Hello ladies,
I recently purchased a bottle of Beauty Secrets Nail Polish Thinner in an attempt to solve my bubbling issues with Konad topcoat and restore my bottle of CND Air Dry to like new consistency. I am thoroughly pleased with the results.
The purpose of polish thinner is to return the chemicals present in the original product at time of manufacture. Because these chemicals are volatile and evaporate easily, standard use or even shelf time can change the consistency of polish or topcoat. It isn't recommended to use polish remover as a thinner because it functions as a solvent, breaking down the key ingredients over time. Polish thinner simply adds back the ingredients lost through evaporation.
The recommendation for usage is a few drops. This may be true for changing the consistency of nail polish, but I found I needed far more for thinning top coats. Looking at the photo, you can see there is missing product from the 4 oz. bottle. Filled to the neck at purchase, the amount of thinner missing is now within my bottle of Konad topcoat in the Princess size.
My Konad topcoat was so viscous that the bottle is now proportionately filled with one third Beauty Secrets Nail Polish Thinner and two thirds of the original topcoat. Previously, I had used the Konad topcoat in the special polish size and had no need for thinner. Whether there was a manufacturing issue with the larger bottle of Konad topcoat or if with my frequent use of the topcoat caused the formula to thicken is unclear. My bottle may have been getting too much exposure to air, causing undue evaporation of necessary chemicals.
I will note that I had never before experienced severe bubbling with any other topcoat after using only a third of a bottle. Clicking on any of the pictures in my review of Color Club's Uptown Girl, will give evidence to the issues I was having. The creme formula of the polish makes a thorough showcase. There was almost enough bubbling to call it lather.
Kathleen from OC Nail Art was amazing in sending me a replacement bottle immediately after I reported the problem. However, I had the same issues with the second bottle of Konad topcoat. Although with her excellent service, I think she would have replaced the bottles into infinity, I wanted to be proactive and see what I could do to restore the formula on my own.
I was pleased that the Beauty Secrets Nail Polish Thinner did not disrupt the formula from it's original purpose of sealing Konad designs. I noticed I have to be more careful now not to go over the same spot in the design twice. I also use a light touch when stroking the brush across the nail. These recommendations are standard with application of Konad topcoat whether or not thinner is used. As an additional bonus, thinning the top coat sped up drying time significantly.
Beauty Secrets Nail Polish Thinner contains the following ingredients: Butyl Acetate, Ethyl Acetate, and Heptane. I can't guarantee that every thinner would produce the same result with Konad topcoat, but the Beauty Secrets brand worked without altering the formula. My Konad manicures are free of bubbles and smearing.
I also tried Beauty Secrets Nail Polish Thinner with CND Air Dry. It worked beautifully with the newer Big Three Free formula. I haven't used it with the older formula. The flip spout on the Beauty Secrets cap will dispense a few drops at a time. If you are using this thinner for careful altering of a nail polish formula, I would recommend working with an eye dropper or a pipette instead. It's hard to see exactly how many drops of thinner you are adding. The cap design doesn't allow for precision dispensing. I had no problems using larger quantities than a few drops.
When using thinner, allow time for the ingredients to dispense into the polish or topcoat. When I first added Beauty Secrets Nail Polish Thinner to my topcoats, it sat on the surface. Shaking the topcoat bottle caused a rather disturbing amount of bubbles. This will settle over night and you will awaken to find your topcoat very close to it's original formula. It's like magic.
Beauty Secrets Nail Polish Thinner is available for 3.99 at Sally Beauty Supply locations or on-line at sallybeauty.com.
Above are three views of a leaning tree in Silver Lake Park. I was fascinated by the white cherry blossoms, that seemed like snow on the landscape. The sky began as vivid blue and there was a layering of clouds beneath that shared the white beauty of the tree.
Happy painting. ladies!