Olive and June Nail Polish Topcoat Review

Upon moving from Northern New Jersey to Central Pennsylvania for college, I quickly learned a lot about myself. Turns out I have quite the affinity for a magical concoction known as a gin bucket, I work best in the early a.m. while everyone else is still sleeping, and I have a knack for painting my own nails. See, growing up just a few miles outside of New York City, I was lucky enough to have a backyard of urban luxuries, including easily accessible high-end nail salons where I'd spend the majority of babysitting money. So, it's no surprise that I rarely, if ever, painted my own nails.

So, when I found myself living in a one-street town surrounded by cornfields, I decided it was finally time to learn to DIY, and, to my surprise, I did a pretty decent job. But the perfectionist in me wanted even smoother strokes and a more salon-esque shine, and so began a bi-weekly ritual that still exists today. As the semester continued, I inched my way towards IG-worthy nails and collected a roster of clients, err, friends that started to refer to my dorm room as "The Salon." Still, no matter how much I practiced and painted, I couldn't seem to deliver a long-lasting manicure. Chips happened, and more often than not, quickly. (

The years went on, I eventually moved to NYC and still couldn't seem to keep a manicure sans-chips for more than two days. It was infuriating.

But then, while online shopping for a new bottle of Olive & June's ECC (Buy It, $8, oliveandjune.com), I decided to add another polish to my cart. At this point, I was — and still am, btw — obsessed with their cool white gray ECC shade, so I figured I might as well try their Super Glossy Topcoat (Buy It, $8, oliveandjune.com, target.com). Now many bottles of O&J Topcoat later, and I'm still thankful I tried something new.

Let me put it to you simply: This stuff works.

Virtual and IRL shelves are stocked with topcoats that claim to seal in your polish with a protective shine that lasts for days, but many fall short. Olive & June's product, on the other hand, actually follows through. Case in point? Me, right now, typing this article with a week-old manicure that's completely chip-free.

Don't believe me? Just take it from this equally passionate reviewer: "I deep cleaned my house and washed a sink full of dishes without any gloves on and not even a single chip on my beautiful manicure. My nail polish is even a cheap polish and still not a single chip. I'm hooked for life."

Another pleased purchaser said: "It keeps your polish from chipping at least six days I would say, and it leaves your nails with that true manicure look and feel! Worth it."

With a wide brush for easy application, the topcoat goes on smooth and sans-streaks, so you're left with a salon-quality paint job even if you got a little polish on your cuticles. (FWIW, the brand also sells a Clean Up Brush for dealing with dreaded stray polish.) Like all of O&J's polishes, the topcoat is vegan as well as cruelty- and 7-free, meaning it's formulated without potential toxins and harmful chemicals such as dibutyl phthalate (DBP), toluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor, TPHP, or xylene. (

And last but certainly not least, the beauty buy is quick-drying, so you can actually move on to your next activity without worrying about smudges after all of your hard work.