Nail Life: "Gripper" Base Coat, A Review

The Nail Life Gripper Base Coat retails for $6.99 at Sally Beauty Supply or $6.49 if you have a Sally Beauty Club Card. I purchased this when I ran out of my China Glaze base coat because the size of the bottle caught my eye.

Value/Size
Like it's counterpart, the Speed Demon quick dry top coat it is 1 fl. oz. of product which is double the size of a typical nail polish. Which means the $6.99 price tag is a little easier to swallow.

Formula/Application
The formula on this one is nice. It's thin and quick drying. I have used a good 1/3 of the large bottle and have had no drying or thickening of the polish at all. I feel the base coat leaves a nice, well, BASE on my nails and really does help to adhere the polish and make my manicure last longer. I always use this as my first step when applying polish.

Drying time
This is basically insta-dry. It adheres to the nail and by the time you coat all 10 nails you can go right ahead and apply your polish. No wait time.

Overall, as a base coat I'd recommend this product. It's similar to other base coats I have used (China Glaze, Orly) and it does what it is supposed to do. Dollar for dollar, considering the size of this thing I think it's your best bet on the market right now for a base coat. It's a straight forward product.

Have you used this product? What is your favorite base coat? Let me know!!


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Nail Life "Speed Demon" Top Coat: Review

Nail Life's "Speed Demon" polish dryer top coat is available at Sally Beauty Supply stores and online at Sally Beauty. It retails for $6.99 or $5.99 with a Sally Beauty Club Card.

Upon becoming frustrated with my beloved Seche Vite I decided to try something new. I use the Nail Life Gripper Base Coat (stay tuned for a review) and I love the size of the bottle so I decided to give this top coat a try. Why was I frustrated with the Seche Vite you ask? I absolutely hate the fact that once you're down to the bottom 1/3 or so of the bottle the formula becomes a thick, goopy, impossible to work with mess. So like I said, I picked this up to give it a try.

Value/Size
Now $6.99 or $5.99 might seem steep but this top coat is 1 fl. oz which is double the size of most regular polishes. So I think that's a good value and something to keep in mind when debating on what to purchase.

Formula/Application
The top coat is thicker than normal polish but not as thick as Seche Vite, if that makes sense. It goes on well and is never goopy. Sometimes, if I don't get enough on the brush, I do end up with streaks and apply a second coat, but I have a feeling that's more my fault than the product's.

Shine Factor
The top coat is high shine and leaves my nails looking great for days. I'd say the shine factor is pretty much the same as Seche Vite's.

Drying Time
This top coat dries very quickly, going from application to dent free finish in about 5 minutes (I suppose I should have done a more accurate timing because I am not entirely sure, but fast). 5 minutes to DENT FREE, less than 1 minute to dry and dentable. I think Seche Vite does have a bit of an edge with the drying time because I do feel that it dries very quickly to a dent free finish. It is comparable though.

Overall, I'd recommend this product. I love the large bottle and the product performs as promised. I think if Seche Vite didn't thicken so terribly at the end I'd choose it over this one but since it becomes virtually unusable without the help of a thinner I'd have to give Nail Life's "Speed Demon" a slight edge but it's really such a narrow margain that I can't even decide. I love both products. I wish Seche Vite was usable at the end because that quicker drying really makes me love it.

Have you tried Nail Life's "Speed Demon"? What did you think of it? What other top coats do you suggest checking out?

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