Sally Hansen Double Duty Strengthening Base & Top Coat.
Now, this may seem like a rather boring product to choose as the subject of my first 'proper' blog post, but it truly is something rather special. If you're anything like me and have a tendency to bite your fingers when anxious, you'll probably find that nail polish lasts a ridiculously short time. I've found that even so called 'lasting finish' polishes that supposedly promise to stay put, only last a couple of days before looking simply dreadful. Chipped nail varnish is one of my pet hates, so it's quite annoying when it only takes a couple of days before I feel a compulsion to remove it.
However, this has sort of changed my life (cue melodrama). I didn't hold incredibly high hopes for this as a top coat really, given that I've used a few different ones and they haven't really made much of a difference to the actual staying power of polish. The fact that I went in so readily underwhelmed has probably made the performance of this product all the more amazing. With this, both under, and on top of my nail polish, it lasted an entire week, without even the slightest chip. I did think that this could be a bit of a fluke though, because the first polish I used it with was by Nails Inc. which I've found to be fairly hard wearing polishes anyway. So, I decided to try it with a polish that, on me, is incredibly prone to chipping: Chanel's Orange Fizz. Low and behold, another week without major chipping! This is literally unheard of in the world of my nails.
Another great thing about this, is that it's both a base coat and top coat combined. If you're at all like me, and really can't be bothered with carrying two separate bottles about with you, then this could be the answer. I feel like it's just as good a base coat as it is a top coat, protecting the nails from discoloration and the like.
What Sally Hansen say about the product: 'As a base coat, Double Duty smoothes the nail surface and helps grip nail colour for longer wear. Moisturising and nourishing Pro-Vitamin B5 promotes nail strength. As a top coat, Double Duty protects manicures with Nylon, a proven nail-building hardener. Nails are shielded with a hard, shiny, chip-resistant finish.'
What I say: Whilst this is a slightly more expensive option in terms of base/top coats (£5.25 from Boots) I personally feel that it makes all the difference to how long my nail polish lasts: a week long manicure is literally unheard of for me. I'm not so sure about whether or not it actually strengthens the nails, but as my nails aren't particularly brittle or weak, this probably isn't something I'd tend to notice anyway. I definitely recommend this if you tend to find nail polish staying power lacking.
Have you ever tried this? What base/top coats would you recommend? xx
