Best Nail Polish Base Coat [Review] in 2022

Give your nails some love and what better way to do that than buying yourself a base coat, it will prime and prep your nails so your nail polish can do wonders for longer.

But it’s a step we often miss out on or forget about, then we see chipped nails a day or so later and wished we spend longer and applied a base coat.

It’s a time-consuming and tedious task, who blames us for missing it out? But you will definitely notice the difference in spending a couple more minutes to apply a base coat.

I would argue that the base coat is the most important step, it will not only nourish, repair, and strengthen your nail underneath but it will also bond and be an adhesive to hold onto your nail polish to prevent chipping.

Base coats are strengthening formulas to repair weak and brittle formulas while protecting your nails from further damage, they are often packed with oils and vitamins to help nourish the nails.

It will also provide a smooth base, some on my will smooth out any uneven surfaces and dents in the nails that need filling to make sure you have the best and easiest application for nail polish.

Let’s dive into everything you need to know to get the most out of your manicure. 

Improves the longevity of your manicure: 

As your fingernails aren’t naturally sticky (shocker I know) it can be difficult for your nail polish to adhere to your nails, unless you use a base coat. 

 A base-coat is like a double-sided tape, they stick to your nails for dear life as well as the nail lacquer on top of it. This increases the longevity of your manicure while also preventing chipping. 

Often you will find that it makes nails much more flexible, less rigid, and more even overall to keep your nail polish from flaking off every time you go to do something.

Prevent staining: 

One main purpose of a base coat is to prevent the color from staining your actual nails. After using the most daring red color you definitely know you’ve forgotten the base coat when you remove the color then realize your nails have been stained red, it looks like a crime scene- we definitely don’t want that.

Base coats give you that extra protective layer to prevent nail polish pigments from staining the nail bed, if you don’t want oddly stained nails for months I would recommend investing in a good quality base coat. Especially if you love the darker, more vibrant colors.

Fills in ridges and uneven parts of the nail: 

Not everyone is blessed with smooth, silky nails and it can make our life much more difficult when it comes to painting our nails. Genetics, diet, medication, and certain diseases can cause your nails to become uneven and cause dents in them. 

It can become visible without a base-coat and can ruin your whole look, everyone wishes for that silky smooth finish. It can also affect the strength and stability of the manicure.

Buffing your nails is all well and good for smoothing out the surface but it can actually do more bad than good. Lucky for you this is what base coats are good at, smoothing the surface so you can have an easy application and flawless finish.

Base coats like ella&mila’s have ridge filling ingredients to smooth these bumps and uneven surfaces so it makes your job much easier when it comes to applying the nail polish.

Overall applying a good quality basecoat will improve the outcome and longevity of your manicure and prevent the most annoying chips, you should definitely add a base coat to your routine and the outcome will shock you.

Base coat vs top coat

We all hear we need to apply both the base coat but what’s the difference?

They actually serve two very different purposes, the base coat adheres to your nail, giving your nail polish a grippy surfaced to cling onto. Whereas the topcoat will provide a protective shell that absorbs any shock from catching your nails, to prevent chipping. 

If your base coat is slippery like the top-coat then your nail polish won’t stick and if the top-coat is too rubberized it wouldn’t be as durable. 

I would definitely spend a little bit extra to get yourself a base coat and top coat as buying one that’s a mixture of the two won’t be near as effective as having them both. 

What is the best base coat for nails?

There isn’t one single brand I can give you for this one, all the ones I have listed are great in different ways. For example, Maxus Nails Base Coat is perfect if you have brittle nails that need a bit of TLC while remaining super durable. It is also 11-free from harmful chemicals as well as vegan.  

But OPI is brilliant for holding up a strong shield to protect nails from chipping but also staining, it will extend the life of your nails while preventing your nails from odd discolorations. 

It is difficult to pinpoint which one is the very best as they are all slightly different and cater to different needs. But I can guarantee that each one on my list is the very best base coat for nail polish.

How many coats of base coat should I use on my nails?

Between one and two coats of base coat will be needed, with a lot of base coats you will only need one layer and that will be all you need. 

How long does the base coat take to dry for nails?

Usually, 1 to 2 hours to dry fully but you can start applying your nail polish after a few minutes- check out how long nail polish takes to dry.

In this guide today we have gone through the very best base coats, breaking down all the confusing features. Hopefully, we both have taken something out of this guide as to how important the step of priming your nails with the base coat is for the performance of your manicure.

Whether you’re here to fill in the ridges and mask imperfections or even to keep nail polish intact for longer without the pesky chips or peels.  

I hope this guide was helpful, choose from any of the selection today and I promise you, you won’t regret it. Your nails will never be the same again! 

Let’s stand out from the world and push the boundaries, getting the best results.