A while ago I started experimenting with nail products as I had lots of unanswered questions about whether you could mix certain products with others. I have spent hours trawling the internet to try and find answers and I figured that there must be others out there who had the same unanswered questions as me, so I decided to do the experiments myself and report back on them in a feature I call...drumroll...Nail Mythbusters!
The Experiment: Today I'm looking at what would happen if you put OPI Axxium No Cleanse UV Top Sealer on top of nail polish.
Usually this product is applied as a finish to OPI Axxium Gel and it produces an amazing glossy finish which I have struggled to get from any other polish top coat. As usual I had tried to find out the answer by looking online but had no luck at all. I wanted to know if it would help a manicure to last longer without chipping, whether it would provide the amazing gloss that it does in gel extensions and whether the overall effect would be as good as a gel polish manicure.
About half way through the curing process, I took my hand out of the UV lamp to see how it was looking. It looked great, really nice and glossy, so I put my hand back under to finish. When I removed my hand after the full 2 minutes I noticed a little crinkling. The finish wasn't as smooth as it should have been but the glossy finish remained. I put the polish under a bit of strain by picking at the sides and was surprised to see that it started to chip (not as easily as standard nail polish alone, but still quicker than properly prepped and applied gel overlays or gel polish).
The conclusion; Although it sort of works, I wouldn't recommend doing this. It just doesn't look that good. I like my nails to have a super smooth and glossy finish, and I would rather spend a few minutes extra having a gel polish manicure or pedicure.
