Good day, beauty lovers.  I recently read a blurb that suggested using white polish as base coat.  The article claims that it will make your polish stand out better than a regular base coat, and protect your nails in the same way a traditional base coat does.  I am skeptical about the protection angle, but why not?

I happen to have some white nail polish laying around.  Not long ago, the white nail polish trend hit and I decided I could probably do a white manicure on my own.  Boy, was I wrong.  The problem inherent in the white manicure is that the polish around the cuticles must be impeccable. Since I am more of a “wear light polish, flaws disappear” kind of person, the white nail polish experiment didn’t work out well.

Interestingly, white nail polish shows flaws around the cuticles even more prominently than colored or even black polish.  I know, it seems counterintuitive, but it’s true.  Hopefully, this experiment won’t end in me having wasted an hour just to dump a bottle of remover on my hands and restart.

I started off with Essie’s Blanc as my base coat.  Just a classic white, nothing fancy, probably meant for French tips.  The base coat goes on a little less than perfect, which I think negates the point of a base coat.  This does not bode well for the rest of my experiment.

The next two coats are my personal favorite New York manicure standby, Essie’s Hi Maintenance.  I usually use two coats of Hi Maintenance with a regular base coat.  Hi Maintenance ordinarily hides flaws very well, and when I use it with the gel top coat, can last for up to two weeks, depending on how fast my nails are growing.

Finishing up, I apply a nice, thick coat of Seche Vive Gel Effects Top Coat.  If you’ve read any previous blog posts, you’ll know that this is one of my absolute favorite products.  It preserves a manicure like a dream.  I seldom even have chipping, which is amazing because my nails take a beating during the week with all the typing I do.

After the gel top coat, I wait for about a minute and apply a drop of Orly Flash Dry to each nail.  This product is another awesome time-saver, as it sets nails immediately.  Though it doesn’t harden the polish completely, it does dry it, making nails less susceptible to smudges. The polish hardens within about 15 minutes.  It’s a life saver.

At the end of the day, I can safely conclude that I prefer a regular base coat. Though I might try the white nail polish trend again now that I have a bit of a steadier hand.

Cost and Where to Buy

You can find Essie’s Blanc and Hi Maintenance on the Essie website for $9.00 each.  Essie polish is also carried at Ulta, although there’s no guarantee that they will always have these colors in stock.  See my previous post for Seche Vive Gel Top Coat for a review and where to buy.  Orly Flash Dry is available at Ulta for $10.00.  It’s a little expensive, but at one drop per nail, one bottle lasts for a long time.

Summing Up

Ultimately, this experiment using white polish as base coat didn’t work out that well.  My nails chipped a lot, as white polish is likely not meant to be used as a base coat.  But it was worth a try!

Got a nail experiment for me?  Leave me a comment or message me here!