Milani Smoothe Base Coat & Glosse Top Coat, a Kick-Ass Pair!
Recently I have been testing out two new nail products from Milani: Smoothé Base Coat and Glossé Top Coat. Does adding an extra “e” to the end of these make them better? Maybe! 
Smoothé Base Coat – “A ridge-filling base coat designed to prime your nails for the perfect color application. This formula was created with a combination of Okoumé AE and Botanical Extract of Bamboo to fight ridged weak and aged nails.”
Glossé Top Coat – “A quick drying, high gloss clear coating that accelerates the drying time of nail enamel while also providing sunscreen protection for your manicure. This product contains UV obsorbers to help protect the color from fading, and acrylic that provides a hard & chip resistant coating for extended wear.”
The base coat goes on milky white and dries pretty quickly to a smooth velvety finish. I like that it dries quickly and it’s a nice base coat. Nothing THAT amazing, but solid and good.
The top coat is where the magic happens.
First off it is ultra-shiny, as shiny as Nubar Diamont or Seche Vite. It is thick, but not as thick as the previously mentioned ones, and it’s easy to apply. It’s also self-leveling, which is a must for me.
As far as dry time, it is very quick, but takes maybe a couple minutes longer to be dry to the touch than Diamont or Seche Vite. But still you can lightly touch it within 3-4 minutes I would say, then it’s fully dry in about 30 minutes.
When it comes to wear I am getting on average my usual, 2-3 days max out of this combination. For me that is standard though, so I can’t say it makes my polish last much longer than any other base/top coat.
The only negative I have had with this (and this can happen with all top coats) is if you put too much on the side of your nail, it can run down a bit onto your skin creating this annoying situation where you want to pick it off, but if you do you will also pull the polish color itself off. So just go slow and careful when applying, that’s all.
Overall:
For me, this is a great alternative to my normal favorite which is Diamont. I think it’s easier to get, less shipping cost (at least for US) and less expensive, though only 0.45 oz (Diamont is 0.5). I like Diamont a tiny bit better because it is a little thicker and dries a few minutes faster, but really those are small things.
Availability: Drugstores
Pricing: $4.99
-Kelly
Welcome! My name is Kelly and Vampy Varnish is a animal friendly beauty blog.
I never thought of trying Milani’s base/top coats. Very interesting.
Thanks for the review!
Nessa´s last post…I Want This Color Made into Nail Polish!
I’ve almost gone through a bottle of SV, and quite frankly I am sick of the stuff! I am so getting this next. Thanks for the rec
Might have to try this when I run out!
I haven’t seen these in any of the drugstores yet but I’ll have to keep an eye out!
Dori´s last post…OPI Day At The Peach
Sounds pretty good ^^ Does the Milani base coat prevent staining well? Because that’s the one thing my base coats *really* need to do.
Silva´s last post…China Glaze Ruby Pumps
Hi Silva,
I don’t get much staining, only with certain blue colors so I honestly don’t know
O well, thanks
I think I’ll try out the base- and topcoat.
Silva´s last post…China Glaze Ruby Pumps
It’s good to see a more economical alternative to Seche Vite and Nubar Diamont. Sadly, Milani is pretty hard to find here.
Mary´s last post…Slatkin & Co Salty Caramel Candle Review & Pictures
It feels like I have tried every combination of top and bottom coats that exist at the drugstore. Except these. I am happy with my SV, but also am notoriously fickle so I’m sure I will try this out at some point. Thanks for the review!
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Good to know that a drugstore brand makes decent base and top coats. If I’m ever in a bind and need to pick one up, I’ll be sure to grab these, as I’ve been happy with nearly all of my Milani purchases so far (actually can’t think of anything I’m not happy with, just grabbed up most of those Lip Flash pencils based on your pics, couldn’t pick only one, hehehe). Anyway, I tend to ‘stock up’ on the basics, so I’m pretty set for base & top coats, but like I said, if I’m ever in a pinch…
I’ve seen these at the drugstore and have been wanting to pick them up. I think I will now.
I will definitely need to try these. But honestly, does anyone ever wear a polish long enough for UV rays to fade the color. Or am I just a creature of the night who changes polish too often for it to matter?
Thank you for the great review as always:) Is the wear time any good? I currently love Diamont as well but would like to try this out! Thanks and have a great weekend:)
Hi Cristina,
I mentioned that in the post. Have a great weekend also!
Sounds great, but are they 3-free? I’m definitely disappointed by my poshe/orly glosser combo top, looking for something self leveling, supershiny and 3-free.
I’ve learned that now matter how hard I try, I am just not capable of covering my full nail with topcoat and not manage to still get an occasional blob along the side. I just keep a box of toothpicks handy and run the tip along the edge to clean up as I go along!
I saw those two in drug store but i wasn’t sure if they are worth buying, maybe i will try silver one ; )