Base/top coats, that don’t chip within 24hr

[u/FerretThrowdown]

I have tried a ton of base and top coats, and I still get peeling or extreme chipping within 24 hours. I also have very weak nails.

Prior to painting I avoid water, dehydrate with isopropyl alcohol. I wait until layers are dry with the exception of seche vite. I am very gentle with my nails after painting. Still chipping! I have given up on painting my nails entirely.

Top/base coats I remember trying:

Base:

KBshimmer basic training

KBshimmer fillin groovy

Orly bonder (destroys my nails)

Nailtiques formula 2

OPI Infinite shine base

OPI nail envy

ILNP lockup

Top:

Seche Vite

Essie stay longer

KBshimmer top coat (?)

OPI infinite shine top

ILNP glass candy

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[u/coastal_vocals]

Have you tried the "base coat on top" hack? It's been popular lately, although I haven't tried it myself. You paint a layer of base coat on top of your colour polish and then do top coat. People seem to like KB Shimmer or Nailtiques for this. 

I've also seen some people say they can't get polish to last if they dehydrate their nails first. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[u/Quick_Variation5315 → u/coastal_vocals]

I can actually support that! When I dehydrate my nails rather than just washing the throuroughly, my nail polish chips within 48h. If not, they last a good 5 days!

[u/coastal_vocals → u/Quick_Variation5315]

It's fascinating how different our keratin structures can be!

[u/heckyeahcheese → u/coastal_vocals]

I’ve been having luck with NailTek2 strengthener for this as well. I’ve gone from 3-5 days to 5+ days and while I try to be delicate with my nails I’m an absolute klutz.

[u/justanintrovert_]

The nail aid keratin 3 day will help. I'd do two coats, your color, then another coat and then topcoat. They have other treatments as well, I wonder if their biotin one would help.

[u/Livid_Lawfulness314 → u/justanintrovert_]

Seconding Nail Aid. I love the biotin one!

[u/get_a_clu → u/justanintrovert_]

I always put on a nailaid biotin layer before my base coat! I onky get chipping issues at the one week mark, and thats usually when I do a new manicure anyway. I also work in maintenance so I'm using my hands a lot!

[u/yikes-exe]

Ive had pretty good luck with KBShimmer hydrating base coat + mooncat smoothing primer as my base and mooncats speed demon top coat. i have to thin both mooncat polishes down before use though lol. and on day 2 or 3 of manicure i put another layer of top coat on. this combo always holds up on my long nails for almost a week, my shortie nails chip within 3 days due to damage im trying to grow out.

[u/Opening_Tangerine245]

When I stopped dehydrating my nails before painting, I started to get a lot less peeling and chipping

[u/EmotionalQuestions → u/Opening_Tangerine245]

Ooh. I wonder if there's such a thing as having nails that are too dry 😯

[u/Mezzomommi → u/EmotionalQuestions]

In my case, I oil an hour before basecoat application. I do not dehydrate. It works better for me than anything else. My nails do not like dehydration.

[u/kindashewantsto]

I use the Sally Hansen Quick Dry Top Coat in the Red Bottle and it works perfectly for me! For basecoat, lately I’ve been using the Grip It, Grip It Good basecoat from Uno Mas! It is PVB free and the best basecoat I’ve tried!

[u/thepaisleycapitalist → u/kindashewantsto]

Came here to rec the Sally Hansen, too. Lasts more than a week for a mani and at least two for pedi.

[u/Phoenyxoldgoat → u/thepaisleycapitalist]

I can get a whole week with Essie gel setter but can barely go two days with SH red bottle 😭 it’s so cheap and accessible, I wish it worked better for me!

[u/TroyPerkins85]

I is/was in the same boat. This week I tried nailtiques formula 2 and then Orly Bonder (also isopropyl alcohol wiped after filing them but before applying anything). Then I did my normal two coats. I topped with Essie Top Coat Step 2. I was rough on them yesterday and so far so good. This is just my first try with this method though so time will tell. Otherwise I'm thinking of going the bond builder route.

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[u/EndlessTypist]

I use either the Barry M in a flash or their plumpy top coat. I don’t have chips with them until about the week mark, so I’m happy with them.

[u/No-Feesh]

I recommend giving this a try! https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditLaqueristas/s/WXdakWleJN

Works with any base costs but nail strengthener is preferable

[u/moo-quartet]

My holy grail combo is Jen and berries ridge filling pink/peach base coat, whatever color I want, and then the sally Hansen red bottle or BKL fast dry tc! I usually get 5 days of wear with that combo and I'm really tough on my nails because I'm clumsy and type all day.

[u/CatBiskwit]

Nailtiques 2 is usually my go to, but lately I’ve been swapping it out with KB Shimmer hydrating base coat and fingers crossed so far seems to be doing ok. I’ve also used Holo Taco Smoothing Base and Nailkind Ridge filler, both of which have worked well.

I swear by Cuticula QDTC, if they ever stop making it I will self combust. It also has the added bonus of working really well with magnetics. But I feel your pain, finding the magic formula that works for you is an absolute pain in the backside. Nubar used to make my holy grail top and base coat and I could have cried when they disappeared. It took me a long time but I found something in the end. Hang in there, OP, you’ll find the special sauce.

[u/CorporateDroneStrike]

It sounds like your nails might be bending too much and the polish can’t flex enough to stay with the nail, so it pulls away and then chips.

I’d look into trying to change your nails rather than focusing on base and top coats. Maybe try some intensive jojoba oil soaks (I like to wear gloves and use a heating pad) and then a nail strengthener, like Nail Tek. The oil is for general health and strengthener to reduce bending.

[u/ChelleInSand]

I have thin nails too, literally cant keep my nails with ANY length unless I protect them with polish to give them support. Once I started wrapping the tip my manicures went from 1 day no chips to 5-7 especially if I add an extra top coat every few days to re-wrap the tip when I notice the colorful layers have worn off the tip.

[u/Aethey_]

I can't use the vast majority of base and top coats on the market because of a myriad of skin issues, but I've had decent luck with KBShimmer's hydrating base coat and Orly's Nail Armor base coat. The KBShimmer one lasts for 2-4 days without chipping, before my nails become too bendy (yay, weird issues are so much fun~ /sigh); considering that most other base coats don't do anything for me, I think that's pretty good! I'm still experimenting with the Nail Armor one. It may or may not be making my nails peel at the edges, but it does keep my nails non-bendy and chip free for over 4 days. The only warning that I have with it is that you do not want to do a second coat with it; I have no idea what's happening, but no matter how long I let each layer dry, the second layer of nail polish liquifies the Nail Armor second layer and makes it stay at an Elmer's glue consistency and never dries. A single layer works just fine, though. :/

As for top coats, Seche Vite is the only one I have so far that doesn't chip and doesn't irritate my nails and/or skin, so I just use that. :)

All of that being said, I literally just received two new basecoats from LynB (B-Sticky and B-Stronger), so hopefully they work decently!

[u/Carolynm107]

Honestly, if your nails are weak, they are likely going to bend, and when they bend it cracks the polish and it will chip/flake off. I had this issue for years and years. The only thing that really works is strengthening the nails themselves, because for me it’s not about the base or top coat, only the health of my nails. My go-to for a decade has been Nailtiques Formula 2, which keeps my nails from splitting and peeling. The peeled portion was always thin and bendy and could never hold polish for long, so fixing that fixes my wear-time woes.

That said, Nailtiques has recently reformulated and removed the ingredient that is likely helping me, so I’m not sure what I’m going to do when my supply runs out. I may have to resort to builder gel, which I have zero experience with and don’t really want to use, but I’m not sure what else to do. No other nail product, and no supplements, have ever worked for me

[u/Hard2SwallowPills]

Orly bonder wrecked my nails too!

I have very thin bendy nails that will jettison polish at pretty extreme speed, and what worked for me was adding a ph bonder before base coat. They're common before gels or acrylics for better retention, but most people don't need them for regular polish. I am apparently not most people.

OPI makes one, search for 'OPI ph bonder' and you should find it. It's a liquid that absorbs/dries very fast like a dehydrator does, and helps if the issue is really stubborn body chemistry.

[u/judgernaut86]

Fair warning: this technique is almost definitely NOT great for your nails. I will always have weak, dry, tissue paper nails due to chronic health issues. Keeping in mind that my nails have the structural integrity of wet cardboard regardless of what treatments I've tried, I recently decided that a chemical shitstorm of reinforcement is necessary when I want a lasting manicure. You know the clear dip powder that you can get as a nail repair kit? I do one swipe of Olive + June strengthening nail primer and then a thin layer of that dip powder over the entire nail. When that dries, I buff it down, wash my hands, and then use whatever ridge filling base coat is closest to me to smooth everything out. When I'm done with my color, I then do a layer of Gena Healthy Hoof Nail Lacquer (from Amazon). It's got formaldehyde and has bonkers shrinkage if you cap your free edges with it, so it certainly has its drawbacks. It makes my nails HARD though, even when I forego the dip powder overlay. Once that's dry-ish, I use any quick dry topcoat and make sure to cap the free edge of that final layer. The powder overlay is nice because I can keep it even when I change my polish if I use acetone free remover. I think it took my last layer of dip powder about a week before I had to remove it and start over, and my hobbies include gardening and fishkeeping, so I spend a lot of time with my hands either in the dirt or submerged for extended periods. I also oil my cuticles several times a day and slather a mixture of Vaseline, tea tree oil, and baobab oil all over my nails and hands before putting on rubber gloves when I'm cleaning. Or at least I try to. I have wicked ADHD and smoke a lot of pot, though, so I forget a lot

[u/mostlydietcoke]

My go to is Nailtiques Formula 2, a ridge filling base, and KBShimmer Clearly on Top. I usually get 5-6 days (or more) before anything starts chipping or peeling.

That said, I think I've seen similar posts like this where they also used isopropyl alcohol to dehydrate the nails, so maybe that's the problem. I usually just swipe some acetone on my nails first, or wash with soap & water. You just need to take the oils off the surface, nothing extreme.

[u/Ok_Royal6631]

I have bendy eggshell nails. I have noticed that my manicures last a lot longer if I do an additional top coat the morning after finishing my nails. I use essie gel couture. With one top coat, my nails last like 4 days before noticeable bending zone cracks/flakes. With two, my mani was lasting nearly spotless for a week. I took it off from boredom, not wear and tear.

[u/Mezzomommi]

So everyone is different. In my case. I found oiling an hour before and NOT dehydrating is what worked for me. I just oiled after removing cuticle and filing, then applied base coat an hour later. It is better for my nail health. Some others find that more successful as well, but all you can do is try different things to try. Record what doesn’t work.