If you're a regular reader, you know that I have a hard time with nail polish chipping within a day or two of application. I've been looking for a miracle topcoat for a long long time, and feel like I've tried just about everything. In order to prolong the wear of my polish for even an extra day or two, I have to buff my nails with a file to roughen them up before I polish them, and make sure my nail beds have been cleaned with either nail polish remover or Formula X by Sephora nail cleaner. Even the Formula X system stays looking good for just a couple of days.
So when I saw a new product by Sally Hansen at my local Walgreens, I thought I'd give it a try since I had nothing to lose. It's called the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel, and claims to be “a breakthrough in gel polish.” “The only true 2-step gel manicure with no light needed.” It sounded too good to be true! So I picked a color, got the package that came with the gel topcoat, and brought it home to give it a try.
The name of the color I got was Birthday Suit. I actually didn't have anything like this in my collection!
It says to use two coats of the polish followed by one coat of the topcoat. This color was so light, though, that to get the opacity I wanted, I had to use three coats. It applied very nicely and smoothly despite the three coats I had to use. I was impressed! I would say after the topcoat was applied that the drying time was pretty average. I took pictures of both hands after my nails were dry, and will show you guys what they look like after one week.
I painted my nails on Tuesday July 8th, and here is what they looked like on Tuesday July 15th:
That's my right hand. I accidentally melted the polish on the tips of my middle and ring finger with my styling wand, so keep that in mind! Haha!
The tips of my left hand didn't start peeling until about day 5 or 6. I wish I'd taken a picture before that happened to show you guys how good they looked.
For me, this formula lasted a LOT longer than the average polish and topcoat. I am really impressed by how well it stayed on my nails, considering the trouble I always have. For someone with normal nails, I bet this would look great even into week 2!
The only thing I wonder about the topcoat is if it can be used with other nail polishes and stay just as long. I have a feeling the formula is designed for the polish and topcoat to work together, but I still want to try it with a color from my collection. I have SO much polish that I just can't go out and buy the same colors in this formula! I need to find a way to use what I have and make it last. There's one more topcoat I saw on a blog or in a haul video that I want to try and review for you guys. I actually forgot what it's called, but if I get it, I'll report back on it for y'all :-).
Have any of you had experience with this formula? How did you like it?
Do you have a holy grail topcoat that you think I should try?
Any secret home remedy methods to make polish stay on longer?
Leave me a comment below, and I'll let you know if I've tried it. Have a great weekend!!
Happy Trails!
Stacey
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Birthday suit is the only color I’ve tried so far and my nails look about the same as yours (day 6 currently), but I can’t get anything else to hold on my nails either so this is a huge improvement.
I’m using my 2 year old as a guinea pig for the top coat over other polish. We painted her nails on 7/20 in 3 shades of OPI polish and 1 shade of a really cheap polish (I think it was Pure Ice or something similar)- she likes the alternating colors look 🙂 . It’s 7/22 so she’s on day 3 and only has minor chipping. Keep in mind this is a 2 YO that typically has half the polish gone on day 2. So it seems to make a big difference even with non-miracle gel colors.
That sounds promising! I painted my nails yellow on Sunday with a Zoya color with the gel topcoat. And I have significant chipping on at least half of my nails today. I’ll have to try a few brands/colors before I have a real idea of how it works. Different formulas, textures, etc, you know. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Hi! I picked up the Miracle Gel Top Coat along with Rosey Riviter this afternoon and have been scouring the web for tips, tricks, and info concerning how to best use this product. I’m hoping for almost Shellac results. Your nails look great and I think Rosey would look great with your skin tone too. The shade isn’t like any I have in my somewhat excessive collection.
Have you tried Seche Vite dry fast top coat? Such an awesome product! It dries quickly and super hard while giving maximum shine for days on end. I’m a busy mom of two, a tween and toddler, so my nails take a beating! Seche Vite is great and I hope SH Miracle Gel is even better. Thanks for the post!
Hi Amanda! I have tried Seche Vite. My polish still peels off in sheets. Thanks for the suggestion, and for stopping by!
Hey I came across your website because I was wanting to know about the miracle gel. I’m always trying to find ways to make my nails look decent for a week. I have tried a method that seems to work great for me I usually clean my nails first with polish remover buff them then I’ll rinse and dry my hands apply a base coat of Gelous( found it at Sally’s beauty supply) apply my polish 2 coats then use seche vite top coat.
Hi Jennifer, thanks for stopping by! I’ve never heard of Gelous, but I definitely want to go pick some up now! I’ve used Seche Vite before and i still had polish peeling off. Maybe it was the lack of a base coat and good nail prep….thanks so much for the suggestion!