Orly Bonder Basecoat - Mini Review

Orly Rubberized Base Coat

Lately, my manis have started peeling.  I always -- always -- use a base coat.  I am on a quest to find the perfect base coat.  I read about bases that claim to adhere to nail lacquers and stopped chipping.  Still I was unconvinced.  Then I read about Orly's Bonder Base Coat.  I was a bit surprised to find that it is rubberized!  Is that just a claim, or is it really rubber?  I began my research.

My first stop is always the website of the brand I'm researching.  Here is the claim from Orly.com:

BONDER
Rubberized Polish Gripping Basecoat

A unique rubberized basecoat, grips lacquer to the nail surface for extra lasting adhesion.


Okay, then!  It is rubberized.

And on the back of the bottle:


"Bonder, a unique, rubberized base coat grips lacquer to the nail surface for lasting adhesion.  Prevents nail lacquer from wearing off for up to two weeks."

Two weeks!?  That's some claim!  That alone made me want to try it, but I went on to read other users opinions.  Most said that two weeks was a bit of a stretch, but most said it held true to Orly's word;  the chipping did stop. I did read, however that it failed to keep lacquers from staining nails, and some even put a regular base coat on first, then the bonder, and still it worked great. I bought some.  Amazon. $4.00 (free shipping) for a 6 oz. bottle. 



I put a coat of my usual OPI Nail Envy Original Formula and let it dry - about 5 minutes.  Then I put on the bonder.  It has a rather strong odor of the usual lacquers.  I feel the brush is a bit too thin.  A wider brush would be great.  Still, the bonder went on smooth as oil.  It dries to a slick, glossy finish, but as you would imagine, it has a tackiness to it.  It does not dry to a rock-hard finish.  My advice is to let it dry for about five minutes but no longer.  Polish with your lac ASAP.  Things will stick to the bonder -- like dirt, dust, ect.  Then top as usual .

I'm on day three of my mani, and so far, fantastic!  So far, I think I'd give it 4 stars.  If things go well with this mani, I'll add it to my nail routine!

PS... for my next mani, I will try the bonder on bare nails -- and hope my nails don't stain.   What's better/worse?  Using the bonder and never having lac chip or peel ever again - with stained nails?  Or having clean nails that constantly peel and chip?  I think I can learn to live with stained nails.

Until next time,
Stay polished!

Peace!