Tried & Tested: OPI Natural Nail Base Coat & Top Coat

Wednesday, 23 January 2013

OPI Natural Nail Base Coat & Top Coat Duo (2 x 15ml, £11, link)

I received this OPI duo for xmas and have been testing them out over the last few weeks.  As much as I love OPI's nail colours, I haven't experimented much with their manicure range (though I can say that their Nail Envy is pretty damn good!).  

I'm impressed with OPI's Natural Nail Base Coat because it simply does everything I want a base coat to do.  The formula is thin, dries quickly, doesn't have an offensive too-chemically smell, and it just makes a good, smooth base for your nail polish.  I've worn it under a few dark reds and blacks, and haven't had any major issues with staining either.  I wouldn't go as far as saying it's the holy grail of base coats yet, but it's certainly one I'd recommend trying out.

OPI's Top Coat on the other hand was rather disappointing.  It takes forever to dry and then proceeds to smudge badly if it isn't completely dry.  Plus it didn't help to prolong the wear of my nail polish either.  Skip it and buy Seche Vite instead.

Have you tried either of these?

[Follow me on:  BlogLovin' - Hello Cotton - Twitter - Pinterest]
Tags: , , , ,
Share
Next Post Next Previous Post Previous

22 comments

  1. Abbi23 January 2013 at 16:39

    I've been using the Sally Hasen base and top coat non-stop recently but it's starting to run low - these seem great and I'm tempted to try them!x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. E V E L Y N23 January 2013 at 17:00

      Let me know what you think if you try them Abbi :) x

      Delete
  2. Unknown23 January 2013 at 17:02

    I've used Nail envy and the Top Coat. I didn't have a problem with drying though because I also use the OPI by Sephora drying drops. I've never tried Seche Vite, I don't know where to get it in the states? I've read a lot of good reviews about it.
    ❤ www.sonandstar.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. E V E L Y N23 January 2013 at 17:11

      Are those drying drops really good? I've heard that you can get Seche Vite in lots of places like Sally's etc as it's made in the US but if you want to buy it online, Feel Unique stock it and do free international shipping :)

      Delete
  3. Been There, Done That, Got The Lipstick.23 January 2013 at 17:10

    I agree about the top coat. I had a mini of it but it took so long to dry and didn't seem to completely dry.
    xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. E V E L Y N23 January 2013 at 17:12

      Yeah it seemed to take like an hour to get even close to being dry :( xx

      Delete
  4. daniella-r23 January 2013 at 17:46

    I've been wanting to try Nail Envy for ages as my nails are pretty bad at the moment, I normally use a Sally Hansen base coat as they're pretty cheap and work reasonably well. I'll be sure to buy seche vite instead of the top coat though!
    Daniella x

    http://daniella-r.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. E V E L Y N24 January 2013 at 17:04

      Nail Envy is brilliant, I'd definitely recommend it!

      Delete
  5. Amy23 January 2013 at 18:05

    I have a mini of their Rapidry top coat and I think it's terrible! It's so difficult to spread over the nail and doesn't leave a very nice finish at all. I absolutely love their colour range though, they're top notch! xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. E V E L Y N24 January 2013 at 17:05

      I've used a mini of that in the past too - completely agree that it's terrible! xx

      Delete
  6. Sarah Lou23 January 2013 at 19:29

    I love OPI's base coat :) completely agree with you about the Top Coat, it's awful I found it picked up colour off the nail and dyed the product inside the bottle which was annoying so I stick with China Glaze's top coat xx

    Sarah @ sarahlouxo.com xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. E V E L Y N24 January 2013 at 17:05

      Yeah that's one of the problems I had with the Top Coat too, it's just rubbish! xx

      Delete
  7. Unknown24 January 2013 at 01:01

    I'm really bad with using base and top coats, I usually can't be bothered although I've been getting better recently! I really need to try Seche Vite out actually I've never used it! I had Nail Envy for about a month then the bottle smashed :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. E V E L Y N24 January 2013 at 17:06

      Oh no, poor bottle of Nail Envy! :(
      I'm a bit of a stickler when it comes to using base and top coats but once you get into the habit, you find that you end up always using them! x

      Delete
  8. All About Ali Mai24 January 2013 at 11:11

    Such a shame the base coat wasn't that great. I'll know to give this a miss. x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. E V E L Y N24 January 2013 at 17:07

      Yeah save your money and buy something else x

      Delete
  9. sleepandwater24 January 2013 at 12:30

    That's disappointing about the top coat! My favourite one is Sally Hansen Insta-Dri. For some reason Seche Vite looks slightly yellow on my nails and the smell is much stronger (chemical-wise) than the Insta-Dri. Good to know the base coat (and Nail Envy) work well though :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. E V E L Y N24 January 2013 at 17:07

      I've never experienced that with Seche Vite but agree that it smells SO bad! I might have to give the SH one a go when I finish my current bottle :)

      Delete
  10. Mishelles Sleepy Time24 January 2013 at 13:57

    Ooh the base coat sounds good! My friend said that the top coat sucks, so I'm glad you've confirmed her thoughts!
    x

    ReplyDelete
  11. Kimichanga7 March 2015 at 04:34

    is nail envy a better base coat??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. E V E L Y N7 March 2015 at 10:27

      It is if you have weak nails because it strengthens them, but it doesn't prevent staining as much as the OPI Natural Base Coat does so it depends on what your needs are? x

      Delete

Thank you for your comment! For a faster reply you can tweet me @beautywolfgirl

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )
Powered by Blogger.
© We Were Raised By Wolves ∙ Template by NatuRia Creative