Challenge - Day 2

After traipsing through airports, dealing with luggage, overhead bins, and random security theatre, this is how my nails were holding up after a day with Seche Vite:

Left:


Right:


Not too bad! I'm amazed I escaped a full day of plane travel with my manicure intact.

Seche Vite Topcoat Challenge - Day 1

This week's topcoat is Seche Vite. Though it is by far the most loved topcoat amongst nail polish lovers, there are some who just hate it for its strong smell and tricky application. It also has a reputation for shrinkage.

I have to agree on the smell - it's very strong! I always use thie topcoat in a well-ventilated area. It also requires a bit more work to apply nicely - too little topcoat and it pulls, too much topcoat and it wrinkles. And if you don't get every bit of polish covered with nicely wrapped tips, it will shrink like whoa.

Having said that, there's a reason people love it! It's super shiny, and dries very fast. But how about longevity?

I cleaned and buffed my nails, then applied three thin coats of Hits No Olimpo in Dioniso, the same polish I used for the Poshe Topcoat Challenge. I also kept the same unwrapped finger - the middle finger on my right hand, due to how short it is.









Here it is right after application. Sorry for the lack of holo goodness - the sun in Ottawa is not cooperating today

Left hand:


Right hand:


But how will it fare over the next few days? This will be an extra challenge for Seche Vite as I'm on the road for the next few days, so it'll have to deal with overhead bins and luggage.

Poshe Topcoat Challenge: Day 2

After a full day of wear, Poshe is holding up nicely! I see very little chipping (in fact, I didn't see any til I saw the close up of my thumb), but I did notice some shrinkage.

Left hand:


Right hand:



Here you can clearly see where I missed a spot wrapping the tip of this nail. The center and far edge were fine, but this edge shrank back a LOT, leaving the polish even more open to chipping later.



These next two pictures clearly show the difference between a wrapped and unwrapped tip. The first picture is properly wrapped on every coat, giving an even colour right to the edge of the nail.



The second picture shows the one nail I didn't wrap because it was a bit short, and you can definitely see a lighter, almost white edge at the tip. The shrinking wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been, but it's definitely there!



This shows just how important it is to wrap your tips when using a quick dry topcoat! The difference is just night and day.