Base coats - advice please!

[eleanorjane]

So, as I'm getting a bit more serious about the whole polish thing (because I've never been one to do something casually when I can throw myself into it with ridiculous obsession) I've been trying to be kind to my nails and use a base coat. For the moment I'm just using Revlon Firma-Nail, a dual-purpose base and top coat, but I was wondering if there was something better out there. I've got some Seche Vite winging its way to me as a top coat, but there doesn't seem to be a universally-beloved base coat in the same way.

I've got slightly ridgey nails, though I don't know if they're ridged enough to warrant a ridge-filler base coat (or even how effective they are), and a number of my polishes seem to stain so I'm looking for something that will protect against staining.

Any advice, tips, experience to share?

Comments

[acari]

I use the base coat from P2, a German drugstore brand that has lovely nail polishes especially. It makes the polish last longer and protects my nails against stains. I sometimes use it alone because it gives my nails a healthy shine without looking like polish. You cannot get it outside the German-language countries, though, I'm afraid.

I have no experience with fillers.

[telesilla]

I use Orly Bonder and buff my ridges because I've got seriously thick and ridgey nails and the Orly ridge filler base coat didn't really seem to help much. Bonder does a good job keeping the dark greens and reds from staining but it's hard for me to say whether it makes my polish last longer because no matter what I do base/top coat wise, I'm hella hard on my nails. Also, I usually change my polish every couple of days, so wear isn't really an issue.

[sorchar]

I usually use Sally Hansen's Double Duty, though lately I've been using their Miracle Cure because sometimes my nails go peely. Unfortunately, I get stains too, so I'm watching this post with interest. I love the glitter polishes but they seem to be the worst about staining the nail bed and the skin around my nails.

[majoline]

I've been told that Seche Vite's base coat is the best, but I'm not a big polish person, so I can't personally attest to that - this is my sister's rec.