While I’m normally a law-abiding citizen, sometimes I realize that certain rules are meant to be broken. Such is the case when it comes to base coats!

I’ve tried nearly every mainstream base coat under the sun, beyond the dark side of the mood, and around the corner.

You name it, since 2008, if it’s a popular base coat, I gave it a run for its money.

I can’t remember the exact date when OPI Nail Envy waltzed into my life with its cummerbund, but I know that it should’ve been sooner!

If you’ve followed Swatch And Learn for a while, you know that for pretty much every single nail-polish review, my base coat of choice is, well, not a base coat! It’s OPI Nail Envy, which is classified as a nail strengthener.

My natural nails are very strong like Hercules. (Thank my mom and dad for that because I don’t do anything special, and I’m always using my nails to pick at labels and other things that will make a nailphile cringe. I’m extremely rough on my nails, and I’m constantly typing on the keyboard at my full-time job. Then, I come home and work on my blog – haha, more keyboard typing!)

So…it’s understandable that I used to steer clear of nail strengtheners. But, so many readers kept raving about OPI Nail Envy, and, like any nailphile, my curiosity got the better of me. I had to see if it was worth the hype or not.

Well, I’m so glad that I was curious like a cat because my search for a Holy Grail base coat came to an end the day I tried OPI Nail Envy (the original formula)!

I use it as a base coat, so this review is only judging it that way. (I can’t judge how well it strengthens nails, as my nails aren’t weak, thin, or peeling. Plus when I used this, I didn’t notice any difference in terms of nail strength.)

For those with nails that need to get buff, you’ll be happy to know that this is a maximum-strength formula with hydrolyzed protein and calcium. This combination helps nails grow harder, longer, and stronger, while resisting peeling, cracking, and splitting, according to the official OPI website.

Read this review to learn why I’m no longer looking for a great base coat. I’ve found it!

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Not long ago, I published the press release for the OPI Glitter Off Base Coat on here, and you’ll remember that I was really intrigued by the concept, especially considering that I haven’t tried any of the do-it-yourself PVA glue base coats.

Designed to be worn on your natural nail, the OPI Glitter Off Base Coat is supposed to protect the nails from stains while also making it easy for you to simply peel off heavy-duty glitter nail polish. You can forego using removers and scrubbing your nails raw.

I really put this new OPI base coat to the test because when I was moving to my new home and had to unpack a lot of cardboard boxes, I was wearing this underneath OPI Blush Hour, an unapologetic glitterbomb from the OPI Spotlight on Glitter Collection!

Note: I will update this post soon to show you photos of the brush and the polish’s consistency.

Edit: (April 7, 2014) I updated this post to also include the full ingredient list since a lot of readers were interested.

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