Vinylux Topcoat

So this is a prime example of a post I should've written months ago and just didn't...

I was really rather excited when the CND Vinylux range was first released.  For those of you who haven't come across them, they're basically supposed to be like gel polishes (i.e. should remain chip-free for a week) but you just apply them like normal polish, no curing required.  The apparent science behind this is that normal nail polish becomes brittle with sun exposure due to some chemical breakdown business (I'm a physicist, not a chemist!), but the Vinylux polishes contain something that apparently reacts with sunlight and becomes more durable with time, instead of brittle.

And yes, as a scientist, I am thoroughly ashamed of that shocking explanation.

So, I wasn't really particularly interested in the coloured polishes.  I've got so many normal polishes that I really don't want to start using some other type of polish (be it gel or vinylux) and have to rebuy every colour in that type of polish.  I was, however, very much interested in whether I could use the Vinylux topcoat over normal polish for a longer lasting manicure.

For my extremely scientific experiment, I decided to paint both hands the same, with Vinylux topcoat on one hand, and my usual Seche Vite on the other.  Here's how I got on!

I used OPI Natural Nail base coat, plus two coats of Cirque Planet Caraven on both hands.  This was my first mistake.  This was the first time I tried out this polish and it turns out it just does not flipping chip!  I can honestly say this is the first time I've found that a negative about a polish.  But anyway, left hand is Vinylux and right is Seche Vite.

Also, please excuse awkward right hand poses.  It hasn't had the same training as my left.

After 1 day:

 So far so good!  No chips on either hand.  Vinylux is maybe a little glossier than Seche Vite though.

After 2 days:

 Right...yes...still nothing of interest happening.

After 4 days:

 Well this was turning out to be super interesting...  It was at this point I decided I should've used a polish I know chips (Illamasqua, I'm looking at you!).

After 6 days:

 Hurrah!  We have chips!  The Seche Vite starts to lag behind the Vinylux, with a few little chips on the corners of the thumb and middle finger.  Vinylux is still going strong.

Frankly though, I wanted more chipping.  After 6 days of the same polish (one which I'd decided I didn't even like) I really wanted to change my manicure, but I needed something a bit better to show you than a couple of chipped corners.  So, I had a marathon dish-washing session and scrubbed the kitchen and bathroom.  And later on on day 6...

 So neither survived the cleaning intact.  Just one of the many reasons I don't clean.  But the Vinylux has clearly fared better than poor old Seche Vite.

Any because I wasn't leaving the house, I left it on for one more day.  So after a week, here's what the results were:

Not much change on the Vinylux hand from yesterday, apart from a chip at the base of my middle finger.  The Seche Vite hand has gone past the point of no return though (not that chips ever repair themselves...) and the chips inflicted by day 6's cleaning have got larger.

The conclusion?  Well...it appears as though Vinylux keeps your nails chip-free for longer than Seche Vite.  And certainly, until the cleaning there were no chips at all on the Vinylux hand.  The jury's still out, but I'll definitely have to give it a go again over a poorer quality polish!

If you are interested in purchasing the Vinylux topcoat, I picked mine up from Nail Polish Direct, but I believe I've also seen it on Amazon.  You can see the official spiel from CND here.