Believe the hype! Illamasqua's base coat is now my only base coat. My purchase was off the back of reading reviews on the Internet (the Sephora product page has a good few) after interest was sparked when purchasing nail varnish from the Illamasqua online shop and I am glad I placed trust in these.

The product texture is somewhat creamy, but not thick and gloopy: when you apply and in the bottle it is a milky colour but it dries completely clear. Like all Illamasqua nail varnishes I have used so far it just glides on and evens out. It creates a very protective and smooth base on the nail. Definitely worth £10.00. Say bye-bye to stained nails! I repurchase whenever I am running low. I use the Illamasqua online shop and the Selfridges London counter to purchase all of my products but my last base coat purchase I used ASOS and took advantage of their free Super Saver delivery - tip for UK Illamasquas!

Typical sleek and shiny black embossed Illamasqua packaging. Bottle is square. I have no qualms with the square lid but the option to remove this cap is very useful for any awkward maneuvers.

A surprise great discovery. This brand has great polish colors but - at least for me, with my 2 purchases - they were goopy, thick and hard to manage. I thought perhaps the line's own base product might help things. It did. But it's also turned out to be a great base overall and I find myself choosing it over the lineup of other better-known products - Lippman, OPI, Anchor, Stickey, etc. - in my cabinet.
What makes it work: it beautifully covers ridges and leaves a very smooth undercoat, plus it seems to hold polish very well and for a crazy long period of time. I'm normally rough with polish but whenever I use this - with various brands of color - the coverage lasts at least 2x as long. I use either a Lippman topcoat or Seche Vite but since I've used them for years, I can only attribute this hold and finish to the base.
The product's in a clear bottle and has a milky pink color. No color shows up on the nails.
I originally bought a few items in the Illamasqua line only because I thought their colors/products were interesting and it was new and different. But to a product, I've found the quality to be terrific. This doesn't disappoint.