I have recently started polishing my nails, but so far I've only gotten to try some of the cheaper brands, though mostly only because I've just been practicing so I don't want to waste too much money immediately. What I've noticed is that applying it is very difficult because it's a bit too uneven, and I'm wondering if there's something wrong in my technique or if I should just get the more expensive nail polish. What do you guys think? Also, if you have some good but inexpensive brands to recommend that would be great.
It's all in the preparation. You need to buff the nail surface then apply a base coat in order to get the optimum surface for polish to go on evenly. You wouldn't paint a piece of furniture without sanding it first and it's the same with your nails. Two thin coats are much better than one thick coat too.
I totally agree with missibishi! I too have been doing my own nails at home now for a long time. It takes a while to get the hang of it and develop a steady hand. I still don't always get it right, but I try. I sometimes use Rimmel, Revlon and Sally Hansen and they're some of the cheaper ones, although the latter can be a bit pricier.
It's no so much the polish but the brush you use. On cheaper ones the brush is usually poor and the bristles fall out easily and also don't hold the polish, thus it drips quicker. I use cheap and expensive and the main difference is the brush, how long it is as well. Try to find a polish with a good brush and that will solve the problem as well as preparing your nails.
I think you can get away with just using cheap polish, but you have to ensure that you take all the steps rather than just putting the polish straight onto your nails. I can't paint mine because I do too much manual work and this means that it would chip quickly, but I have friends who always have beautiful nails, and I will admit that I am often very jealous of them, because I wish that mine were as nice as that.
I must confess I have not done this, but I think I should start. I have read many places that keeping your nail polish in the refrigerator is a way to make it last longer and also to go on smoother. My mother used to do it. I have trouble with nail polish going gloppy over time. I don.t wear polish all that often though.
It's a bummer how expensive nail polish is. At Wal-Mart they have great colors and varieties, even packages, but they're too expensive for me to justify buying. I only get polishes every once in a while. But yet I just recently got some from the dollar store for very cheap but they looked just that on my nails, cheap. If you want good quality I guess you just have to pay for it. It's probably better to get packages too of a couple of colors that you like. I really love Essie. Their brand is amazing and have so many beautiful colors to choose from. Check them out.
As both a frugal penny pincher and someone who went to cosmetology school I'll offer some tips! 1. As stated above, yes, buff your nails. It's detrimental! I like to get the multi sided files that are sold at both beauty supply stores AND at Dollar Tree! They even have directions for use on them. 2. Brand/cost of nail polish can be deceiving. There are a few brands that cost a bit more that I really do love but some others do not like them. Personal preference is key there. I do NOT like Julep, I feel like they are too thick and it's harder to control. Sinful Colors and OPI are my favorite. I never buy them full MSRP however, I scout for clearance and last season's colors to add to my collection. My favorite crackle is Wet N Wild and also their drying top coat but do not care for their colors. 3. A great top coat can make a huge difference. My favorite is the Hard as Nails with Nylon.
I found some cheap nail polish at Walmart recently NYC for .99 here at Oahu. It's a nice color, but it chips quickly. I did not buff my nails though. I love the color! I've bought expensive nail polish in my life and they chip too, so I end up buying cheapest nail polish.
From experience I would definitely agree that if you have good base and top coats, and you buff your nails, then the differences between cheap and expensive polishes are negligible. Sinful Colors is a great brand for cheap. I have found that Essie polishes might last slightly longer than most, but really it’s just a day or two. And my lifestyle is kind of hard on my nails, so they all chip eventually for me !
A good alternative to getting good polish cheap is the off-price stores. TJ Maxx, Marshall's and Ross sell these for half price or less. If you don't want to do the extra steps suggested, try a high end sample at a dept store and see how long it lasts. I did this with Chanel recently and there was a difference in wear time.
I actually really love the NYC line. I have five bottles and three are glitters. I like their glitters because they go on well but aren't as hard as other glitters are to remove. Has anyone tried the Gel Envy?
That's good to hear! I've always wondered how high end nail polish actually compares with regular high street versions. But I've never wanted to spend hideous amounts of money on it. Now that you say there's a difference in wear time, I may just treat myself one of these days, because I'm tired of my polish chipping within a day or two!
I don't think you'd regret if you did - as I too would agree with jneanz - its certainly worth paying that bit more for a high end polish if you want your manicure to last - especially as I also have found - that not only do they stay looking good for longer but that its more cost effective in the long run - particularly as I only need to do my nails once a week. In fact I can highly recommend both Chanel and Lancome - as both - even though I wear plain non frosted colors and my nails take a real hammering with gardening and all the other manual things that I do - stay looking good - meaning almost like I've just done them - for well over a week without chipping or the shine fading either - oh and the polish itself lasts a really long time too - if stored in the fridge
My friend swears by Wet 'N Wild nail polishes. She says they're cheap and works as well as expensive brands.I don't really wear nail polish because I get an allergic reaction with them. And this happened when I was extremely addicted to painting my nails with cheap ones, ones that are beyond cheap even. So yeah, I got traumatised and stopped using them entirely.
Thanks so much for your feedback, @gata montes I really do appreciate it because I've recently started noticing more and more that my nail polish is just not playing ball. Either it doesn't dry well and ends up smudging because I get tired of waiting and go to do something, only to find it's spoilt....what's that about?! Or if it dries, half a day down the line and it's already chipped....grrr! I'll definitely be trying the more expensive versions for size, and also sticking what I have in the fridge. At this rate, my fridge will be being taken over by a lot of my beauty products LOL I wonder how long before hubby starts to complain hehe
Wet N Wild is a cheap nail polish brand that I like, it has good colors, great prices and are actually decent quality. It's a brand worth trying if you are starting. If you can pay a bit more it's nice to try Sally Hansen as well!
I agree, it is all in the preparation. The best place to buy the supplies is at Log In, and they have a membership you can buy for I think $5 that lasts a year. I haven't been in a while, so mine has lapsed, but it was worth it. They also have great creams for your feet, to help with exfoliation. They will often have sales, and you can get the more expensive brands at bargains. OPI is also one of my favorites, and Essie has some really pretty colors. I use a lot of Wet n Wild these days, and it doesn't chip any sooner than the others, providing you take all of the steps of buffing and using a base and good top coat. I have noticed that the nicer (read as more expensive) polishes have better brushes, as @missbishi mentioned. I guess you could use the same brush and then clean it off with polish remover, but I've never done that. Sometimes I will just throw on a coat of polish if I'm going out and will need to take it off the next day or in a few days, because to me, it's not worth all of the effort of doing the full process, but it would probably be worth it to invest in the membership and keep an eye out for the sales (they'll send you circulars and emails) now that the holidays are coming, and that will get you a discount so you can buy gifts there, as well.
I buy some Wet n Wild nail polish at Walmart. It's usually just a dollar a bottle and it lasts quite a while. You can also get coupons in the Sunday paper and it ends up being free or half off. I also check the Target clearance bins and you can find some cheap polish in there too.
If you're finding the nail polish to be a little uneven, maybe you should apply a white base coat (or black if it's a deeper, darker color) so you can try to get a more even coverage. Most of the time, I really think its more about quality than what specific brand so if there's a cheaper but good formula nail polish, I'd buy it over OPI or China Glaze any day.
