MAC Overlacquer

This topcoat dries very fast, leaves nails looking both smooth and really shiny, however it does not protect nail-varnish against chipping, in fact it kind of makes it worse, especially when painted over a MAC nail lacquer, I'd generally only get a days wear before I had to touch my nails up/start over. I wouldn't recommend if you are looking for something to protect nail varnish.

A lot of people love this but it didn't work for me at all. It's really thick and goopy and it removes and smudges the nail polish I have underneath if I'm not super quick when I apply it, even if the coat underneath is completely dry. It does last long on the nail though but I would never buy this again.

Amazing product. It makes my nail polish super shiny and dries them in a few seconds. I was walking by MAC counter in a department store and I had just had a manicure which was messed up. I asked them if they had a product to prevent it from getting worse. She applied this over my polish and said it was going to protect my manicure. She was right and I purchased it immediately..

In my quest to find a 3-free alternative to Seche Vite, I stumbled upon MAC Overlacquer. While I can say that SV still holds the gold for drying speed, Mac Overlacquer still performs very well.


Overlacquer has become my go-to refresher/repair coat. I NEVER use more than one layer of SV because there is usually shrinkage that gets worse and worse with every layer. On dry polish, Overlacquer dries lickety-split and with no noticeable shrinkage, even after 2-3 layers, and leaves a high gloss finish.


On its own, I've found that you have to wait for polish to dry before applying Overlacquer. Unlike SV, Overlacquer doesn't really penetrate wet layers and dry them-- it usually just sits on top and dries quickly on its own, but the layers underneath can still be soft and susceptible to dings and ripples.


Oddly enough, because it's thinner, it can also leave very faint brush marks if you use it on "damp" polish, but that's nothing a second coat won't fix.


All in all, Overlacquer is a good buy, especially if you're trying to avoid toxic toluene in SV! It dries quickly (on its own), doesn't shrink, coats well, and leaves a lovely, glassy finish.

Love this stuff. I am very picky about my nails and bring all my own stuff to the manicurist ever since I'd had problems with the top coat my salon used peeling towards the end of my manicure. I bought this when I spied a nice nail polish at the MAC counter one day and threw it into the purchase as well, and since I began using this that hasn't happened. I also love how quickly it dries. As long as it keeps doing what it's supposed to do, I'll keep buying it. It's way better than whatever they were using at my salon!

Best top coat ever! Not sure why I randomly decided to purchase this a few years ago but I'm on my second bottle. I dont do my nails alot for a while and then I constantly change colours, so its taken me a while to actually finish an entire top coat, and I NEVER finish anything. It takes days, sometimes even a week for there to be a single chip in my coat. Also love that this is part of the B2M program!

This is the best top coat around. My nails are dry and brittle, but when I seal my polish with this, my nails are strong and the polish lasts much longer than the Sally Hansen topcoat I used in the past. I'm on my 2nd bottle of this one as the first one I was able to B2M it! Highly recommended!!!

So far I'm pretty impressed with this product. It really does extend the life of your manicure. I hate hate hate topcoats that peel off within a few days, like after you've done the dishes or taken a shower, and the edges start peeling up. ew. I've had this on for several days, taken showers, done the dishes, brushed the dog....and my nails are still in tact. I think I paid about $12 online at Macy's. Pricey, but cheaper than getting your nails done professionally.

You know when your nails are in that between dry stage? Where they are dry but if you dare touch them they will keep your fingerprint? Well, if I put this overlacquer on my nails during that stage it dries really fast. It also keeps the nail shiny and it helps prevent chipping -however I still get chips easily after 24-48 hours but this stuff decreases the amount of chipping and peeling.

This is essential if you're using any MAC polishes: keeps them from chipping on the 2nd day, and keeps them shiny.