The best thing I have ever bought for my nails is, hands down, my NYC Matte Me Crazy Mattifying Top Coat.
I’ll admit that the main reason why I love this stuff is because I’m basically a little kid who never gets tired of watching my nail polish go from glossy to matte in five seconds flat in front of my eyes. It’s like magic!
Another reason I like this stuff is because, when it comes to nails, I’m pretty much a neutrals girl. With the exception of red (which should always be high shine), I really like the way neutral nail colors look when mattified.
Glossy white nails look sort of tacky or outdated, but matte white nails look cool, OK?
Matte white nails feel so fresh, modern and clean to me.
You can also add some glitter on top of the white for an accent nail or for every nail. The colorful sparkles really stand out against the matte white.
Matte black is one of my favorite nail looks, no matter what I’m wearing or what season it is. Obviously it goes with everything, because it’s black, and the matte effect makes it subdued and not as shout-y as glossy black nails.
If glossy black nails are a night look, then I guess matte black nails are a day look.
This matte top coat is also great for transforming a nail color that you initially don’t totally love. My mom picked up a bottle of Revlon Brilliant Strength Nail Enamel in Tempt for me (and it turns out she has good taste, since Refinery29 just posted about this exact polish).
I do like gray nails, but unfortunately, I’m not completely in love with the shimmery metallic effect of this polish.
Then I had the idea to try it with the matte top coat, and that totally transformed it for me.
Of course there’s tons of other things you can do with a matte top coat: contrasting matte and glossy patterns (like stripes or polka dots), a matte nail with a glossy tip, toning down bright colors. (I think if you found the right green shade, you could easily make your nails look like a chalkboard.)
I could go on forever, but instead I’ll just order you to march over to the drugstore and drop the $2 on this matte top coat. Or you could just read Wendy’s DIY tutorial. Either way, let me know: Do you prefer using a matte coat on neutral nails or bright colors? Or are you a glossy nails girl all the way?