Nail polish fixer

Nail care is not as simple as it might seem at first glance. Very rarely, a woman will limit herself to the usual transparent varnish, preferring its bright and impressive manicure.

In order to create a real masterpiece at your fingertips, you will have to properly prepare. In addition to colorful varnishes, you will need a lot of other materials to prepare the nails, as well as to consolidate the result.

The classic fixer is considered an indispensable element of every woman's cosmetic bag. At the very least, it will be needed in the case of working on a manicure. It is the fixers, which are a colorless transparent liquid, that can provide long-term protection for the final pattern and decor on your nails.

The fixer is a classic top coat, or, as it is also called, a top coat. This tool is applied, as a rule, over the finished manicure. Its main task is to strengthen the decor and all previous layers of varnish, speeding up their drying.

The developments of modern cosmetics manufacturers do not stand still.Now on the shelves of stores it is easy to find fixatives that have a lot of additional properties. In addition to the usual protection of a manicure, this tool can nourish the nails and strengthen the plate itself, provide additional resistance to temperature changes or even physical damage.

Clear varnish can act as a base. But if you use it as a top coat, then such a manicure will peel off very quickly, exfoliate, fade. All this is a consequence of the fact that the usual colorless varnish does not have the qualities that are needed for the full effect of fixing and protection. Among other things, a manicure without using the right top will dry much longer.

Nail polish fixer is indispensable. This is especially true if you apply manicure yourself at home, and do not seek the services of a master. Among other things, it can be used as a kit to create complex multilayer drawings. The fixer can fill the empty areas of the layers, so that the final work will look deeper, more voluminous, acquire a beautiful shine and juiciness.

This is possible due to the simple and effective structure of the fixer. It can be applied even if the foundation is not completely dry yet. You can not do without it when using gel polishes.

To date, there are quite a few different options for lacquer fixer. It has become an essential material for working with manicure, so almost every major cosmetics manufacturer has not bypassed it.

So, there are several main types of fixer:

• The so-called thick fixative. This is a tool that has a denser consistency, which is the result of a high concentration of the main working components. This is the choice for women who use it as their final layer. Due to its composition, a thicker fixative has an increased protective effect, stronger strengthens the manicure and nail plate;
• Glossy fixer is a kind of exception to the rule, since this tool may not be transparent, but slightly cloudy. As it is easy to understand from the name, its feature is to give the nails a soft and pleasant gloss effect;
• Another option for a “non-standard” fixative is matting. Unlike classic products, it reduces the brightness of the shine of the manicure and the base words of the varnish, and instead of them gives a light matte shade;
• Classic fixer does without a sticky layer.However, such products are considered as a separate type, since many other options require additional drying due to the content of secondary elements such as a matte or glossy finish;
• With the content of various biological additives, prepared on the basis of natural ingredients. This type of remedy is used to strengthen and improve the natural nail plate. But for artificial extended nails, this type is not suitable.

Each manufacturer and brand has its own personal technology for making a fixer. Their composition can vary dramatically depending on what kind of effect the remedy should have. As mentioned above, the fixer ensures the safety and strength of the finished manicure. Concerning there are a number of components, which must be present in each classic version of the lacquer fixer:

• Usually, the main active ingredient is nitrocellulosea, which ensures the strength and hardness of the manicure. Thanks to these qualities, the tool prevents physical and thermal damage to the nail plate, as well as the drawing with varnish or gel on it;
• elastic component. It can be a rubber or silicone concentrate, which makes the fixative thicker, and also forms a dense film on the surface of the nail during application;
• Additional synthetic inclusions, which provide visual effects after the top or top coat dries. It can be velvet, satin, glossy, matte or any other variant of the appearance of a manicure;
• biological components. If you are interested in a really high-quality and reliable fixer, then make sure that it contains the natural ingredients necessary to strengthen your nails. These can be calcium particles, vitamins of various groups, trace elements and minerals.

Even many women who can make a simple and pleasant-looking manicure on their own may not understand the intricacies of this art at all. But a real master who knows when and how best to apply this or that tool can achieve not only a visually impressive effect, but also a high quality manicure that will last on the nails for a long time and will not lose its volume and brightness.

The base is the main layer on which all subsequent manicure elements are fixed., including top coat, decoration, as well as a fixing layer. Today, many classic varnishes are 2 in 1 products and do not require any preparation of the nail surface, except for its cleaning and degreasing.

Exceptions are gel polishes, which require a base in the form of a special tool that improves the adhesion between the gel and the nail tissue. In other cases, the base can play the role of a corrector, since it can even out and smooth the surface of the plate, and thereby improve the quality of the manicure as a whole.

If the base serves as a kind of foundation, then in contrast to it top is the main layer of varnish or gel that sets the tone for the entire manicure. Formally, it can be compared to a canvas. Usually the top covers the entire nail plate. It can be both colored and transparent, so almost any tool can play its role, including a fixer, which will allow you to achieve greater manicure strength, depth, volume and shine.

The final is the finish line. This is the last layer that covers the nail along with the decor applied to it, providing protection and density. Usually, a special fixative is chosen for this, which can guarantee sufficient density.

You should never save on your beauty and health. When choosing a nail polish fixer, you should focus solely on quality, because an expired or low-quality product can not only disappoint you with its results, but even damage or destroy the nail plate! This problem is especially relevant if you apply a manicure on extended nails.

To avoid trouble, you need to follow some recommendations of professionals that will help you quickly identify a low-quality product:

• Read the label before buying. Pay special attention to the composition. You do not need to know all the components by heart, but remember that the fixer should not contain formaldehyde or dibutyphthal. These are poisonous chemicals that damage nail tissue;
• To choose correctly, it is best to focus on brands known to professionals and experienced women;
• Do not buy cosmetics in cheap stalls and supermarket pavilions. It is in such places that fakes often appear, so it is best to visit professional large cosmetology departments and stores;
• Don't forget to pay attention to the bottle itself. It should not have damage, dents, scuffs. The manufacturer's logo, production and expiration dates should be clearly visible. This rule should be remembered when buying any cosmetics;
• Also study the consistency of the product. It should not be too liquid and not too thick. A good fixer never has air bubbles;
• Don't neglect testers. Externally, not a single fixer has matte shades. Apply a small amount of test agent to a piece of paper. A good product does not leave bumps or streaks a few minutes after drying.

Among inexperienced women, it is widely believed that the fixative is an unnecessary and even useless thing. You can say this only if, for the fair sex, manicure is limited to only a nail file and transparent varnish.

Without a good fixer, the result will be very deplorable. It is, first of all, not only about the external qualities of a manicure or even a pedicure, but about the health of the nails. After all, if you neglect the fixative, the entire varnish will very quickly become covered with cracks, peel off, delaminate, and in the case of using gel polish, even damage to the nail plate is possible.

Mentioning the correct choice of means, we did not mention specific product names. But the most reliable way to purchase a quality nail polish fixative is to focus on a popular and proven brand. The following companies can be attributed to proven manufacturers of nail cosmetics:

• Company Orly offers a good tool, which is rightfully considered a professional topcoat. Differs in the formation of a fairly dense protective layer for manicure. In addition, it significantly speeds up the drying of the varnish. The fixers of this brand are used by many experienced craftsmen;
• Brand Kapous offers a wide range of nail polish fixatives that can be used for both top and finish. There are completely different types of products that will not only protect the manicure, but also help to achieve better gloss, saturation, volume of the picture;
• Relouis is a brand, which has quite a lot of experience in terms of development and production of cosmetics for nail care. The range includes classic fixers that can guarantee the protection of your nails and products with additional effects such as gloss or matte shade;
• Also performed well Glos Top Coat. Their fixatives have a medium consistency and are easily dosed for application to the nails. The protective layer lasts for at least a week, while maintaining the shine and cleanliness of a manicure or pedicure.

You can correctly apply the finish layer without the help of a master, if you follow some simple rules., as well as follow the recommendations of the manufacturers of cosmetics that were used for manicure and nail care.

First of all, pay attention to what type of fixer you will use. Only certain products can be applied immediately over the varnish, otherwise you need to wait until your manicure is completely dry.Otherwise, you run the risk of simply mixing the varnish or gel with a fixing liquid, so the manicure will come out uneven, dirty, lose its color and become brittle.

Only after the decor of the nail or its separate layer is fully prepared, you can start using the liquid. It must be distributed over the entire nail plate in 3 movements. The first strip of the product is held vertically in the middle, and the next two - on the sides. The layer should not be too thin, otherwise the fixative will not have time to dry and will quickly exfoliate. Excessive density of the liquid can lead to the same result, so it can be diluted if necessary.

Some women new to more advanced nail care sometimes experience There are questions regarding the compatibility of some tools:

• Is it possible to cover regular polish with gel top coat. It is technically possible to perform such a procedure. It is necessary to prepare the plate before applying the gel itself, degrease it, level it and give it the desired shape. But pay attention to the fact that the effectiveness of manicure protection in this case will be much lower;
• Can gel polish be applied over top?. Even if you use a fixative as a top, it is better not to do this. Shellacs are applied only on a special base, and if this is neglected, the manicure or pedicure will quickly deteriorate.

• Also, separately it is worth paying attention to the question of why the fixative layer lies unevenly. There can be quite a few reasons, and it is necessary to consider how liquid behaves after application:
  • Collapsing. This may indicate poor product quality, too high density or expiration date;
  • thickened. Perhaps you are applying too thick a layer of fixative;
  • Leaves with a film or peels off. Most often, the cause is poor preparation of the nail plate, insufficient degreasing or an incorrectly chosen base;
  • Rolling down. Poor quality of the fixer, the presence of impurities in it, incorrect application technology;
  • It's getting dark. In this case, the reason may be hidden in the fact that the main layer did not dry out completely and mixed with the fixative liquid.

First of all, the quality of the fixer itself plays an important role. Also, the technology of applying liquid affects the duration of manicure protection. If a woman uses it for the first time, then it will take some time to gain a knack.

The main subtleties that must be observed to achieve the best effect are as follows:

• It is necessary to apply the product quickly and accurately so that it does not damage the decor of the nail and the strokes are uniform;
• The layer should always be as thin as possible. Too thick will not provide better protection;
• A more reliable effect is observed if the fixative is applied to the gel polish;
• When using such a tool on ordinary nails, the fixing will last for about 7 days. If you apply it on extended nails, the effect will last much longer;
• Renew the protective layer by reapplying the finish every 3-4 days.

The reasons for the uneven distribution of the fixer, as a rule, can lie in improper application.

Make sure that the nail plate is well degreased. Also, before applying the fixer, make sure the base and top are completely dry. When choosing a liquid, avoid those that are too thick or contain air bubbles.

There are quite a few cosmetics manufacturers that offer a wide range of nail care products. To date, the ranking is headed by such brands as Kapous, Relouis, Orly, Sally Hansen. They offer the best finishes and top coats.

On average, the reviews of experienced women and craftsmen on the products of these companies are very positive. When used correctly, they provide long-term nail protection, add shine, richness and volume to your manicure or pedicure.

How to extend the durability of varnish with a fixer - in the next video.