Review: Essie No Chips Ahead Top Coat (Jane Approved)

If you follow me on twitter you would have been subjected to my constant raving about this product. I scored it at Discount Beauty Centre in Kings Plaza some time ago and I have fallen in love since the first time I applied it.

My search for a good top coat got serious after my most recent encounter with shallac. After removal my nails were weak and brittle and full of ridges. I decided to give myself a break and just use regular polish. Now, I'm no glamour queen - I cook and clean several times a week, and I have neither the dedication nor the time to repaint my nails three times a week. It just will not happen. 

So after my most expensive nail polish chipped on me only two days in I decided that I needed to go out and get a proper top coat. I first picked up the sally hansen insta-dri anti chip top coat in the red bottle. MASSIVE fail. I was sorely disappointed because Sally Hansen has always been my nail go to. With this top coat my nail polish was peeling off in chunks by the next morning. I chucked the bottle and made the plunge with Essie.

Now I am not used to paying $700 + for a bottle of nail polish especially when you can pick up Klean Kolours for $120 BUT I saw the reviews on Makeup Alley and thought if so many people loved it then it was worth a shot. So here's my breakdown:


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Application
The essie brushes are small and narrow so chances are you won't be able to goop this on. It forces the application to be thin and smooth. It feels a tad tacky - as in you may not even notice it. As soon as you apply it and it sets it kind of sets to a hard clear shell like an acrylic coat of paint - which is fantastic if you don't want your nails to chip.

Dry Time
This is not a quick-dry top coat at all. I would imagine that because it's so good at not chipping it needs time to set. I recommend painting your nails where you have an hour to set aside for dry time. It will feel dry to the touch within five minutes if so long, but you can disturb the polish if you apply pressure to it or dink it with something sharp before an hour is up. Dunking your nails in cold water won't help the process either. I haven't tried it with one of those fast-drying sprays though. This may bother some persons but I think it's worth the wait if I don't have to change my polish for at least another five days.

Durability
With cheaper nail polishes the top coat lasted a good five days without a single chip. After the fifth day I saw tiny chips at the top of the nails of my most used fingers. 
With my more expensive/quality polishes this lasted between seven and nine days. A full week!!! I love products that make my life easier!
This may last longer on you because like I said earlier I cook and clean several times a week as well wash my own hair and do laundry. If you don't do this or you do it with gloves on you could have a longer lasting time.

Cost
This is not one of those bargain products per se. You can find it in Kingston for between $700 and $850. So far, I have seen it at Discount Beauty Centre in Kings Plaza or The Beauty Spot in the Spartan Wellness Centre on Brompton Road.
Since my nailpolish can last this long I really have no reason to go to the nail salon so, when you really look at it I have saved myself some money because my at-home manicure can actually last.

Overall
Bottom line, I would repurchase this product and I highly recommend it to all my friends. The smell is not overwhelmingly powerful and it has a nice shiny finish. I consider this a super fave. Well done essie!


Have you tried this product? What was your experience? Leave a comment and let me know!

Till later,
**Jane

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The Nail Polish Colours You Should Be Wearing Now

Summer is almost here and its time to pretty up our tips and toes. So clear away your moody colours and reds and get out your neons, brights and pastels. Here are my my five favourite colours for this season:

1. Essie - Saturday Disco Fever
   
   
   Nothing says summer to me like bright orange toes. This will look great on all skintones. The color is from Essie's new neon collection and reminds me of last year's pantone colour - tangerine. I love it. It can be girly, it can be classy, it can be edgy. Super versatile colour. I wouldn't do this on longer nails though unless you're going for that more ghetto-fabulous vibe.

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2.  Klean Kolour - Pastel Purple

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There is such a thing as a neon pastel - and this is an example of that. Usually if you want your pastel colour to stand out you have to paint a white base underneath. But just one coat of this baby and it's opaque pastel brightness will wow you. I fell in love the minute I saw the bottle. It looks equally pretty on toes as it does fingers. And though Klean Kolours is on the cheaper end of the spectrum, this has very good lasting power - five days before a single chip. Run out and get it now.

3. Brucci - Luscious Lori

You can't quite capture the luminescence of this colour. It's a cross between a parrot blue and cobalt. I am not a blue person unless it's a dark dark blue. The formula isn't very smooth so you do have to work with it but the colour is opaque on the first coat. The colour is pretty close to essie's butler please but it has a little more depth to it. Luv.

4. Bruci - Kelly's Kool

I tried several times to capture this colour but it doesn't photograph well. It is a striking neon purple with an undertone of fuschia. Pretty, bright, girly colour. It's a tad sophisticated but still playful and flirty. Nuff said. 

5. China Glaze - Custom Kicks

Not the tiffany blue colour or the mint colour that everyone's been rocking, but a deeper, more modern take on it. Looks amazing on dark skin. It just screams Sunday afternoon barbeque by the pool to me. Close your eyes and imagine it - white shorts, staw fedora, blous-y yellow top?Yess....

And that's it my lovelies! What colour are you rocking this spring? Leave a comment below and let me know. ( All nail polishes bought from Woolworth Pharmacy in New Kingston Shopping Centre).

Till later,

**Jane

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