Nail Polish that Lasts

After spending way too much money on nail-care products and nail polishes, many women complain that for this kind of money their nails should be ten times stronger and the polish should last ten times longer. A nice thought, but that isn’t the case. Price has no relation to how long a nail polish will last. Nail polishes are produced by only a handful of manufacturers, so there are no secrets, and the formulations vary only slightly because only a handful of ingredients will stay on the nail.

Though it doesn't take a lot of money to improve the appearance of your nails, it does take diligence and care. Those two things can't be avoided. Unfortunately, some polishes do tend to chip more than others (but this is determined by formulation, not cost). More often than not, polish longevity has to do with making sure your nails are oil- and cream-free before applying polish; the process of applying the layers in the right order, including base coat (preferably a ridge-filler-type product), color, and top coat; applying layers that are thick enough but not too thick; allowing plenty of time for drying; and then treating your nails carefully (wearing gloves, avoiding water, having minimal contact with soaps or cleansers, and not using the nails as tools).

Polishes are often given names like Color Lock No-Chip Sealer, Strong Wear Nail Strengthener Polish, Extra Life Top Coat, Color Shield, Fortifier Hydrating Base, or Nail Protector. These are all great names that promise wonderful things they can't even begin to deliver. Take Markron's Five Minute Nail Miracle, for example. It contains standard nail-polish ingredients and tiny amounts of protein and amino acids, as well as formaldehyde. Nails are dead, and all the protein and amino acids in the world won't help them live. Formaldehyde can toughen nails, but it can also seriously dry them out and damage the cuticle. What kind of miracle is that?

I also get frustrated trying to separate one nail product from another because they have so much in common. The resins, lacquers, and basic products are all essentially the same. Most women experience about the same amount of wear from product to product, and it's about one to three days. All nail polishes begin to chip on the third to fourth day after application, regardless of the claim on the label (but you already knew that, didn't you?). Reapplying your top coat daily and avoiding fast-drying nail polishes will increase the chances of having your polish last. Finding the discipline to do that isn't easy, but it is the cheapest and most reliable way to make a manicure stick around until the end of the week.

By the way, it is completely unnecessary and actually a bad idea to store nail polish in the refrigerator. Condensation and cold negatively affect nail polish, making it too thick to use reliably.

Paula Begoun