Sally Hansen • Insta-Dri • Top/Base Coats

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TheFoxyOne on 8/24/2010 12:22:00 AM more reviews by TheFoxyOne

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

Terrible product. Formula is horrible, seems like it's drying on the brush, gets sticky immediately. Truly the worst nail polish I've ever used! The only good thing about it was the colour. Ick.

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*TOP REVIEWER* megathon on 8/23/2010 10:53:00 PM more reviews by megathon

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I have a love/hate relationship with this stuff. On one hand, it's amazing in that it really does dry instantly. On the other, it hasn't been a very good topcoat for me because it makes my nail polish peel (not chip) off. I got a topcoat in the first place because I wanted to be able to go a few days without my polish chipping off at the tips, but when I use this stuff, if I touch something and it nicks my nail polish, almost all of the polish (I mean all layers of the color, as well as the topcoat) peels off of my nails in a huge chunk. I don't appreciate that. I don't think I'd buy this again, even though I do love that it helps my polish to dry fast.

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marmari20 on 8/19/2010 9:45:00 PM more reviews by marmari20

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Olive   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

I love this nail polish! I have it in three different colors. it dries super fast and the color is really bright. One coat is usual enough. Love this stuff.

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Karen0509 on 8/19/2010 8:24:00 PM more reviews by Karen0509

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I love this stuff. I haven't tried too many other quick dry products, but I haven't had to. Part of what I like about this is that it's on the thinner side so I don't get streaks when applied. No need to look elsewhere, as far as I'm concerned.

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*TOP REVIEWER* sarahlen on 8/8/2010 4:53:00 PM more reviews by sarahlen

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

This really does dry instantly. I used to never do my own nails because i was to impatient to wait for the base coat and top coat to dry. It also really helps the colour dry when used as a top coat. The only draw back is that its not very shiny, I have used top coats that were much shinier and therfore professional looking

update; i had to take this down a notch , yes its great immediatley but i find my polish starts chipping and peeling badly the next day

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i8alltheBacon on 8/1/2010 7:49:00 AM more reviews by i8alltheBacon

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

LOVE IT...Whenever I would do my toenails I would always get sheet prints on them when I went to sleep.. even if I did my nails several hours before I went to bed. I haven't had this problem since using this product. You have to use it quickly..kinda one stroke then re-dip the brush and do another stroke. I'll continue to buy it.

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neverunpolished on 7/31/2010 2:36:00 PM more reviews by neverunpolished

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Green    

I absolutely love the Insta-Dri top coat! I'm on my third bottle of it, and I highly doubt that I will ever use any other top coat. Insta-Dri leaves my nails incredibly shiny, it dries fast, and I have had no problems whatsoever with tip shrinkage (I don't wrap my tips, either). The top coat does start to get thick about halfway through the bottle, but this is not an issue for me - I just add a couple of drops of thinner as needed. All products work differently for different people, but I can definitely say that the Insta-Dri top coat works perfectly for me!

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

whawhawhacawhaaawhaa on 7/26/2010 8:36:00 PM more reviews by whawhawhacawhaaawhaa

Age: 19-24   Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

Dries SUPER FAST. The FASTEST and most opaque nail polish I have used to date, much more faster drying and opaque than most standard nail polishes. Perfect consistency: not too watery, not too thick. Beautiful colours. Don't need a top coat cause it gives a nice, shiny finish, all on its on. Still, there were some things I didn't like; although the brush concept was a nice idea, and it dispenses a good amount of product, the brush is a bit too chunky and big for me to get the polish onto every part of my nails.
EDIT: The top coat has to be THE best top coat to the Seche Vite! That stuff is $10 dollars and while this top coat is only $7!!! It dries amazingly fast, of course, and best part:
It ACTUALLY HARDENS THE NAIL POLISH.
Unlike the countless ones out there that leave the polish goopy and soft.
If you don`t like the colour selection, which I doubt you will dislike, for goodness sake, GET THE TOP COAT at the very least!!

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xspookykittyx on 7/26/2010 6:57:00 PM more reviews by xspookykittyx

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Red, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

My HG topcoat! I guess I never heard good reviews on this before, because I tried it for the first time only a couple months back. I have tried many quick-dry topcoats, including other SH ones and they didn't hold a candle to this one. My one before was very runny, and made my polish dry pretty quickly but it would *always* chip within a day, huge chips...no matter what brand polish I used. This one is the perfect consistency, makes polish quickly even though I normally do 3 or even 4 coats of color. This also makes my mani/pedi last a LONG time, sometimes even for 7 days! Although I tend to change colors often than that since i get bored easily. This topcoat is perfect and I will keep buying it as long as they keep making it!

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*TOP REVIEWER* MakeupMamaofTwo on 7/26/2010 6:31:00 PM more reviews by MakeupMamaofTwo

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

This works GREAT !!! Really does what it claims and makes my manis/pedis last SO much longer. Also makes all my polishes look so shiney and nice !!!

Def recommend !

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yingyingz on 7/26/2010 6:26:00 PM more reviews by yingyingz

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

What I love about this product is the wand. It is slightly flatter than normal brushes, which allows more control and covers more surface area on your nail. This means you can apply the color on faster, and this product does dry quickly as well. Smooth application, and the fastest and most hassle free drugstore nail polish I've used.

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filamgirl618 on 7/21/2010 6:43:00 PM more reviews by filamgirl618

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

This is definitely a great product! I've been using this for who knows how long, so I definitely can't really compare it to anything, but it works great. I get really can't stand painting my nails because for me it takes so long (though I LOVE having my nails painted, can't understand the logic behind that) and it's especially rough for me at the end to make sure I don't do some sort of activity that requires me using my fingers. This product definitely helps and definitely dries the topcoat within 30 seconds as it says on the bottle. However, you should definitely still wait for a good five minutes or so before doing any rough activity with your fingers (trust me I've learned from experience). I can't say it's exactly chip-proof (though I work with kids and I don't know of any NP product that can withstand kids) but it'll definitely help my NP last longer than it would without it. It's also nice because it gives my NP an extra shine.

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mariale21 on 7/16/2010 3:19:00 PM more reviews by mariale21

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I totally love this product, I have used it for quite some time, and dries my nails really quickly. I carry a bottle in my purse, keep one at home and another one at work... LOVE IT!!!

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*TOP REVIEWER* Donnz on 7/10/2010 2:49:00 AM more reviews by Donnz

Age: 30-35   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Green    

Fab, fab, fab! Make sure you wait your two minutes before applying this (the first time I tried, I was a bit enthusuastic and it smudged my nail polish) and voila! That top layer (ONLY!!) is touch dry! It then only takes another ten or so minutes til I did the dishes with no ill effects! Brilliant!

Leaves a lovely shine, nail polish doesn't chip. A must have if you want your polish to last longer than two days. Huzzah for Sally - she strikes gold again!

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fishwish01 on 7/6/2010 12:35:00 PM more reviews by fishwish01

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Very Oily, Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

Quick dry my butt. This works fine as a top coat, but there is no quick involved in the drying. It also gives a weird green sheen to all light teal/blue colors. There are much better options in the quick-dry world, like Nail Life Speed Demon.

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*TOP REVIEWER* olelala on 7/5/2010 5:27:00 PM more reviews by olelala

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Olive, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Love love LOVE this. Getting a mani/pedi is normally such a waste for me, because even if I patiently wait 2 rounds at the drying booth WITH that darn spooky blue light, I always manage to smudge/chip my nails within 30 minutes of exiting the salon. It's almost guaranteed. I bought Sephora drying drops and they help, but they're expensive and I think a ghost must be unscrewing the cap at night while I'm asleep because it evaporates mysteriously. No good.


I bought this on a whim one day when I needed to do my own nails, thinking a cheapy might be okay in a pinch. Lo and behold, in less than a minute my nails were dry to the touch! No more smudged/chipped nails, and my manicures and pedicures now last and last through this layer of uber shiny perfection. I know bring it to every single salon I go to and insist on it as the top coat, I will be loyal til the very end.

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Cares50 on 7/4/2010 5:51:00 AM more reviews by Cares50

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I purchased Clearly Quick, and use it as both a base and top coat. It is true to it's claim that it is instantly dry and I lovelovelove it. It brightens up polish that is a couple of days old and may have dulled somewhat, in addition to being an excellent and durable top coat.

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frostedover on 7/2/2010 1:51:00 PM more reviews by frostedover

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

Wow! I've tried plenty of quick drying topcoats because I'm very impatient and tend to smudge my nails before they dry completely. This is the QUICKEST topcoat I've ever used. I've tried Poshe, Seche Vite, etc. This is an HG.

I haven't noticed shrinkage, and wear is about the same as any, but to me, the quick dry is more important than anything.

Edited: took off one lippie because I notice this top coat creates a lot of bubbles, and I don't shake the bottle.

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KaitlinLara on 6/29/2010 11:43:00 AM more reviews by KaitlinLara

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

I am obsessed with nail polish, and tend to buy lots of different brands and kinds because I usually buy for color, not brand. I have 3 of these guys, and every time I rediscover it in my box of nail polishes I fall in love with it again. I'm a big fan of chalkier looking polishes for the spring/summer (as opposed to shimmery or translucent shades), but a lot of them take like 4 coats to get really good even coverage. I love Essie in Sweet Tart...probably my favorite nail polish shade ever, but goodness, it takes SO MUCH POLISH to get even coverage. This product (the newer version of it, the one that has a sort of triangular bottle) covers evenly and completely in just one coat, even the chalky colors, and the brush is wider and flatter than others (why don't all nail polish makers do this? It works so much better) which for me, makes it much easier to get a really smooth glassy finish. I'm wearing "lively lilac" right now...love the color, dried quick, went on smooth and even in just one coat.

Can't speak for how long it lasts though, because I play guitar, and all my nail polish chips regardless of brand after a few days from rubbing on the strings. This stuff is so quick and easy though it isn't a hassle to re-paint every couple days. Definitely my favorite brand...just wish they had a color like Essie Sweet Tart!

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dawnsdone on 6/15/2010 9:25:00 PM more reviews by dawnsdone

Age: 36-43   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

This is the only dry product I'll buy. I've tried the sprays and the quick dry top coats from all brands including opi and even after 5 or 10 minutes if I bumped my nail to hard it would smudge the polish. This one really does dry to the touch in a minute and thoroughly within 5, even with 3 coats of polish underneath! LOVE IT

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