Sally Hansen • Hard as Nails - Clear • Top/Base Coats

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happyisbeautiful on 2/5/2013 10:49:00 PM more reviews by happyisbeautiful

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

This is amazing stuff. I've gone through so many bottles of this, it makes your nails healthier and is SO SHINY and dries fast. Love it.

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ecmeikle on 11/29/2012 3:45:00 AM more reviews by ecmeikle

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

Good results from this product - strengthened my manicures by providing a base and top coat that dried on hard.

This stuff did make my nails sturdier and protect them pretty well - it worked better than any treatment formula I have ever used. It didn't really do anything to fortify the nails themselves, though, I would say it was just the fact that the lacquer itself is so thick that protected them from damage. Overall, good results, and I am keen to try the Advanced formula.

Only qualm was that it became very thick near the end of the bottle and I had only had it for a few months.

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zerp on 10/17/2012 3:38:00 AM more reviews by zerp

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Black, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Black    

Made my nails weaker, now I'm scared to use it.

I used it alone and also as a base coat. My nails peeled and cracked SO much more.. I'm sad and disappointed, I was really hoping it would work.

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lachrymist on 10/16/2012 11:12:00 PM more reviews by lachrymist

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Fair, Warm   Hair: Black, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

I like it as a base coat, but I find that it reacts with some of my polishes as a top coat and turns part of them darker...

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KittyxMunster on 7/17/2012 5:07:00 PM more reviews by KittyxMunster

Age: 19-24   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Black, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

AMAZING! My nails were SO paper thin and damaged from previously having had acrylic tips on but this polish really did it exactly what is says; hardened my nails. I was able to bend the tips of my nails before they were so weak and now they are rock solid! Didn't expect this to work this good if at all when I bought it so I am pleasantly surprised!

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

anela07 on 5/25/2012 7:34:00 PM more reviews by anela07

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Medium, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Fine   Eyes: Green    

I took this from my sister last year, and it was amazing! Recently though I ran out, and had to buy a new bottle. The packaging has changed, and I think that the formula has changed too - before it was nice and thick, now it seems to be thinner and doesn't dry as fast. Still has a nice gloss to it though, and I just apply 2 coats instead of 1.

I use it exclusively as a top coat on my fingers and toes, and it makes my toenail polish last for over a month without chipping! I only need to redo my toes when my nails grow out too much and it becomes unsightly.

On my fingers, I normally use it as a top coat to a french manicure, using Sally Hansen "Get Strong" Nail Strengthener as a base coat. It is too glossy and thick for me to use as a base coat, but it works well for a top coat. My only complaint is that it takes forever to dry, so make sure you let your base and colour coats dry completely before applying this! It's not so obvious over a french manicure, but over colour the smudges are more noticeable. I find that my nails last for 4-5 days without chipping, using it as a top coat.

Also worthy of note, as some reviews claim that it contains formaldehyde - the new bottle I bought clearly states "formaldehyde free" on the packaging.

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lovedrunk on 4/25/2012 12:49:00 AM more reviews by lovedrunk

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

My nails are brittle and break/peel frequently so I picked this up for $2.99 at a local grocery store. This product has definitely helped with the issues I have had and applies as a pretty thick clear coating. My nails feel stronger and have been growing at a faster pace than they normally would.

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BiteMeEricNorthman on 12/26/2011 7:59:00 AM more reviews by BiteMeEricNorthman

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Fair   Hair: Other   Eyes: Green    

I love this as a basecoat! I apply a coat of this, 2 coats of color, then Essie Good to Go as a topcoat and my nails do not chip at all for at least 3 days (which is amazing since I have little kids and my manicures used to last a day or two at most). Even bright red polish stays put completely! Love this stuff!

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

linxinpei on 12/25/2011 1:08:00 PM more reviews by linxinpei

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Hated this. Ironically, my nails tended to break more in the shower when I have this on than when I leave my nails bare. Plus the edges of the dried polish always get caught in my hair, resulting in a bit of nail polish being ripped off. Once I even managed to peel off an entire layer of dried nail polish from my nail! Not recommended for flimsy, brittle nails as protection, or as a base coat/top coat. Did I mention that it chips like nobody's business?

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

*TOP REVIEWER* cleogirl on 12/7/2011 12:22:00 PM more reviews by cleogirl

Age: 30-35   Skin: Very Oily, Fair, Warm   Hair: Blond, Curly, Coarse   Eyes: Green    

I've been using this to seal in my nails after my manicure is on and I love it. The day after a fresh manicure I apply a layer, making sure to seal the edges and will repeat every other day or so. Since I've been doing this, my nails feel super strong and I haven't had any peelies whatsoever!Dirt cheap and love the brush.

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

heytherebeautiful on 11/15/2011 6:31:00 AM more reviews by heytherebeautiful

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Olive, Neutral   Hair: Black, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

This polish made my nails weaker! I've been using it the last few weeks as both my base and top coat. A lot of times if I'm using a glitter polish I tend to layer it a lot, and then I can peel it off (which I prefer to the horror of trying to remove glitter with remover). Last night I was doing so and a big chunk of a nail peeled off with it. Then I noticed that the parts of my nails that were grown out were extra weak. This week I have also noticed hangnails that have just been getting worse. Now I have used nail polish every day since I was 11 years old, so I can tell if something is so out of the ordinary. I'm fairly certain it has been the use of this polish that made my nails so weak.

On the other hand, my aunt uses this polish (she's actually the one who gave it to me) and she loves how hard it makes her nails. So it seems to just be a toss-up for if it will work for you.

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

KrystalEmmaMarie on 11/6/2011 2:58:00 PM more reviews by KrystalEmmaMarie

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Tan, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Black    

This polish is alright. It's better than other cheap top coats I get from the market, but whenever I do designs on my nails with an art pen and use this, it manages to last for about 2 days. I first tried this from my mother's nail polish stash and it was amazing, but the formula must have changed because this time, the liquid felt different and it did not deliver the same results at all.

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*TOP REVIEWER* TiffanieJean on 10/16/2011 12:17:00 PM more reviews by TiffanieJean

Age: 19-24   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Cool   Hair: Red, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Grey    

I bought this stuff to help with a serious nail chipping/cracking problem. They were healthy for the longest time, and then started splitting and breaking all the way down to the finger. I couldn't get the slightest white tip to grow without a new split already starting to break it off.


I've been using this as a base coat for about a month now, and I have had a serious improvement. I added a picture to show what it looks like as a base coat without polish. You have to follow the directions and apply it under and on top of your nails. I put it on, wait 3 days, put a second coat on, wait 3 days and then remove it and start over. My nails are growing stronger again since I started using this product. However, this Base Coat didn't get rid of the chipping.. The problem is still there, it just holds the chips together for the most part.


I also started to use polish on top of it recently, and I haven't had any problems. I was expecting to have the polish chip off, because as a base coat it tends to start peeling off after a couple days. It actually helps to keep the polish longer, but I would not recommend using it as a top coat. There are far better products around for that purpose. The only negative other than the tendency to peel off is the horrible smell.


I was considering buying a couple different base coats from other brands that were way more expensive, but I'm glad I gave this one a try first. Overall, I'm pleased with the results I got for only $2.50.

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

vickywang on 10/6/2011 8:57:00 PM more reviews by vickywang

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

Love this prodn. So far the best top/base coat I have used. What is amazing abt this prodn is it not only makes my nails stronger but also makes nail polish dries must faster when I use it as top coat. I only paid this for 5 AUD and I am so happy with this purchase.

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SlantySlanty on 8/29/2011 9:04:00 PM more reviews by SlantySlanty

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I don't know if they changed the formula because of all the positive reviews, but this product blows. The entire layers chipped after a day. I even tricked my classmate into thinking it was the top layer of my nail, and he freaked out.

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

nailpolishect on 8/29/2011 5:58:00 PM more reviews by nailpolishect

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Fair, Cool   Hair: Red, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I used to bite my nails and for the past couple of years I've been painting them nearly every day, so as a result my nails got into very bad condition. They were brittle, thin and peeling, but after a few weeks of putting this stuff on them, they were practically back to normal! It's not like it works over night, you do have to be patient but that's to be expected to be honest. The bottle is also going to last me ages as well, cause it comes in a pot quite a lot bigger than normal nail polish.
Now my nails are in decent condition again, I use it as a base coat for normal nail polish.

Love it!

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chaelaa on 8/27/2011 3:28:00 PM more reviews by chaelaa

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Tan, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

LOVE THIS STUFF!! I recommend it to all my friends will problem nails. I do my nails pretty often and as a result they were getting very weak and they were peeling a LOT to the point where I couldn't grow my nails anymore. I got this stuff about a month ago and have been using it as my base coat every time I did my nails and I have noticed a HUGE difference! I can finally grow my nails again because they've gotten so much stronger and the peeling has improved dramatically! I am so happy with this product that I went and bought another bottle when I'm only halfway through my current bottle.

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

*TOP REVIEWER* minimad on 8/12/2011 10:44:00 PM more reviews by minimad

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair, Warm   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

This was a serious waste of money. I had so many nicks and smears within the first hour that I ended up removing my polish only to find that my nails were stained.

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jamjanelle on 8/5/2011 1:21:00 PM more reviews by jamjanelle

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Blue    

I decide to give this a low rating even though i tried to love it but no way omg. I read review from MUA before even purchasing this and most were raves. I check out my local drugstore and picked it up. It was really cheap, at SGD6.50 compared to other sally hansen products or maybe even other base coats. I used this as a basecoat then 2 coat of colours and a top. This does thing peels off the nail in a few days, like it doesnt really adhere well. The worst part is that it stained my nail like mad. I just removed my manicure from last weeks and this thing just leave my nails greyish yellow tint :( honestly i have never seened my nails this colour even when i didnt put on a base coat. im dissapointed. The only thing is that the bottle is cute and its super inexpensive. The design of the brush also catches too much product that i have to sweep back and forth several times the side to get the product off.
Ok enough said, not sure what to do with the bottle now.

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*TOP REVIEWER* katrosado5 on 6/5/2011 9:46:00 PM more reviews by katrosado5

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Olive, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

This works best *under* nail polish. I use it as a base coat. I use this or nail envy by OPI. I do prefer the formulation of Nail Envy to this because this is a bit thicker than the other and has a slower dry time. Both work very well. I have this on hand right now because the OPI is too hard to locate where I live now and I can pick this up at any drugstore. This works on my thin, brittle, peeling nails and I always am able to grow my nails to a reasonable length with this treatment.

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