Aibu to think all nail polishes are rubbish? - lighthearted

[Hullabalooza]

So, tell me if I’m alone here.

I’ve been used to gel nails for a while now, but concerns about how they leave my natural nails has led me back to ‘regular’ nail polish. I spent about £40 on a few nice ones from mid range brands in boots, and they don’t last longer than a day! I’m doing the base and top coat thing too.

Aibu to think that a decent, genuinely long lasting (4-5 days maybe) polish doesn’t exist? Or if it does, where is it hiding?

I've never found normal polish lasts on me, whatever the condition of my nails. It's chipped within a day. I go for shellac or sns monthly now.

Essie do a range called TLC - I think it stands for Treat, Love & Care
It's supposed to improve the condition of your nails - and really worked for me when I used it consistently after a few years of regularly having shellac.
You could see the 'good' nail growth gradually advancing up my nails over the course of a year or so, but it did get my nails back into good condition.

It's a bit strange, you apply it without a basecoat.
The only disadvantage is that it comes in a fairly muted range of colours, but worth it to improve your nails - there's a fabulous Taupe colour which is what I tend to wear anyway.

A manicurist I've been using recently uses a fan on the polish before applying a top coat (seche vite is good as a top coat) - if I do my nails myself, I just leave for about half an hour between the colour and the top coat. I find that is really good for extending the life of the polish, but rarely expect it to last more than a week.

Gel polish and a UV lamp is the only way at home that I can get polish to look groomed and last longer than a day!