Favorite Fridays - Top Coats

Good Morning Folks! HAPPY FRIDAY! *Still watches a tumble weed blow by* Today I will also be starting a series called Favorite Fridays that was inspired from the lovely Jen from ThePolishAholic. She was able to show her viewers her favorite ways to maintain her life and her polish such as; how she stores her polish, how she gets that perfect swatch manicure, etc. (BTW Jen, you are fantastic!)

To me this is a good way for my future viewers to understand why I use certain products to achieve my stamping nail looks.

My all time favorite top coat is by far the "Poshe` Super-Fast Drying Top Coat". It meets all my requirements when I'm looking for a top coat. (Yes I have others.)

1. It drys quick.
2. It leaves a beautiful glossy finish.
3. It NEVER smears my Stamping Design. ***
4. It's chip resistant.
5. It doesn't have harsh chemicals.

I've used Poshe` for about 2 years now. I always get the bottles from the super nail supply store where it comes in a 16oz glass bottle. (I just refill my tiny bottle.)

I first purchased the Poshe` top coat at Sally's Beauty Supply after watching a review from Meliney on YouTube. The bottle is .5oz and it cost me $6.49 with my Sally's card. I was using Seche Vite prior to Poshe`. And it gave me the same results as Seche Vite without the toxic chemicals Formaldehyde, Toluene or Nitrocellulose. It drys fast, if not faster than Seche Vite with zero shrinkage to the nail tip that can cause chipping. Like any bottle of polish it will get thick as it reaches the end of the small bottle. Little bit of polish thinner helps restore to its normal consistence and I just add more from my giant 16oz of top coat when the bottle is empty.

I do use other top coats when I'm just wearing a regular manicure because sometimes if you use the base and top coat of the brand it makes a difference of the wear time. For example; If I am wearing China Glaze "First Mate" just to swatch the color, I will use China Glaze's Base and Top Coat. However, if I have a stamped image on China Glaze "First Mate" I will use the Poshe` Top Coat. Any future swatches I will use the top coat of the brand.

Another top coat that I favor is Seche Vite. This was my very first fast drying top coat. This top coat is also very good with stamping designs and drys really quickly. My only problem with this top coat is the harsh chemical and how it shrinks back the polish when it's drying and has my nail design chipping in less then two days. I would prefer to wear my designs a little longer then 2 days. (Though it doesn't matter because I'm always changing my polish.) Over all its a great top coat. You can also purchase this top coat at Sally's Beauty Supply for $6.99 with a Sally's card. Like the Poshe` top coat it will get thick but it starts to get thick at the middle of the bottle, not at the end. Seche Vite has its own brand called Seche Restore which is a thinner that should be used restore the consistency for this top coat. Again, the chemicals in the Seche Vite Top Coat and the Seche Restore works well with each other. Some brands work within it's own brand others you can use generic things.

Thats it for today's post, I really hope you enjoy this! And remember, its not easy to find the perfect top coat and everyone is different. Use what you think works best for you.