Review | KIKO Milano False Lashes Concentrate Waterproof Top Coat Mascara

Waterproof mascara is a must for me considering the extremely humid climate I live in. Unfortunately, not all mascaras I like come in a waterproof version and most of the time I end up putting them aside for this reason. 

Another issue with waterproof mascara is that I have heard people recounting times when they ended up with missing lashes after removing waterproof mascara so I'm afraid waterproof mascara is not for everyone...until now that is!

In my last KIKO order I got two tubes of their False Lashes Concentrate Waterproof Top Coat Mascara out of curiosity and I tried it out as soon as I received my package.

The product is presented in a black carton box and the tube itself is an electric blue chrome in colour - very apt for a waterproof product and it stands out so I like that. I just wish it didn't scratch away that easily. The wand has different sized bristles that enable you to coat all your lashes, even the smallest ones with this top coat mascara.

The product is actually a dense clear gel with no smell that you apply over regular mascara in practically the same manner and allow it to dry.

I have tried this top coat on a variety of mascaras from Catrice, Avon, Pupa Milano and Max Factor and the results have always been astounding - it really does turn them into waterproof versions! With certain brands, waterproof mascara can be a little more expensive so you could say that this product will save you some money as well! As a side note, I have not seen a difference as to length and volume of my lashes.

The KIKO Milano False Lashes Concentrate range has a variety of top and base coat mascaras to help you achieve different looks and all retail at €7.20 from the KIKO Milano website.

Review | Essence Gel Nails At Home Clear Gel Top Coat

A while back, Essence has launched the Gel Nails At Home system which comprises everything you need to have your nails done by yourself and still have that gel finish as in salons. I was intrigued to try the Clear Gel Top Coat as I had been looking for a good gel top coat at the time.

 

Gel top coats that work with regular nail polish are extremely hard to find but this one does just that! It is designed to work with any Essence nail polish (no gel polish needed) but you do need a UV lamp to cure it. You can also opt to buy the range's own LED lamp. Anyways, back to the Top Coat.

 

It is supplied in a coated brown glass bottle that holds 7ml of product and it also comes neatly packaged in a small carton box.

 

 



The consistency of this top coat is rather thick so always be careful not to overload the brush as if the gel top coat leaks onto the cuticles and nail wall, it results in the polish just peeling off after a couple of days. However, despite the consistency being thick, it easy to work with and doesn't end up thick on the nails. Furthermore, the brush is a good size too even for my narrow nail bed.

 

 

This top coat imparts a high shine look to any manicure and it stays like that throughout the time of wear, which on my natural nails is a week. After that, you can opt to peel off the manicure especially if you have used the peelable base coat; I prefer to remove the manicure with a gel polish remover though.

 

 

I have tested the top coat with various brands of polish and it still works brilliantly. All you have to do after curing it for 1 minute under the LED lamp (2 minutes under UV), is cleanse your nails with the nail cleaner to remove the tacky layer. Alternatively, you may opt to use alcohol instead.

I highly recommend this top coat and with its price tag of just €4 you won't break the bank for sure!

For a list of outlets stocking the Essence Gel Nails At Home system, check out the Essence Cosmetics Malta Facebook page.

Review: Born Pretty Store AODL UV Gel Top Coat

If you recall this review about one of Born Pretty Store's soak off gels, I had mentioned that I would have liked it more if the range had a top coat to go with it, so you can imagine my joy when I logged on the Born Pretty Store website to choose the next products to review and saw this gel top coat as part of the new nail art arrivals!! So let's have a look at the packaging first.  Basically the gel top coat comes in a white painted brown glass bottle (due to UV light sensitivity) and it has the basic polish brush applicator. I found that the brush is the ideal size as you only need a couple of swipes to cover the whole nail.

The consistency is thick but still very easy to work with, just be careful not to load the brush too much otherwise, the gel will slide onto the nail wall (skin surrounding the nails) and cause the polish to lift. Also, make sure to cap the free edge of the nail to ensure maximum wear. The topcoat does have a strong scent but it goes away once it is cured for 4 minutes under UV light.  It can be used on gel nails, acrylics and even natural nails! That means that now you can wear your favourite nail polish longer...two weeks to be exact as that is how long nail polish lasted on me with this top coat. After a week I started noticing a little tip wear on some nails but on the second week it was more evident so I took off my manicure.

Freshly applied polish with AODL UV Gel Top Coat

Tip-wear after 1 week

I also tried this to coat over glitter polish and it really smooths it out and removes that gritty glitter feeling. Moreover, rhinestones and other nail art embellishments last until you take them off yourself.

Glitter polish with AODL UV Gel Top Coat

It is important to cleanse nails with some nail cleaner to remove the sticky residue that the gel top coat leaves and also, make sure that the nail polish underneath is fully dry before applying the top coat as otherwise the nail polish will end up wrinkled. To remove, simply soak nails in some nail polish remover or else, you can use the foil removal method where you wrap a cotton pad soaked in polish remover around your nails and hold it in place with some aluminium foil and take everything off after a few minutes.

Overall I am really pleased with the results this top coat delivers and would definitely recommend it to anyone who doesn't have that much time on their hands to change nail polish regularly as well as anyone wanting a high shine finish to their manicure!

AODL UV Gel Top Coat retails for $10.10 from the Born Pretty Store website.

Get 10% off your order when quoting the code EBABK31 at checkout!

PR Sample

Review: Essence Cosmetics Top-Coats

Good afternoon lovelies :) I hope you're all well after the weekend :) Today, I have a review that is long overdue and now I have finally found some time to do it before I rest a little prior to heading out for night shift!

So I was looking for an alternative top-coat to try as I am always on the look-out for a new top-coat to see if it performs better than the previous one I had and I really wanted to try the Essence Better than Gel Nails Top Coat but sadly, I haven't yet seen it here in Malta.  Anyways, I still went on to buy an Essence top-coat and while I was at the pharmacy, I spotted three different ones and seeing they are really affordable, I decided to get one of each.  

The bottles are all pretty much the same; transparent and hold 8ml of product and the caps are all white.  As you can see from the picture, I got the High Shine Top Coat, the Quick Dry Top Coat and the Glitter Top Coat.  The High Shine top coat was €2.11 whilst the other two were priced €2.41.

All these apply really nicely as the consistency is neither too thick, nor too watery and the brush is a good size to work with.

The High Shine and the Quick Dry top coats are just regular transparent, glossy top coats but the difference between them is that the former dries really quick while the other one isn't quick drying at all!  It takes ages for it to dry during which time, it is very easy to smudge your nail polish.  So as not to let it go to waste, I use it to adhere rhinestones and nail decorations as only a small amount is needed.  However, I will definitely not re-purchase this again.  On the other hand, the High Shine top coat is my favourite and I use it constantly to extend the life of my manicure and give it that extra shine.  I will definitely buy this top-coat again and I totally recommend it to anyone who wants a good top coat but doesn't want to break the bank!

The Glitter top coat is also a favourite of mine and I use it whenever I want to add that extra sparkle to my manicure and also when I want to give my manicure some dimension.  The reason why I like this top coat so much, apart from the fact that it dries quickly and helps my manicure stay chip-free for a whole week, is that it is very easy to remove! Since the glitter in it is quite fine, it doesn't stick to the cotton pad and make a mess like other glitter polishes do and I always apply two coats of this to achieve an extra sparkly effect.

That's all I have to say on these top coats ladies and I especially recommend the High Shine and the Glitter Top Coats.  As for the non Quick Dry one, I'd say save your pennies lol.

Have you ever tried any of these top coats or any other Essence nail polishes ladies? Which are your favourites?

Review: Elegant Touch Diamond Protect & Shine Top Coat

I got this top coat a few weeks ago and now I am in a position to give a full review about it.

Compared to other top coats I previously owned, this one was more expensive (€8.30 ouch!!) so I was expecting it to be tough and do its job very well. On the box there was written that it protects nails from damage, contains diamond powder and prevents nail colour from chipping.

When applying the top coat I was amazed at the fact that it didn't smudge my nail art, not even a bit!! The brush also makes application easy as it is not too thick, not too thin, just right!

The nail polish did remain chip-free for 2 or 3 more days that usual so I give the top coat a thumbs up. Also, it gives a high-shine glossy finish to a manicure. When worn alone, it stays on without chipping for a whole seven days.

What I like about this top coat is although it is a bit expensive, it does its job and it contains 12.5ml which is quite a large format.

I'm still debating whether or not to buy it again though, mainly because of the price.

What would you suggest ladies?

Lara xoxo