I love wearing nailpolish but it never lasts very long. I am very careful about applying it; two coats, and then a clear top coat to help hold it on.
I work a lot with my hands and I know that’s why it comes off so quickly. So be it, but does anyone have any suggestions on how to make it last longer?
Admittedly I use fairly cheap nailpolish so if the answer is “buy $10 nailpolish” I’m probably not going to do it except maybe for special occasions. I lose too many, and I like to change the colors often, so it just wouldn’t be worth it to me.
Thanks!
ETA: Aargh! You can’t edit the titles! I meant to write more, honest!
Is $6 too much? my job is divided between working with a variety of hand tools. and working with customers. My nails get their fair share of abuse, but I like my hands not to look as if I’ve clawed my way out of something when I’m showing samples to clients.
I use a base coat. One coat of color and then a top coat. I’ve had pretty good luck with Sally Hansen products. For color I’ve been happy for many months with the SH “Hard As Wraps” line. There isn’t a huge array of colors but I find they last really well. I use an SH top coat with “acrylic” in its name. I’m not being coy, it’s just at home.
I realize it’s less fun, but I find that pale/sheer colors get just as chipped but show it a lot less than their dark/bright/up to the minute counterparts.
I work on a keyboard all day and then I go home and dig with my bare hands in the garden. All that is hell on my nails.
What I find helps is removing all traces of the oils from your skin off your nails before you start. Plain rubbing alcohol or just nail polish remover will “degrease” your nails. The polish sticks better – like you wash a wall before you paint it so the paint adheres to the wall without peeling, flaking, cracking… you get the idea.
Let your nails dry completely in between coats. I just use maybe one or two coats, depending on the color, then finish with a hard acrylic clear coat. Big fan of Sally Hansen nail products.
I think I read something about keeping your nail polish in the fridge, but I’ve never tried it.
Buy $10 nail polish. Ok, $7 nail polish. The only time my nail polish chips is when I use the cheap stuff.
OPI is the way to go and it looks like you can get them for about $5 a pop on Amazon. Cajun Shrimp is one of my favorites and is only $4.60.
The best nail polish I’ve ever had, in terms of staying power, is my Chanel Vendetta polish. Though I certainly wouldn’t expect anyone to be as stupid as I was and drop $23 on a nail polish.
Just chiming in to say that OPI is worth it. Not that much, really, and chips far less than even the Sally Hensen I’ve used.
This is from THE laziest nail-person in the whole world; I just don’t care to spend more time than it takes to put a coat of light-coloured polish on and go. Even without any base or top, OPI has always impressed me. I usually find it in hair solons or beauty supply stores, not so much regular stores, but yeah, not more than 5 bucks or so. Worth it! Bumloads of cool colors, too.
And I’d forgotten all about OPI, and payday I’m gonna have to find a salon and get a few!
If there is anything in the world that can always make me smile, it’s reading the names of OPI nail polishes. I have awful, awful nails, but when once in a blue moon I have to paint them, I use OPI ‘Skinny Dippin’ in Lake Michigan’, not only because I love the name, but it’s a very pale buffy-tan that is very unobtrusive.
Opi has such a loyal following that its worth a shot (I’m a Opi fan myself). If you don’t like the results, you’ve spend an extra $2.50 on polish (around here its $7.50 a bottle, but frequently there is a buy one get one half off or buy two, get one free sale).
I don’t put my polish on to stay. I’m a hands in mouth person (not a nail biter, but a cuticle biter and nail peeler). If I have polish to peel, I’m not picking at my cuticles.
Lately, I’ve only been polishing my toes. I like polish on my nails, but I just pick at it and can’t keep it on for long, especially if it chips. And I can’t be bothered to do a base coat, 2 coats of color, and a top coat.
So I paint my toenails, and it’s awesome. I get the jones out, I do a better job because I can use my right hand to paint all the nails, and it doesn’t take long. (I do two coats of color on the toes only.) And it lasts a good while since my toenails don’t seem to take the beating that my fingernails do.
Currently, they’re a deep sapphire blue. You bet I’m wearing open-toed heels today, even if it is only 40 degrees out. I loves me my blue toes.
I always keep my toenails painted and of course that lasts for weeks and weeks without trying. And my nails are very healthy and I constantly maintain them - you know, clipping hangnails and stuff - so why not decorate them?
This whole working for a living thing sucks, though. Strips the paint right off.
I used to indulge in pedicures all the time - and am hoping to get back in the habit soon. But I started skipping the manicures because no matter what I do, they chip within an hour of me leaving the salon.
However, I do find that if I do them myself and wait at least 20-25 minutes before each coat - they last much longer. And that’s with the cheapie cover girl/revlon nail colors.
So I usually pick a night where i’m alone in front of the TV - like when* Dancing with the Stars *is on.
Orly Bonder is a great one. Sally Beauty has it, CVS has it, I’m sure it’s online somewhere too.
This thread is from a month ago (or so) on manicures and polishes and the like.
Also to the OP, if you’re just doing clear coats, I’ve found OPI’s Nail Envy (in whichever type your are - brittle, peeling, maintenance) is a great base coat, along with 1-2 coats of Sally Hansen’s Hard As Wraps. It was recommended in the manicure thread above, and here too, so it’s pretty good stuff. It’s fairly thick/viscous stuff, so I tend to only do 1 coat of it.
As far as making the manicure last, also from the last thread, people recommended putting a clear coat on top every few days. I do a Hard As Wraps clear coat every third day or so (and wash dishes without gloves fairly often, work with my hands) and it ends up lasting about 7-10 days.
I only ever paint my toenails but I just wanted to chime in and say that I use OPI…and had sapphire blue nails at the end of last summer, and already have a bottle of Cajun Shrimp for this summer
Currently, my toenails are bright yellow. Hurray OPI!
We are sole sisters. I only paint my toes, and my toes are also blue – I treated them to OPI’s Russian Navy suede, and I’m wearing sandals despite the chilly weather so I can peek down at them and see how great that color is.
Just wanted to bump and let the OP (and everyone else!) know that in yesterday’s Sunday paper, Ulta had a flyer where you get a free “easter basket” (which looked like a cheap tote) and fill it with 5 things for $10 total. All of their nail polishes (not OPI, but the Ulta brand) seemed to be included. I can’t vouch for its lasting ability, but $2 is pretty good! On the website, they don’t seem to be advertising the 5 for 10 per se, but when you look in the “sale” section, their salon nail polishes are reduced to $1.99 each, as well as a bunch of lip liners and eye liners, etc.
ETA: Sale was going on yesterday through Saturday, possibly through Sunday.
This is something my manicurist does and mine last at least a week or more. She does that, puts on bottom coat, 2 color coats, a top coat and then sprays them with some quick dry stuff.
I’ve never had another manicurist do that (wiping the nails with alcohol before putting on the base coat) and since then, my polishes last a good long time.
Strips the paint right off.