Seven days ago, the NAILS staff tried out Tammy Taylor’s new Miracle Manicure. It’s a light-cured base coat that increases the wear time of regular nail polish. As promised, today I’m reporting on the wear.

All of us, 10 testers in total, agree that the Miracle Manicure Base Coat definitely made our polish stay chip-free longer. The photo above was taken yesterday afternoon and is of my colleague Myla’s nails. Her nails are still completely chip-free. (Myla says her usual polish manicures last about three days.)

Several other NAILS staff members also have chip-free nails on Day 7. Unlike gel polishes, the shine does fade, but Tammy advises, “If they lose a little shine from everyday wear and tear just add a fresh coat of Super Dry Top Coat every few days or when needed.” Personally, I’d recommend retailing a bottle of top coat with this manicure (you may even consider building the top coat cost into the price, then including it as a “freebie”) because I think it will increase client satisfaction. I reapplied top coat on my nails yesterday, and it brought them back to the original shine level.

Since my nails are very chip-prone (I tend to chip before the end of the first day), I probably should have reapplied top coat, especially re-sealing the free edge, throughout the week. Doing the dishes over the weekend also was probably not the best idea. I did get some chips, as did a few other people here. However, because the polish lasted longer than it would have otherwise, overall I was pleased with the experience. I had a social event on Saturday morning, and my friends oohed over my nails. I’d personally recommend marketing the Miracle Manicure as a “chip-resistant base coat that’s guaranteed to make your polish last longer.” For those clients who do chip, those may be the clients who are better candidates for gel polish.

I haven’t taken my Miracle Manicure off yet, but I wanted to share a photo of our production manager Carla’s nails. She simply used polish remover to take off her polish, then as you can see the base coat is still shiny underneath. Tammy says that to remove the base coat, use a buffer and lightly buff it off.

The Miracle Manicure goes on sale Friday night (4/15) via http://www.tammytaylornails.com or you can order by phone Monday at (800) 938-2669. Tammy’s offering the starter kit for $24.95, which includes one bottle of Miracle Manicure Base Coat (0.45 oz.; Tammy says this is enough for 30 to 60 manicures), one bottle of Tammy Taylor polish (0.45-oz.; you choose the color), one bottle of Tammy Taylor Super Dry Top Coat (0.45 oz.), and one Tammy Taylor Buff-It nail buffer. You’ll also need a UV nail lamp, and Tammy says any UV nail lamp will work. It’s a smaller financial investment than gel polish and you can use it with the nail polishes you already own, so those are definitely two advantages.

If you decide to buy it, feel free to drop Tammy a line to let her know what you think. She’s reachable at asktammy [at] tammytaylornails.com.

—Sree