Review: INM Out the Door Top Coat

I found out about INM’s Out the Door, after using their silver holographic top coat, called Northern Lights, which dries to touch in 45 seconds (so, the bottle claims, but I didn’t test this, but it dries fast).  I was impressed with Northern Lights so I started looking at what else INM manufactures.  Since then, Out the Door is one of my go-to top coats.  I am almost done with a second bottle, so I think I can do a fair review.

What I like:

·         Big 3 free.

·         Low odor.

·         Dries fast, 1-2 minutes to touch, 5 minutes go about your business.  (Light duty that is, don't go scrubbing pot and pans in the sink, you'll need to wait a least three hours for that).

·         Delivers high gloss shine.

·         Decent smudge fixer.

·         No shrinkage.

What I don’t like:

·         Not the best leveler, it’s not bad, there are just slightly better top coats for glitters.  (China Glaze Fast Forward top coat, and Seche Vite are better/smoother for glitters).

·         Halfway the formula gets a bit thick and the rim of the bottle gets a bit crusty.  I add thinner to it and then add fresh top coat to top off the bottle. The brush doesn’t seem to pick up much top coat once it is half empty.  I also take time to clean the rim so that the top goes back on nicely.

·         The label goes all the way around I have a hard time seeing how much polish I have and how far down the brush is going when I’m dipping into the bottle.

Cost and availability

·         About $5 a bottle, at Sally’s and CVS pharmacy. 

·         Out the Door is inexpensive and easy to find, at least where I am.  Big refill bottles are available too.  I think those are $10.  

When do I reach for Out the Door?

·         Especially, over any jelly polish, due to the advantage of no shrinkage.

·         Over any polish, except glitters and flakies.

·         Over any nail art.  (Apply via floating technique to prevent smudges.  Which means apply with a big dollop and try not to let the brush touch the nail/paint, just kind of pushing the large drop over the nail.) 

Overall, there is a lot to like about Out the Door.  The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages, and the disadvantages are not really that bad, they really trivial.  I highly recommend, without hesitation INM’s Out the Door.

This is a continuing segment of top coat reviews.  To start at the beginning (China Glaze's Fast Forward review), click here for this post. 

Coming up, I’ll review Revlon’s Quick Dry top coat.