As you may know nails are one of my beauty obsessions: an area of my beauty regime I give that extra bit of effort. Up until recently Nails Inc weren't a brand I had any experience with but I was in need of a new base coat when I was shopping in Boots and had recently decided to give up on Salley Hensen after coming to a dead-end with researching their cruelty-free status. So to the Nail Inc counter I headed and picked up the Kensington Cavier Top & Base Coat for £18.
I've never had much luck with top coats; usually not finding any real benefit to the ones I have used. But since Nail Inc had box sets that allowed me to purchase one alongside a base coat - which I completely recommend if you want to wear dark or bright nail polish - I decided to go ahead.
The Kensington Cavier base coat is your average base coat with nothing to report on. My nails are naturally strong so I've never been in the position where conditioning is a necessity and I can't comment on whether or not this would make a huge difference for anyone with weak nails. I have continued to use this since I bought it in order to stop my nails from getting stained.
The Kensington Cavier top coat however was a slight catch-22, as it has a really good reason to use it but also a really good reason to never use it. It claims to dry in 45 seconds which is a complete exaggeration. However it does dry much quicker than any other nail polish I've ever tried so I'm free to do something other than sit my hands flat on a table for half an hour. It dries to a very smooth with a perfect finish which looks so professional and is perfect for an event when you want to look 100% perfect.
However my negative point about this top coat was its staying power. I've found that top coats can make nail polish more likely to peel rather than chip. The way this top coat would cause my nail polish to peel was ridiculous - I'd take a slight chipping over complete peeling any day!
Casing point:
Just fell off my nail. Boo!
The base coat I am still using and will continue to use until it's through however afterwards I think I will go back to a cheaper brand as I see no benefit to this slightly more expensive one. The top coat I use for special occasions when I want a really professional finish but don't need it to last any longer than that one night.
Both are clear once applied to the nail btw!
Both are clear once applied to the nail btw!
