Base coat and top coat are very particular things. There definitely seems to be chemistry involved, that is, your chemistry and how it works with the product. Just as some colours will look good on you and others won't, base coats can be really tricky. This ridge filler (let's face it, it's also a base coat) and I don't have great chemistry. It's kind of okay, but it's mostly just meh. It doesn't seem to help the ridges especially (my ridges are not terribly pronounced), and it tends to be quite sticky, even after it supposedly dries. I also find that it makes the polish take longer to dry, even when using quick-dry drops or quick-dry top coat. I'm sure this works great for some people, but for me, not so much, sadly. Definitely will not repurchase.