Sally Beauty Top Coat Reviews

When I first started painting my nails, I always told myself a top coat was useless. Once I broke down and bought one for the quick drying properties I quickly learned that you do indeed need a top coat. A top coat not only protects your polish from chipping or smudging but it also cuts down on the drying time significantly (depending on the type of top coat you use). So today I will be talking about 5 top coats that claim to be fast drying, long lasting, a shine increasing. I purchased these all from Sally's Beauty Supply and have used the images from their website. All image credit goes to Sally's Beauty Supply website which is linked here. I will also be linking to the top coat if you are interested in purchasing it. Since I have so many to get through, lets get started!

First up is China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat. One of my favorite nail polish brands is China Glaze however, I'm not a fan of their top coat. I was looking forward to using this and had high expectations due to their wonderful nail polish. This top coat isn't terrible but I don't find it to dry that quickly, add that much shine, or extend the wear of my polish. It's an average top coat and isn't really anything all that special.

Next we have ProLinc Diamond Dry Air Dry Top Coat. I actually received this top coat free a while back when Sally's was having a promotion where you would get a free top coat when you bought a China Glaze nail polish. I was super pumped to try it since I was freshly on the hunt for good top coats. I really tried to like this top coat but I just couldn't. It didn't dry that quickly at all. While it did dry quicker than if there wasn't a top coat, it still took a long time. The biggest reason why I didn't like this top coat though was that it crinkled. Every time I would use it it would crinkle and look like crinkled up aluminum foil. It looked terrible and after 5-7 uses or so I gave up and tossed it.

Up next we have INM Out The Door Fast Drying Top Coat. I like and dislike this top coat all at once. It does dry you polish rather quickly but it doesn't extend the wear of your polish. When I use this polish I notice chipping within 1-2 days after applying. I only use this polish when I know that I will want to change my polish again rather soon otherwise, I won't use it.

Next we have Orly In A Snap Nail Dryer. I honestly just picked this up because it was one of the very first top coats that I had found. It's much like the China Glaze Fast Foward that I mentioned above. It's an average top coat that doesn't really have that amazing of drying time, additional shine, or additional nail polish wear. I wouldn't recommend this top coat unless average is what you are going for.

Lastly we have Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. This top coat and I have had a very long love hate relationship. I first got this top coat when there was a deal at Sally's when you bought a China Glaze polish you would receive a free Seche Vite. It's honestly one of the best top coats I have tried. However, it does have it's downfalls. 1) It's made with chemicals that can cause birth defects. When I think about this, it really creeps me out and makes me not want to use it. 2) It gets goopy after using it about half way through. It can be really frustrating trying to use this top coat towards the half way mark. I may need to try the Seche Vite restore. Those are the only two complaints I have about this top coat. The quick drying time, high gloss finish, and extended nail polish wear does outweigh the negatives though. I would definitely give this top coat a shot if you haven't already.

So what top coats are your favorite? I'm always up for trying a new top coat and would love to hear recommendations.

Blue & Purple Leopard Print Nail Art

Hey everyone! In my nail polish obsession tag post I said I was going to post about this mani that I'm wearing so that's just exactly what I'm going to be doing today. I had wanted to post swatches of the Noir nail polishes before posting this but I don't have the heart to take this design off my nails yet. So onto the post! Below are the tools and nail polishes you will need:

• 2 small nail art brushes - I got my set of MASH brushes here. 
• Black acrylic paint - Any brand will work. I just am using a freebie that I got from school.
• A base coat - The one I used is Noir All In One
• Two Colors - I used Noir in Splash & Miami Sunrise
• Top Coat - I used my all time favorite top coat Seche Vite.

First I applied my base coat and then two coats of the base color polish. I waited for that to completely dry before I moved on. After that I took the black acrylic paint and started with my leopard design. I just made small c shapes and added a few dots in between. I then filled in the c shapes with another color. I chose to do the opposite colors on the ring and thumb. Overall, I really like how this turned out. Usually I have trouble with any sort of animal print so I'm proud of myself for this one.

So what do you think of this mani? What colors would you do this in? Let me know in a comment below! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have an awesome day! xoxo, Carly