Nail Polish Help!!

gleechick609
gleechick609 Posts: 544 Member
in Chit-Chat
Any manicurists out there? My nail polish keeps cracking whenever it drys (not to mention, chips after one day with a clear coat on!)

I bought Sally Hansen Acrylic Top coat to help with the chipping but my nail polish STILL cracked! I use OPI nailpolish, too!

Help?! :sad:

Replies

  • mynameiscarrie
    mynameiscarrie Posts: 963 Member
    the saaaaame thing happens to me! maybe it's our fingernails? lol
  • FranklyFatso
    FranklyFatso Posts: 3
    I stopped buying cheaper polishes and now solely use Essie products once I discovered how easily they are applied. With two quick drying coats (no base coat or top coat) my polish can last without chipping for at least 4 days and it goes on so smoothly it looks like I paid for a manicure (which I never do).
  • Jules0336
    Jules0336 Posts: 137 Member
    I started going to the salon and getting shellac. Mine lasted 2 weeks, with no chips at all. The only reason I had to get it changed after 2 weeks was because my nails were growing, some people can go longer though!
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    Essie is fabulous. It's $8 or so for a bottle but I don't think that's outrageous. It's way cheaper than a manicure.

    If you want to use your other polishes, try using them with an Essie base/top coat.

    If you aren't using color but just want a nice shine, a nail buffer can give you a nice look. It's like a foam block with different surfaces, first it smooths out your nails and then polishes them. If you get a good quality one, it will look great!
  • StrengthIDidntKnow
    StrengthIDidntKnow Posts: 543 Member
    Even with Essie I was having problems with chipping after a couple of days. Last week I tried using a base coat, Essie nail polish and a quick drying top coat - "Out the Door". My manicure lasted 7 days, I was impressed.
  • mamabear272
    mamabear272 Posts: 268 Member
    I haven't found a single polish that doesn't chip after a few days. It doesn't matter how much I spend on it. Even if I go to a salon and get a manicure, 3 days max! I got a shellac mani to see if it was really as good as all the hype. It is! I then went to Sally's and bought the Gelish system. It's basically the same as Shellac but I can do it myself at home. After my fourth mani that I did myself, it's more than paid for itself. I also found at Meijer (midwest store like Walmart) Red Carpet. They also have it at Ulta. It's a bit less expensive then Gelish but it's the same system. It absolutely lasts for 2 weeks or more and I only need to change it because of growth.
  • KatFierce
    KatFierce Posts: 252 Member
    Hi, Beauty school/Nail Tech student here!! *waves* , First off you have to make sure your nails are clean , so wash hands, then use nail polish remover on a cotton pad to get off any oils or soap residue(yes even if your not wearing polish still do this). Then use a ridge filler or good base coat, OPI is a good one. Then paint thin coats evenly over the nail, allow to dry. Apply a second coat and let dry completely. Top off with a great top coat ( I love seche vete, you can ge tit at cvs or sally beauty supply). Then apply the top coat horizontally along the tip of the nail, this seals the edge nicely.
    Allow to dry completely, should last several days.
  • gleechick609
    gleechick609 Posts: 544 Member
    My entire nail polish collection consists of OPI. And I have A LOT of colors. They are old but I didn't think Nail polish had an expiration date? I always shake them to move the color around.

    I was thinking of getting the gellish system but then I think of ALL the nailpolish I have!!!!!

    Would love to just put the clear coat overtop of dried nail polish. The salons used to do it when I got fake nails for an extra 5.00!
  • tallen3687
    tallen3687 Posts: 244 Member
    I haven't found a single polish that doesn't chip after a few days. It doesn't matter how much I spend on it. Even if I go to a salon and get a manicure, 3 days max! I got a shellac mani to see if it was really as good as all the hype. It is! I then went to Sally's and bought the Gelish system. It's basically the same as Shellac but I can do it myself at home. After my fourth mani that I did myself, it's more than paid for itself. I also found at Meijer (midwest store like Walmart) Red Carpet. They also have it at Ulta. It's a bit less expensive then Gelish but it's the same system. It absolutely lasts for 2 weeks or more and I only need to change it because of growth.

    Do you have to use the special UV light for drying?
  • gleechick609
    gleechick609 Posts: 544 Member
    I haven't found a single polish that doesn't chip after a few days. It doesn't matter how much I spend on it. Even if I go to a salon and get a manicure, 3 days max! I got a shellac mani to see if it was really as good as all the hype. It is! I then went to Sally's and bought the Gelish system. It's basically the same as Shellac but I can do it myself at home. After my fourth mani that I did myself, it's more than paid for itself. I also found at Meijer (midwest store like Walmart) Red Carpet. They also have it at Ulta. It's a bit less expensive then Gelish but it's the same system. It absolutely lasts for 2 weeks or more and I only need to change it because of growth.

    Do you have to use the special UV light for drying?

    Yea :( But you can get those cheap off of ebay or amazon. You really shouldn't pay no more than 30.00 for a light!
  • sjmgde
    sjmgde Posts: 381 Member
    i use bonder and chip skip all by OPI. I love the bonder. It cements in the nail polish adn i do a lot of dishes.
  • kealambert
    kealambert Posts: 961 Member
    my ex is polish...

    that is all
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
    No nail polish, even opi works for me :-( not even 1 full day! X
  • L00py_T0ucan
    L00py_T0ucan Posts: 1,378 Member
    my ex is polish...

    that is all

    I sometimes get confused when I see 'Polish Bar' - I live in a city where there are still some water holes run by folks from Poland. But there are also these Nail Polish Spa-Bars...

    confusing!

    'Zywiec please!'
    vs
    ' french tips...'


    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • lindseym1983
    lindseym1983 Posts: 209
    I am hard on my hands and nails and got the shellac manicure. LOVE IT!!! I can change my toe nail polish and doesn't remove my polish, scrub dishes, have hands in water all day and no chipping!!! :)
  • Sp1nGoddess
    Sp1nGoddess Posts: 1,134 Member
    I too like OPI & Essie. Seche Vite topcoat is great - apply it every other day. Don't let your hands get in hot water for too long or use your nails as tools... hard I know. Also using glitter keeps polish on longer, I don't know why. It's harder to remove too.

    However, my nails tend to split or flake which causes the polish to come off regardless of what brand or how careful I am. I pretty much gave up wearing colors until I discovered Shellac. I can get a mani to last 2 weeks with it. It takes about 15 minutes per hand to remove. (I do it myself & need a hand free) Not worrying about my polish setting after the manicure is so fantastic!

    The only downside IMO is cost - each polish is about $18 and you need a lamp to cure it. At the salon you'll pay about $40 depending on where you are.
  • rchupka87
    rchupka87 Posts: 542 Member
    One of my best friends is a beautician. She saved my manicures!!! There is something called Chip Skip by O.P.I. that I use instead of a base coat. It is basically a primer. I use it, two coats of a $2 bottle of polish (my new favorite is the Sinful line, 1.99 anywhere, walgreens, walmart, you name it), and the clear topcoat from the Nicole line by OPI.

    I literally painted my nails Kentucky blue for the beginnning of March Madness (March 15th) , it's still on, with NO CHIPS.

    nails.jpg
  • kealambert
    kealambert Posts: 961 Member
    zywiec is a beer, I know that...french tip, though, eeenteresting!
  • garlic7girl
    garlic7girl Posts: 2,236 Member
    I too like OPI and Essie the only polishes I have found that do not chip. Make sure your nails are clean dry and not oily. That will promote chipping and not giving enough time for the top layer to dry before adding another one.
  • gleechick609
    gleechick609 Posts: 544 Member
    zywiec is a beer, I know that...french tip, though, eeenteresting!

    Nie mówię po polsku :happy:
  • Cberg9
    Cberg9 Posts: 123
    Find a reputable salon and consider gel nails? I get that done and the polish lasts about a month. It looks like acrylic nails but it's your own nail and they are much stronger. I've heard it's expensive at some salons but mine only costs 25 bucks
  • angela828
    angela828 Posts: 498 Member
    i just got a gel manicure yesterday - looks awesome, supposedly will last for 5 weeks. mine cost $30. as far as regular polish, i like to put a top coat of Sally Hansen hard as nails over my color. keeps it from chipping/helps nails grow
  • kealambert
    kealambert Posts: 961 Member
    zywiec is a beer, I know that...french tip, though, eeenteresting!

    Nie mówię po polsku :happy:

    awesome! I didn't learn polish, lol, one of the reasons we broke up according to her
  • mamabear272
    mamabear272 Posts: 268 Member
    I haven't found a single polish that doesn't chip after a few days. It doesn't matter how much I spend on it. Even if I go to a salon and get a manicure, 3 days max! I got a shellac mani to see if it was really as good as all the hype. It is! I then went to Sally's and bought the Gelish system. It's basically the same as Shellac but I can do it myself at home. After my fourth mani that I did myself, it's more than paid for itself. I also found at Meijer (midwest store like Walmart) Red Carpet. They also have it at Ulta. It's a bit less expensive then Gelish but it's the same system. It absolutely lasts for 2 weeks or more and I only need to change it because of growth.

    Do you have to use the special UV light for drying?

    Yea :( But you can get those cheap off of ebay or amazon. You really shouldn't pay no more than 30.00 for a light!
    This.

    I have an LED light just because I've heard that women are developing skin cancer on their hands from the UV lights used at salons. But even if you go with a UV light, you don't have your hands under it nearly as long as you do at the end of a manicure. It's usually 2 min per coat or so. I got an LED light at Sally's for $50. Plus the LED light is quicker. 20 seconds for the base coat and 45 seconds for each of the remaining coats which consists of 2 coats of color then the top coat.
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
    bump
  • Ocarina
    Ocarina Posts: 1,550 Member
    I've found that I've always had this issue as well until I started using OPI base coat. Saves a lot of misery so now I wear polish all the time. I use Sephora's OPI brand of nail polish. $4 a bottle.
  • L00py_T0ucan
    L00py_T0ucan Posts: 1,378 Member
    zywiec is a beer, I know that...french tip, though, eeenteresting!

    Nie mówię po polsku :happy:

    nice! you got all the vowel accessories!

    i am excited - i just got some essie on sale: bobbing for baubles - kind of color like if you added battleship grey to prussian blue. totally matte.

    i am a total cheapskate, but the opi and essie products are worth a leetle extra! :laugh:
  • christine24t
    christine24t Posts: 6,063 Member
    Essie is fabulous. It's $8 or so for a bottle but I don't think that's outrageous. It's way cheaper than a manicure.

    Agreed. I've never had a manicure, can't imagine spending thirty or more bucks on one nail polish, but I have no problem buying Essie or OPI because it works great. Are you doing two coats originally and then clear coat?
  • mamabear272
    mamabear272 Posts: 268 Member
    i just got a gel manicure yesterday - looks awesome, supposedly will last for 5 weeks. mine cost $30. as far as regular polish, i like to put a top coat of Sally Hansen hard as nails over my color. keeps it from chipping/helps nails grow

    OMGoodness! 5 weeks? It would be half grown out by then on me. :laugh:
  • Nisa22
    Nisa22 Posts: 3
    Totally agree with you. Cosmetologist here (waves) That is the best thing to do and use. :happy:

Categories