I’m a big fan of matte nail polish. I was never really sure where to go with it. Do you buy a matte color? Do you just get a matte top coat? Do matte top coats work on every polish? Can you apply a top coat over your matte polish? I had so many questions that I never actually ended up getting any matte nail polish – until recently. I found NYC’s Matte Me Crazy Mattifying Top Coat in a drug store and it was so inexpensive, I had to try it. Since I started using it, I’ve been inspired the look of the matte polish against the glossy polish, like when I made a matte and glossy French manicure! This week, I’ve gone with a look that’s a little more fun – and a lot easier to recreate. Read on to find out how to get your own matte and glossy polka dots!
This look couldn’t possibly be easier! As always, start with your base coat – I’m sticking with Seche Natural. Apply two coats of your favorite color. I really love manicures that work well in a variety of colors, and the beauty of this manicure is that you can really use any color you want! This would look edgy with a black polish, or cute with a pink polish – it’s totally up to you! I have found, however, that matte top coats work best on flat, opaque base colors – colors with no shimmer or glitter. I chose Zoya’s Snow White for this look. It’s the perfect opaque chalky white.
Before allowing your polish to dry, begin adding your matte top coat. I use NYC’s Matte Me Crazy Mattifying Top Coat – I see no need to go buy an expensive matte top coat because I don’t use it often, and this drug store brand works perfectly fine! Apply one even layer, making sure to cover your base color completely.
Once your matte coat is dry, you can totally leave it like this. Bare matte nails look awesome! If you want to keep going with the look, take a dotting tool – I used the top of a straight pin from my sewing kit, but you can use a toothpick, the prong of a fork, a dried out pen, a paperclip, whatever you can find! – and dip it into your base color. Create dots along your nail. I tried to keep mine evenly spaced for a more classic polka dot look, but feel free to dot however you please!
When you finish dotting, don’t apply a top coat! Applying a clear top coat over your matte polish can take away from the matte look of your manicure. However, since NYC’s Matte Me Crazy Mattifying Top Coat is technically a top coat, you’re covered.
Let us know if you’ll try this look!
The Collabor-eight 
Beautiful & elegant
Thank you!
Love the concept of a matte top coat. Matte polishes can never decide if they’re in or out, so it’s cool that you can turn any regular polish into a matte one if it’s on trend that day.
It makes so much more sense to me than buying a matte polish! With a top coat, you really double the amount of polishes you have – everything can turn matte, just from one bottle!
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