Matte topcoat comparison

I want to like matte nail polishes. I think they look really funky on some of the blogs that I follow, but every time I get one on my nails there's just something about them that just don't look right to me. But I am going to keep on trying.

I do know that one of the things that bug me is the lack of a topcoat. A regular topcoat on matte nail polishes will, obviously, cancel out any matte properties the polish has. But I simply cannot do a manicure without a topcoat - maybe a touch of OCD in me, but I NEED a topcoat.

Here's where matte topcoats come in. Now, I can put a topcoat on some of my matte and suede polishes and help with the OCD all at the same time! Plus - a matte topcoat on shimmery or duochrome polishes will allow some of that shimmer to show through in a very cool way.

I recently purchased some matte topcoats, and I wanted to try them out. My last manicure is now 4 days old (and actually holding up really well, minus some minor tipwear) and I'm getting antsy to get new colors on my nails. So I decided to test the matte topcoats over Chanel Strong.

I tested three matte topcoats: Essie Matte About You ($10.00 - Ulta), Hard Candy matte topcoat ($5.00 - Walmart), and Seche Vite matte finish nail treatment (I bought this awhile ago, I think it was $10.00 at Ulta).

Middle finger - Essie Matte About You

 

 

Ring finger - Hard Candy

Pinky finger - Seche Vite matte finish nail treatment

My pointer finger was left untouched for comparison. I think of the three that I tried, the Essie Matte About You had the most mattefying (is that a word?) effect, followed closely by the Hard Candy matte topcoat. The Seche Vite gave the color a satiny finish. The Seche Vite bottle indicates that it is a "matte finish nail treatment" - so I'm not sure if it is an actual topcoat, the it only slightly flattened out the color.

I think Essie's Matte About You would be the best choice for your matte topcoats of the three I've tried here. But, at the price, you can't go wrong with Hard Candy, that is if you don't mind venturing into Walmart at this time of year!