Round 1 Wasn't a Bonding Experience

The gel-like basecoat was far from a success. After about a day, I started peeling. I even tried starting over on Sunday but by Tuesday I was chipping. By Thursday I had large sections of color missing. My nails themselves seem to be intact. I'm convinced that it's a bonding problem at this point. At least Round 1 was only a $5 experiment.

Generally, the color on my toes stays chipless for about 2 to 3 weeks and still look good. I just do two coats of OPI color and a top coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat.

I cruised Ulta quickly this morning looking for a new basecoat. I originally was going to try Poshe's basecoat but changed courses when I found something that focused on bonding, China Glaze's Strong Adhesion Base Coat. I did pick up Poshe's topcoat since it’s been the rated top for the last few years and thought I might also try switching to a new topcoat. I also used the shopping opportunity to feed my nail polish addiction by picking up a few extra OPI colors including one with actual diamond dust in it. Definitely a bit of a premium for this one, but considering I have a penchant for diamonds, who could resist? The ingredients actually list "diamond dust".

So this time I'm trying a two part experiment. I started with 2 coats of China Glaze’s basecoat (as per instructions), 2 coats of color and then 1 coat of topcoat. On my left hand is Seche Vite and on my right hand is Poshe. Both are considering quick drying and high shine so I don't look lopsided. I also tried some light filing to make sure I had no unnecessary edges and a slightly roughed up surface. Ok, I'm not a real scientist considering I've introduced too many new testing variables into the equation, but you can’t blame a girl for trying. At least it's a good day to open the windows and watch TV. Cinemax is running something the Star Wars series over and over so needless to say I'm glued to the TV.

OPI colors for the week are: Who Comes Up With These Names (light chocolate) on fingernails and It's My Prague-ative! (reddish) on toes. I don't think I clash as badly this week. The color undertones are somewhat closer.

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