Sally Hansen • Mega Shine Top Coat • Top/Base Coats

Where To Buy?

ambiguouslove on 5/21/2013 12:25:00 AM more reviews by ambiguouslove

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight   Eyes: Brown    

i've tried a few top coats and some of them i did not like because i experienced shrinkage. however this one does now. i've compared it side by side with some of my other top coats and its the shinest one. i find that it doesn't necessarily extend the life of my polish or keep it from chipping but its great for the shine. however one other note, i don't think its quick drying at all, but its not really marketed as a quick dry top coat anyway. i would consider rebuying this product when i run out.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

materialface on 3/21/2013 10:47:00 AM more reviews by materialface

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

- This could be one of the better drugstore topcoats, but its not the greatest. I bought this one based on word of mouth that this is a good top coat.
- It has a good consistency and it hasn't dried up on me like Sally Hansen's strengthening multi-coat. I've had this one for approx. one year
- For abour $4.99 CAD, this is an overall GOOD top coat.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

Yellobrix on 3/11/2013 8:06:00 AM more reviews by Yellobrix

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Grey    

Best use = application over polish that has already fully dried.

I applied Sinful Colors in Vacation Time around 10am. Went to bed around 11pm, so the original polish had 13-ish hours to dry - still woke up with hashmarks from the sheets - so annoying!

I then applied the Mega Shine around noon the following day, which immediately removed/disguised the damage! The polish looked AWESOME. The original polish was applied now 5 days ago and other than some tip wear, looks nice. I really want to paint them a new color, but I'm committed to seeing just how long this application will last.

Also, I had 9 day old red creme polish on my toes - added the Mega Shine yesterday and within 3 hours needed to put on sneakers - the polish was completely dry and the socks & shoes haven't left a single mark.

As most people have noted - the bottle is terrible. There's no telling how much is left, so if you were right in the middle of application and suddenly discovered it was gone or too thick with age, that would not be cool. A clear bottle, or at least a strip open along the edge would solve this one issue.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* thecharm on 2/23/2013 1:19:00 PM more reviews by thecharm

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Coarse   Eyes: Blue    

Nail products are, mysteriously, like mascara, super, super subjective. One person's ideal top coat, polish, or base coat may not work for another and may even cause serious problems. In my search for a holy grail top coat, I pooh-poohed Sally Hansen for a while, using lots of Poshe and Seche Vite, but ultimately SH Insta-Dri and Mega Shine really won me over. In my experience, Mega Shine is somewhat like Barielle manicure extender. It's great for prolonging wear time, but it doesn't dry multiple coats of polish super quickly. If I have the time, I wait for my polish to nearly-dry before using Mega Shine. If I don't, I use SH Insta-Dri. In any case, I apply Mega Shine every subsequent day or two of my mani to keep my nails super glossy and protect the coat. It doesn't shrink on me and I can get days out of finicky dark cremes with only slight tipwear. Mega Shine doesn't drag on the nail and has my favorite type of brush: flat, rather wide, but not the widest I've seen. My only issue, and it's a big one, is that the opaque bottle renders it impossible to tell how much topcoat is left in the bottle. A clear, rounded bottle would be much less annoying as it runs low.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

starrywingz on 11/19/2012 10:26:00 PM more reviews by starrywingz

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

Have you ever looked at your nails and wished that you could shellac them? I have. My nails always chip during the first day no matter what I use. This was the answer to my problem. I find it to be rather quick drying. Ok, so it isn't as fast drying as Seche Vite or Insta-Dry but it is pretty fast and it works better. I slightly buffed my nails, applied a base coat, two coats of nail color, and used this top coat. The results were strong, chip free nails. It also gives my nails a nice shine. The shine is not over the top but it works for me. I found this lil beauty hiding in the bottom of my nail polish bin. I forgot all about it. I have rediscovered it and now it is my "go to" top coat.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

goldandrubies on 10/13/2012 2:52:00 AM more reviews by goldandrubies

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Tan   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

This is a basic top coat that happens to be shiny. It is NOT as fast drying as the package states and it did an OK job of making my manicure last for about two days. I wouldn't buy it again because I like the Sally Hansen Insta Dry top coat better. It dries fast with no shrinkage.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

spyglassweb on 10/6/2012 11:15:00 AM more reviews by spyglassweb

Age: 44-55   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Hazel    

not sure why the reviews are so low on this product. I think it is amazing! I am hard on my nails and my polish lasts for at least 5-7 days. Sometimes I put a second coat on 3 days in to get to the seven days. The shine is OK, not super shiny, but I like the amount of shine I get. The biggest plus is the staying power and also my week nails grow a little longer when using this product. Definitely, worth a try and not very expensive ,

Also, I am not sure why the other women are having the problem of streaking and messing up their polish. I use a very thick coat and kind of let it glide on, like they do in the salon. I can see it disturbing the polish below if you use a thinner coat where the brush is scraping the polish, but that would happen with any top coat

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

loopymonkey on 9/15/2012 1:47:00 AM more reviews by loopymonkey

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Other    

I've picked this up for £3 in The Factory Shop. I was a choice between this and Kwik Dry and after reading the reviews on the latter I'm glad I picked this.
I've only been using this for a short time but I love it. I usually just use a clear polish and I can really tell the difference using this. I don't think it gives any extra shine but I purchased for it its chip resistant qualities anyway of which I am impressed with, I just hope it stops my Sinful Colors polish from chipping so quickly.
The packahing is opaque so you cant see how much product you have left but other than that I'm happy so far.
*edit* *edit* *edit* *edit*
Its hard to tell how much I have left as you cant see through the bottle but Im guessing I'm pretty low on it as I have to tilt the bottle to get any product and I plan to buy it again. Yes it had gone gloopy but it still works well and my initial comment on it not giving much shine was hasty, some of my polishes look like gels after applying this. I just wish I could see how much product was left.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

Jacinda73 on 7/18/2012 10:57:00 AM more reviews by Jacinda73

Age: 36-43   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Black    

I have mixed reviews of this product. I used to live by it. I am obsessed with doing my nails and getting just the right products. I came across Mega Shine years ago and never looked back. It corrected any minor mistakes on your 2 coats of color. Any bubbling, streaking etc you may have had seemed to just disappear when you applied this top coat. You also didn't have to wait for your polish to dry like you do with most top coats. It dried in minutes and the shine is incomparable. With that being said it seems something has changed in this last year. I buy this product quite often because it does get a little thick after a month so I would run out and get more so I will always have some on hand. The last 5 or 6 times I have purchased this it has destroyed my work every time. It's applying way to thick & the bubbling is ridiculous. I'm not sure if they changed the ingredients or the composition....whatever, but, something is definitively different with this product. I think that is why the reviews have have been changing. I don't want to give up on it. At first I thought maybe the bottle I bought had been on the shelf to long, but, it continued to happen. I never thought I would say this, but I think I need to find a new top coat.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

VintagePro on 7/9/2012 8:42:00 PM more reviews by VintagePro

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

This stuff is the BEST way in the world to ruin a perfectly good manicure.

Having read all the other reviews, I applied this in a thick coat. I got streaking, bald spots, and wrinkling. Oh, and outrageously HUGE shrinking. A complete disaster.

I wanted to give this one a completely fair shot, so I removed my nail polish and started over. I applied polish to one nail and waited several hours so it was completely dry. I didn't get the wrinkling, but it streaked and shrank again.

There may be some trick to getting this stuff to work like those who give it such positive reviews say it does, but it's totally not worth the effort. A good product ought to work with ease. Any product this hard to learn to use is a dud in my book. If I could give it -5 lippies, I would.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* frezgirl on 7/7/2012 1:31:00 PM more reviews by frezgirl

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Red, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

THIS DRIES QUICKLY, BUT YOUR NAILS MAY LAST YOU 2 DAYS IF EVEN THAT!! SECHE VITE IS STILL THE BEST ONE IVE USED.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

gabba on 6/18/2012 9:52:00 PM more reviews by gabba

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Coarse   Eyes: Green    

It really is the best. I love shiny nails, who doesn't? It leaves your nails looking a million bucks. When combined with a nicer polish like OPI it does last pretty well. Also want to mention again, I love that shine. It has real diamond and platinum powders in it which is cool enough on it's own.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

whitneyst on 5/24/2012 7:15:00 PM more reviews by whitneyst

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Very Dry, Fair   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I had purchased this because I was in desperate need of a top coat since I had run out. The price I had paid was around $8-9 at duane reade, which is a little bit on the expensive side considering this is a drugstore products. ( the price varies fro different drug stores)
The application of this top coat is really smooth, and i like that it is not super thick. (however after a couple weeks did get slightly thicker) I also really like the wide flat brush, which makes application very nice. The finish of it was super glossy and dried within a minute just like the packaging said.
However, there are downsides. The first one is the bottle itself. I hate that the bottle is completely opaque, which means you can't see how much product is left in it. Another one, is that although it says it can last "up to 10 days", it does not. I personally, change up by nail polish quite a lot so this isn't a problem, however it might be for some people. It makes my nail polish peel after about 3-4 days. It also starts to wear away at the tip.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

tahiti1 on 5/21/2012 3:53:00 AM more reviews by tahiti1

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

While I like the shine quality and durability, I had problems with using this on top of certain polishes -- it changes the color. It turns my favorite pink polish a streaky purple. I can't figure out why it works well with some polishes and not others. So I am giving this mixed reviews.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

valeria_l on 5/8/2012 4:12:00 PM more reviews by valeria_l

Age: Unknown   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

I have been buying this for years. It gives a wet look to your polished nail and it makes the polish dry faster. I've never had any peeling issues. Any chipping I get is from the polish I use for color. Dense glitter polishes chip faster than creme or shimmer. I use OPI's Chip Skip followed by OPI's Start to Finish then 2 coats of color and then this as a topcoat. I just removed China Glaze's For Audrey after 8 days on my hands. My pedicures can last for more than a month but I usually get tired of the color before any wear shows. The only bad things have been mentioned before and are easily fixed. The formula can thicken over time and you have to tilt the bottle when it gets low. I can deal with this because the pros outway the cons. I love this stuff.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

chimama on 4/28/2012 11:26:00 PM more reviews by chimama

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Hazel    

I am so sick and tired of polishes and top coats that are advertised to last up to 10 days. I'm returning this bottle as soon as I can. I prepped my nails with some alcohol to remove any oil. I put on a base coat and two coats of polish. I put on the Mega Shine. Less than two days later my nails were a mess and I had to remove everything. I do very little housework or washing dishes. I feel stupid for falling for the hype again. At $10.00 and change for a bottle it should have worked better. The other thing is the packaging and not being able to see the contents in the bottle. Sally Hansen I will not be screwed again!

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

demmer on 4/28/2012 9:56:00 PM more reviews by demmer

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Red   Eyes: Hazel    

I have a weird relationship with Mega Shine, I'm on my second bottle at the moment and will probably purchase this again because it does dry quickly, has a high shine finish and I don't get any shrinkage or streaking with this top coat. However, it does thicken up after a month or so of use and that's when it starts to cause my polish to peel off in sheets, so it requires a few drops of thinner every second or third use. I dislike the silver packaging because I can't see how much product is left in the bottle, but I remedy that by chipping the paint off - ugly but effective. The brush is also a bit too short for the bottle which means I have to tilt the bottle to get the last 1/5 of the product out. All in all this is a pretty good top coat as long as you peel the silver packaging off and maintain its consistency with thinner.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* JasmineJolene on 4/24/2012 2:06:00 AM more reviews by JasmineJolene

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

EDIT: they have changed the formula so you have to put in on top of dry polish. It just doesn't work as well. Also, mine has gone very very gloopy and it's a fairly new bottle. Not impressed.

This is my HG topcoat, so I am very very surprised at the negative reviews! I always use this, base coat-polish-polish-topcoat and in the main, my polish will last ages. A lot of the time my nails start growing out and I remove it before it actually chips badly.
I find it applies, smoothly and smooths out any minor blips in the polish underneath. It dries super quickly to a high shine. This is great for me as I am impatient and busy so need something that is quick-drying, but find that the quick-dry polishes just peel off in one layer after a day on me, regardless of how I prepare the nail.
I don't like the bottle for two reasons - 1) you can't see how much product is left in the bottle; 2) the silver flakes off and gets into the polish meaning you can easily ruin your nails with tiny little flakes of silver *annoying*. But I like the brush and find it applies well. On some polishes I do find that the brush will pick up and smear the colour, but this seems to be particular to brands not to colours - worst one was my Illamasqua red (but I am disappointed with that for a whole host of reasons!).
I have scored this at 3 for price, as it varies so much in the UK. I have paid as little as £4 for this, and seen it at £8.95! Generally it seems to retail for about £6 which I don't mind paying as I use it every time I do my nails.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

ThisGirlxD14 on 4/20/2012 10:14:00 PM more reviews by ThisGirlxD14

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Normal, Dark   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

This is the PERFECT example of why " you get what you pay for " when it comes to cheap items isn't always correct. When I have leftover novelty cash, I always buy a nice polish, and a top coat. I decided to go out on a whim and purchase this at CVS for basically eight bucks. Expensive, but at the same time, CVS kinda overprices eveything. I went home and put this on Pacific Blue from the Xtreme Wear Line, and a couple hours later doing dishes, basically, the whole thing chipped off, except little spots on the sides.. I was flabbergasted, and gave this to a.friend, and the same thing happened to her. I'm so suprised. Considering the fact that I paid ALMOST 10$$ ON THIS ONE TOPCOST that it would work like magic.. In desperate need of some topcoat that would actually not chip, I purchased Nutra Nail speed dry topcoat. I used it last week, and I still haven't seen anything but some wear at the tips. I paid 2.67 $$ for that. I also have Wet N Wild Wild.Shine Clear.Nail Protector, and that works like a charm, and that's under 2.00$.. Literally. Like I said earlier, sometimes cheaper things work better than expensive junk, and that's why I don't say you get what you pay for. :)

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

tightenedribbon on 3/8/2012 5:24:00 AM more reviews by tightenedribbon

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

Keeps my polish on but streaks it horribly when applying. No point in putting this over nail art because it ends up looking like a mess at the end of it. Luckily I bought it for next to nothing at a sale.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No