Review: New Nutra Nail Instant Smudge Repair and Speed Dry Top Coat

[UPDATE: I just spotted printable coupons on the Nutra Nail website! Click here to print them.]

A few weeks ago, I actually ran out of top coat. This might not seem like a big deal, but since I usually have around five or six spare bottles lying around, it sort of caught me by surprise. So instead of buying my usual favorites (Seche Vite and Sally Hansen MegaShine), I decided to try something new from a brand I've never tried before.

Luckily, I spotted a new counter display for some new Nutra Nail products at Rite Aid, and they just so happened to be running a BOGOFREE sale on Nutra Nails at the time. Plus, there were $1 off peelies on each bottle, so I ended up getting both of the following products for around $4 total (they retail for around $6 each):

Nutra Nail Speed Dry 30 Second Top Coat

and Instant Smudge Repair

(retail: around $6 each)

These products are Big Three Free and made in the USA. They also come with a money-back guarantee, which is always nice.

First let me give you a brief summary regarding the Speed Dry 30 Second Top Coat:

This product didn't dry my nails in 30 seconds. In fact, I found that it took longer than average to dry, especially given the fact that it claims to be a quick-drying top coat. I've used this top coat four times now, on a variety of different polishes, and I can confirm that it takes about two hours for this top coat to fully dry on my nails. If I take the edge of my nail and gently press into the polish, I will DEFINITELY see a dent unless I wait about two full hours for this top coat to dry. I do find that it adds a nice shine to my nails, especially when I'm wearing shimmery polishes, and I think it also does a nice job of protecting my polish. After about three days of wear, I can confirm that this top coat doesn't cause me any major chipping or peeling issues, but I do notice that the shine has dulled a bit after three days. I would give this product a C+ because, while it doesn't live up to its claim of being quick-dry (for me at least) I've certainly used worse top coats in my life.

And now on to the product I was the MOST curious about: Nutra Nail Instant Smudge Repair:

If you're anything like me, I always tend to smudge a nail within minutes of giving myself a manicure. It never freaking fails. So a product like this, if it works, can get a lot of use in my home.

I first decided to put this product to the test on a FULLY DRIED nick, just to see if it would work. This product does NOT claim to fix dry nicks, but you know me--I had to try anyway:

No dice. I did find it interesting that the product kind of pooled up inside the little nicks though. Oh! I want to point out that any bubbling you see in my polish existed BEFORE I used this product (that's what I get for trying to do a mani in front of a fan! But hey, it's 95 degrees in San Diego right now so what can I say?).

Next up, I tried fixing a fresh, wet smudge:

Wow. I am seriously impressed! It took no effort at all to fix this smudge. It was literally like applying clear top coat and BAM! It completely evened out the smudge AND it didn't make the shimmer in my polish look all weird and distorted.

Now, I know what you're saying: "G., this is nice and all, but can't you basically get the same results if you fix a wet smudge with regular ol' top coat? I'm tired of you and your love of gimmicks."

Well, I have to agree--I'm tired of my love of gimmicks too, but I can't help myself. I LOVE beauty gimmicks! But since you're all so darned practical, I did the following test just for you:

For the above test, I used a basic top coat (Sally Hansen Diamond Shine Base & Top Coat, which I forgot I had since I actually never use it). As you can see, it SORT of smooths out the smudge, but not to the degree of Nutra Nail Instant Smudge Repair. In my opinion, there's really no comparison. The Nutra Nail product works like magic in front of my eyes, whereas regular ol' top coat does not.

FINAL VERDICT: For me, Nutra Nail Speed Dry 30 Second Top Coat was nothing to write home about, but I absolutely love Instant Smudge Repair. It works like a charm on WET smudges (remember: it's not designed to be used on dry nicks) and I can see myself keeping this handy for all future manicures. I also like the fact that this product (as well as the top coat) are Big Three Free and made right here in the good ol' USA. If you're a chronic smudger who wrecks her manicures as often as I do, I'd consider giving Instant Smudge Repair a whirl.

Do you own any Nutra Nail products? What are some of your favorites? Anything else I should know about?