Chrome looks like the easiest finish in the world until you rub it on and half of it disappears. It took me about ten sets to work out that the powder is almost never the problem.
Cure matters more than pressure
Your no-wipe top coat has to be fully cured but still fresh. If I go in too early the powder sinks and goes cloudy. Too late and it won’t grab at all. Two minutes under my lamp, then straight into buffing.
The eyeshadow applicator is doing more work than the powder is.
The sequence I use
- Finish your color and cure it fully.
- Apply a thin layer of no-wipe top coat. Thin is the whole trick.
- Cure two minutes, then let the nail cool for thirty seconds.
- Rub the powder in with a firm eyeshadow applicator until it turns mirror.
- Dust off, seal with one more top coat, cure again.
That’s it. If you still get bald spots, it’s almost always the top coat. Swap brands before you swap powders.