Sally Hansen Insta-Grip Fast Dry Base Coat Protect & Shine

Sally Hansen Insta-Grip Fast Dry Base Coat Protect & Shine

When it come's to base coats, Nails Inc Kensington Caviar is my usual go-to. It really works for me, my polish lasts alot longer and I never really end up with stained nails so for that reason I always make sure I have a bottle in my nail polish stash at all times. It's not the cheapest out there so to make my bottle last a wee bit longer I've been looking around for something cheaper that works just as good.

I'm a big fan of the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat so it was only a matter of time before I tried out a few more products from the brand. Insta-Grip promises to deliver longer lasting, flawless manicures & pedicures. It's enriched with calcium and nutrient rich anti-oxidants Pomegranate and Goji Berry to help nourish growing nails. My nails have been in a bit of a sorry state lately, as soon as I get them all the same length one will break then I have to file them all down and start over again. They peel, snap, bend, you name it they do it. I can't say if this base coat has improved the condition of my nails (I'm currently trying out a nail treatment) but I bought it in the hope that it might. Does it dry fast as promised? I don't find it dries any quicker than other base coats to be honest but whatever colour I decide to paint my nails seems to really grip on, hence the name.

Some nail shades out there just chip no matter what base/top coat you use but for the most part Insta-Grip has performed really well. Not only is it really cheap but it lasts almost as long on my nails as Nails Inc Kensington Caviar before chips start to appear. Gets a thumbs up from me! :)

What's your favourite Base Coat?

Have you tried this one?

Sally Hansen Insta-Grip Fast Dry Base Coat Protect & Shine is available from various online retailers but I bought mine from www.xtras-online.co.uk £2.99

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Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Instant Nail Hardener.

For some reason my thumb nails always seem to break/split when they reach a certain length, they dont even grow to the tip of my thumbs. I've always been an O.P.I Nail Envy fan and have used it for many years but decided to give something else a chance.. Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Instant Nail Hardener.

Described as 'The ultimate base coat, hardener, strengthener and repairer in one'. You can pick this up in Boots for £8.99, which I think is a bit steep but anyway. I was planning to do a review and see how it compared to Nail Envy but I've only used it once and dont plan on using it again. As instructed on the box, I used it as a base coat and painted my nails as normal with a colour I've used before and never had any problems with. Everything seemed fine for the first 2 hours but after that my nails just started chipping like crazy, the polish was coming off in clumps, huge cracks were appearing (think lightning bolts). I had to remove it after about 5 hours.

This claims to be an instant nail hardener but I didnt feel that my nails were any harder and cant comment on how hard it would make nails over time. Its also not 'The ultimate base coat'. Maybe it would work better for people who dont wear polish? If so then Sally Hansen really need to state that on the box.

I'm lucky and dont really have many products that I consider to be a waste of money but when something doesnt live upto any of its claims it really annoys me. Have any of you tried this before, whats your thoughts?