2sweetkittys

I love doing my own nails. Trouble is--my polish always seems to chip within a day!

What are your secrets for keeping the polish on for at least 3 days?

I should probably tell you what brands I use: Revlon, Sally Hansen, and Wet n Wild. I've also tried Estee Lauder, Lancome and Dior but have not found any of them to be significantly better than the cheaper ones.

Bootking

First, try a base coat, then the color, then a top coat. OPI is supposed to be better, although I haven't tried it yet. One thing that I found important it to let it dry thoroughly; unfortunately, I don't have the fans with the UV light as the salons do - that makes a difference.

I have various Sally Hansens, Revlons and right now I'm using Rimmel.

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ShoeDre

I don't think you're going to like my answer. My wife didn't like the answer, but now she loves the fact that her nails are looking good for upto a week straight. She was always jealous of how I can go 2 weeks and never get chips or breaks. Simply put, your nails need to be healthier.

I would suggest getting quality hand and nail cream. It doesn't have to be an expensive brand. I use Vaseline, which surprised my wife who found out how much better it is than her Caudalie. Use it twice a day making sure to rub it into your cuticles. Depending on how long you have your nails, and how fast your nails grow, you'll need to let the whole nail be grown out all the way from where your cuticles are now. You will see your nails get better while this happens, so don't think it's going to be bad the whole way. The longer you keep doing it, the stronger your nails will get.

I only use OPI nail polish. It's great stuff. I don't bother with an undercoat, but always use a top coat to add shine and protect your polish more.

I've attached a picture of how my nails look 10 days after I painted them. You'll see the growth at my cuticles. Please understand, that they look better after I've just done them, but I'm showing you this just so you can see that I know what I'm on about as far as being chip resistant.

Attached Images

nails02.JPG (15.6 KB, 72 views)

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2sweetkittys

Thanks, Bootking and ShoeDre--

Bootking, I bought some beautiful gold nail polish by Opi for Sephora, but alas, that chipped within a day! I've heard so many good things about it so I figure I must be doing something wrong.

ShoeDre, I'll have to try that out: your nails look great! Vaseline is great stuff with so many uses, isn't it? (If I recall correctly, there was a famous actress who claimed that she used it as a cream for her face...I've started it using it as both a make-up remover and moisturizer.) What top coat do you use by the way? There seem to be at least a dozen by Sally Hansen alone! (speaking of which, I LOVE the new metallics in the different silvers, golds, and bronzes--Olympic colors, LOL!)

ShoeDre

Oh I should clarify, it's Vaseline healthy hand & nail lotion. I use OPI top coat, and some miracle stuff they make to dry it quick. It's called Drip Dry. A couple drops on each nail and they dry really fast.

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pussyinboots

'2sweetkittys' - I'm going to recommend two products that you can get through EBay US from UK Sellers who will ship to the United States - and US suppliers too.

Like you, I have used Lancome and Dior - and also Chanel, Boots No.7, Revlon, OPI, USLU Airlines and MAC before - but they are ALL the same if you don't prepare your nails properly.

To do this, I use the La Femme 'Ice' range of translucent metallic polishes as base coats first. For reddy and pinky top coats - I use 'Pink Ice' - for blues and greens, I use 'Lilac' - and for anything else like browns and bronzes I use their Neutral.

I apply one coat as a base - and let it dry THOROUGHLY. I usually leave it for at least 2 hours to harden.

Then just apply 2 top coats of whichever colour you have chosen - leaving about 30 minutes between coats.

Now for the secret....

I use 'Honeypot' pink tinted Hardener/Varnish. It's simply amazing!! It gives a flawless high-gloss finish, dries really hard - and it usually lasts for at least 3 weeks!

You can find the 'La-Femme' undercoats and the 'Honeypot' topcoat on EBay UK and US from Sellers who will ship Worlwide. I always buy from a Store called 'Cosmetics Fairy' - their prices are excellent and their service is superb too.

Take a look: http://www.cosmeticsfairy.co.uk/

You can also get La Femme from Amazon as well: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s?ie=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=beauty&field-keywords=La%20Femme

You can also just Google 'La Femme Cosmetics' - they have outlets in Los Angles, San Hose, Hollywood - and elsewhere in California.


You can get the Clear hardener here too: http://www.honeypotcosmetics.com/wholesale/honeypot-m-4.html?filter_id=12&sort=20a


Both of these products are available from UK Suppliers on Ebay US as well - simply search the Cosmetics section.

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2sweetkittys

Thanks, pussyinboots--

Maybe that's my problem: I do my nails all at once, waiting only about 5 minutes between coats!

Is La Femme a new product? I was in England between 1994 and 2001 but could swear I'd never seen it. (I used to buy Boots and Miss Selfridge.) I will definitely check out La Femme in the US (have just noticed that cosmeticsfairy sells on ebay); Honeypot seems to be a little harder to find.

pussyinboots

I'll keep looking for the 'Honeypot' for you - if I find some more sources I'll PM you. You need the pink-tinted hardener - not the ordinary clear varnish.

There is ONE link - to the Wholesale website - here:

http://www.honeypotcosmetics.com/wholesale/honeypot-base-coat-nail-polish-each-p-17.html

Also, you can DEFINITELY get it from 'Pretty Secrets' - here:

http://www.myprettysecrets.co.uk/epages/BT3161.sf (Note: They don't promote it on the Site - but you can EMail them and ask. I have bought it from there before).

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"Lipstick, mini-skirt, high-heels - what more can a girl want!"

2sweetkittys

Thanks so much again, pussyinboots!

canadianbeaver17

Good nail polish is always a good start. Stay away from the cheap watery brands (NYC, wet and wild, etc.). It's mostly trial and error to see what brands work for you. OPI and China Glaze seem to be the salon's choice. If these are too pricey, I would just buy a really good top coat and that should help!