Orly • Nail Defense • Top/Base Coats

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sam23 on 1/14/2013 11:26:00 AM more reviews by sam23

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Other, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Green    

I love this stuff!! it's my base and top coat. when I bought it, I had started painting my nails so frequently they were turning yellow and peeling from the stress and chemicals and this has helped a lot. I notice a lot less pealing, my nails have a better chance of growling longer. I always do two coats of this as a base, then however much color I want and then another coat of this on top the next day. I got this like 4-5 months ago and I'm already down to like 1/3 of the bottle haha but I paint my nails like three times a week lately. I will definitely get a $3.50 off ten coupon and get another one of these at ulta when I run out. I tried essie grow stronger before this and it just did nothing at all in comparison.

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ceejoy on 1/4/2013 6:17:00 PM more reviews by ceejoy

Age: 25-29   Skin: Oily, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

Not bad. Does make my nails a little stronger as long as I keep applying. Doesn't do much to stop dryness or the splitting that comes from it. Not as good as OPI Nail Envy, but a decent cheaper substitute.

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*TOP REVIEWER* mulletoftruth on 12/28/2012 6:26:00 PM more reviews by mulletoftruth

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Fine   Eyes: Other    

I've undertaken months of experimentation before concluding that this product actually lives up to its claims. My nails are terrible, thanks to genetics. They're weak and flexible, split and peel, and tear really easily. I've been doing manicures regularly for about a year, which has wreaked further havoc, and they were really stained from always being painted.


I started using this and things seemed to improve. Then I started using it exclusively and have seen a remarkable turnaround.


It's not a great base coat (not grippy enough) nor a great top coat (doesn't dry quickly) but it's a great nail treatment and sealant. I use it under my base coat (Orly Bonder or CND Stickey) then over my top coat (Orly Sec N Dry or CND Air Dry) once my nails are fully dry (either the evening of or day after I paint my nails.) I have really seen changes in the health of my nails and longevity of my manicures.


My nails have almost entirely stopped splitting and peeling and my nail beds where there is new growth are completely unstained and healthy. My nails are stronger and where previously polish would start chipping by day 2 and be completely wrecked by day 3, I can now get a good 4 or 5 days out of a manicure.


It's not a miracle cure and I still don't have great nails, but I can see that it's made a marked difference. I would note, as well, that I think the key is to ensure that it's the first thing to go on the nail as well as the last - and that it takes months of dedicated use to fully appreciate the effects of using it.

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AlbinaB on 9/9/2012 3:06:00 PM more reviews by AlbinaB

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

This is the perfect base and top coat. Makes my manicure last and strengthens my nails at the same time - what more could you ask for?

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kristine627 on 5/24/2012 8:23:00 PM more reviews by kristine627

Age: 19-24   Skin: Other, Tan   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

this base coat is heaven sent.i bought tough cookie before and it sucked. my nails are so prone to peeling and chipping since i have weak nails and i tend to wash my hands alot so i never used to do my nails. tough cookie made it worse. because of nail defense i've been able to put on nail polish every week and when its time for me to change it up, my nails are long and strong! i'm pretty sure there are other good base coats out there but this one i'll definitely be repurchasing.

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subnotate on 3/2/2012 11:10:00 AM more reviews by subnotate

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

Packaging: The bottle is HUGE (6oz/18ml) and has a rubberized handle which seemed silly but I actually loved it. The brush is thin, but so is the product so it works perfectly. I paid $8 at a CVS.

Product: This goes on thin,smoothly, evens out my nail texture, and dries quickly. It also dries with an amazing shine so it could easily be worn on its own. I generally put a base coat, two coats of polish, and then as a top coat also. It dries fast on top also and makes the polish shine.

BEST PART: I have thin, flexible nails. This base/top coat makes my nails so much harder and keeps them from peeling or breaking at the sides. I can now leave my polish on longer, it keeps them from staining, and my nails have grown longer. I love this stuff and will buy again.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Muriel on 2/27/2012 4:35:00 AM more reviews by Muriel

Age: 44-55   Skin: Normal, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I use this as my base coat as darker nail colors are my mainstay - OPI Russian Navy & OPI Marooned on the Subway for example - and this keeps them from discoloring my nails. The strengthening is a bonus as my nails are pretty strong to begin with.

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

bercause on 12/19/2011 8:35:00 PM more reviews by bercause

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Normal, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

My nails used to be very thin, and peeled or chipped off every time I tried to grow them out. I used other base coats, but nothing seemed to work. I bought this one after reading reviews online and I love it! It's thin, not goopy, and dries quickly. The box it came in had instructions about applying it ever day or something, but I just use it as a base whenever I do my nails. It's been two months and my nails haven't chipped! They are stronger and thicker, and even the staining has disappeared. I will buy this again. :)

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

*TOP REVIEWER* purplesoul on 8/26/2011 4:00:00 PM more reviews by purplesoul

Age: 19-24   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

This is a solid base coat and a good top coat. It's my default whenever I paint my nails. It's a little expensive, but it's easy to find (beauty stores and drugstores both have it) and it dries quick and does a good job.

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

*TOP REVIEWER* kaxel on 4/4/2011 12:28:00 AM more reviews by kaxel

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Green    

I have had horrible nails (peeling, dry, brittle, breaking off as soon as they get to the tip of my finger) for the past couple years. Tried everything from Nailtiques to OPI to Barielle and a million Sally Hansens. I probably spent $400 plus on $20 bottles of treatments that did not work. ... Finally one day I bought this just because I was out of clear polish and saw it at CVS. "Never tried this brand, hmmm...." Well lo and behold, for under $10, this is the one that worked! For the first time in years, my nails are beyond my nail tips and are strong and hard. I am not sure I can credit it all to Orly Nail Defense, as I've also been taking biotin supplements and stopped using my cuticle remover (which I think was the real culprit), but this product has definitely helped. It goes on nicely, one coat lasts two days and it doesn't crack at the tips as lots of clear polishes do or flake/fade off the tips as fast. Bonus: The rubberized brush handle makes it easy to grip firmly for smooth application. Love!

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elizmp on 11/23/2010 7:37:00 PM more reviews by elizmp

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

I have been a nail biter most of my life. I stopped biting my nails long ago but had trouble growing them out and keeping them long. The grow fast but they were brittle, split and broke easily. I have been using the Orly Nail Defense Treatment for about one month and have seen significant improvement. They have grown out and they are stronger. I often bump into items with my hands (doors, drawers etc.) and that was when my nails would take the hit too. Since using Orly my nails are growing beautifully and stronger. They have flexibility but they are also hard. I would recommend this item to anyone who might be looking for something and had similar problems. Now, I actually have to trim them b/c I type a lot for work and they get in the way.

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*TOP REVIEWER* DitaVee on 9/4/2010 5:21:00 PM more reviews by DitaVee

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I've been trying to get my mum's nails in to shape over the last few months - she's really active with her hands and is always banging and smashing her nails up so that they never grow. I was actually looking for a basecoat for myself when I found this at a great price (2 for 1 because it was the old, purple packaging), and as mum was with me and I didn't need 2 things, I thought I'd get it for her just to see if it made a difference.


I have to say I'm extremely impressed with this product. Mum's nails don't just break from impact, they also have a tendancy to split/peel and this stops that dead in its tracks. Her nails have now all grown to an even length (though she has 3 she stills has a tendency to break repeatedly, I don't think anything will help that) and she seems to have less ridges in her nails. She's nearly gone through a whole bottle and I just went out and got her another 2 yesterday because it does such a good job.


The only reason I can't give this a 5 is that if she doesn't use it every single day her nails start to split a little again. Mum experimented after a month of use to see if she could go down to every second day, but when I took the polish off at the end of the week, I could see 2 nails with little splits in the centre, so back to daily she is. This might have been a coincidence, but she loves her new nails so much that neither of us wan't to risk it! This treatment also holds those splits together brilliantly (her nails were split at the start, and during that week).


I really recommend this to anyone who is trying to grow or strengthen their nails, especially those with nails that split..

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*TOP REVIEWER* LolaBlue on 4/2/2010 2:40:00 PM more reviews by LolaBlue

Age: 25-29   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Green    

my nails have been getting progressively worse at breaking and tearing over the last few months, so I finally decided to start using a treatment product on them. I decided to get Orly Nail Defense, and after a month of use it's definitely improved my nails. Since I started using it I haven't had any breakage or tearing. I tend to change my polish 2-3x a week, so I'm applying a fresh coat of this every 3rd day or so. I use it only as a base coat since I prefer to use a quick drying or no chip top coat. I wouldn't say that my nails are growing faster, but they certainly seem to be growing stronger.

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*TOP REVIEWER* RedNailz on 12/22/2009 2:27:00 PM more reviews by RedNailz

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I bought this to use a treatment/base coat. I followed the directions for a couple of days and applied a coat every other day. With Christmas coming up, and things getting busy, I totally forgot to keep up with treatment. And my nails stayed strong! This should be unremarkable, but in truth, most nail treatments start to chip off and my nails break if I don't keep applying the stuff. Nail Defense is as close as I've gotten to finding a substitute for OPI Nail Envy. I'm now using it as a base coat and hope to have good results. UPDATE: Still using it! I used 1 coat as a base, applied 2 coats of polish, then 1 coat Nail Defense as a top coat. My manicure didn't chip at all for 5 days and my nails have not peeled! I'm increasing my rating because this is really a good value!!

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

artemis513 on 7/18/2009 12:06:00 AM more reviews by artemis513

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Olive, Neutral   Hair: Black, Kinky, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I have been using Orly Nail Defense as a base coat under Orly Bonder for almost a year now since I realized that Bonder was yellowing my nails (toes). Nail Defense + Bonder + 2 coats of polish (preferably China Glaze) + Seche Vite or Poshe topcoat = Perfect pedi for 2 weeks or more, seriously. Nail Defense has also kept my toes strong, as they are naturally weak and prone to tearing. On my second bottle and will continue to repurchase. Since I am running out of Nail Envy at the moment I may try it out on my fingers as well...

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*TOP REVIEWER* Bsheth86 on 5/6/2009 11:22:00 PM more reviews by Bsheth86

Age: 19-24   Skin: Sensitive, Olive, Warm   Hair: Brown, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Black    

Got this on a whim at Ulta. I don't know if this really "defends" my nails but I have noticed my nails have been growing faster. I still have chips here and there but since the growth has been fast I hardly notice the chips. I will continue using this and update if anything changes.

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missy_c on 1/25/2008 8:50:00 AM more reviews by missy_c

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

Really like this product, my beautician recommended it to me to stop my nails from chippnig during winter and I've seen a great improvement, I also love the fact that it dries very quickly so it especially good as a topcoat

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Kkb4u on 11/15/2005 8:42:00 PM more reviews by Kkb4u

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

I love this stuff! I've been using it on and off for about 4 years and I recommend it to everyone. My nails stay hard and they grow incredibly fast.

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wildcardgal on 10/9/2004 7:06:00 PM more reviews by wildcardgal

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I love this stuff. I use it as a base coat, let it dry and then apply polish (or not) and then Orly Calcium Shield as a top coat and my weak, much-bitten nails have been steadily improving.

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brendapuch1 on 7/16/2004 4:40:00 PM more reviews by brendapuch1

Age: 19-24   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

I think this is a very good product. It does not peel off like most other nail strenghtheners that I had previously tried. I'm halfway through the bottle, and my nails look great. I will definitely purchase again.

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