OPI vs Chanel nail polish - is it just my nails?

[MrsGypsy]

I can never get my nails to grow very long, so I tend to keep them short, and when I can be bothered, I paint them in a very dark colour. I have a great Chanel nail polish (vendetta - v goth), that chips off my nails within 24 hours of applying it. But I have an OPI nail polish that will happily stay on my nails for days and days and days. I use the same base and top coat - Revlon - but I can't get the Chanel polish to stay on.

Is it my nails? Have I just been more clumsy when wearing the Chanel, or has anyone else had found that their Chanel polish comes off really easily?

Chanel nail varnish always chips on me - the colours are lovely, the quality less so. It only lasts if I put on Seche Vite, every other day. YANalone.

I don't think Chanel varnish is that great, well for me at least. Also nails inc is rubbish for me too, chips straight away.

I do love Essie nail varnish and the colours are great. essie

I've bought from here for individual colours and here for collection packs of 4 mini bottles.

Chanel and nails inc not great IMO.

Thought it was just me though.

Seems like I've been taken in by the Chanel marketing.....:( Damn, thought I was smarter than that! I like the Essie ones - I've seen those around and wondered if they were any good. Might give them a try, although the colours seem to be very light for me - not sure I'm ever going to wear pale green nail polish........

Do you use a topcoat at all? Nail varnish doesn't last regardless of the overpriced brand. Chanel varnishes are notoriously bad, even though the colours and packaging are lovely.

OPI make really god nail products, you still need a topcoat though. May I also reccomend Orly and China Glaze, But one still needs to use a topcoat to help the varnish stay in one piece.

I'll second revlon nail varnish - lasts a week with no chips for me. Love the stuff.

I don't bother with Chanel or Dior too soft and look awful within 24hrs. If I apply OPI with base and top coat (OPI too or vite Seche) on Sunday evening, I generally make it to Friday without needing to reapply. Fab products! Also like Essie but find the polish goes gloopy (not a technical term?) quicker than OPI.

I've found exactly the same.
I tend to keep Chanel for my toes now.

Another one with only rubbish Chanel (and Dior) experiences - the colours look good when you're in the shop, but I find the quality of the colour when you put it on pretty variable (especially Dior), plus it always chips really easily.

I love OPI and Essie - good colours that go on nicely and last (if I have a salon manicure and redo top coat after a few days it will give me a good week).

I agree Chanel chips quite easily but the colours are amazing and I think it goes in quite well. Not for everyday though.

YY Chanel has a reputation for chipping. It's for ladies that sit and point at staff I think It's still good for toes though (I have vendetta too and LOVE it).

OPI or Rimmel Pro-Wide brush range are my faves.

My fave dark shade has always been nails inc victoria and I never managed to get it to stay on my fingers until I found seche vite. Must say I never buy expensive nail polish though - I always just get the nails inc ones when they are in a freebie promotion (with coke or glamour), same with ciate etc...I have cheapie cheap miss sporty nail polishes at £2 a bottle and they perform exactly the same under seche vite.

I was so disappointed with Chanel nail polish that i took it back. It was a gift from my sister, but she gave me the receipt.

I did my left hand in Chanel, the right (that I use more) in a much cheaper Mavala and went in the next day to show the difference. There really was a big difference. They let me exchange for eye shadow.

The best I've found is Jessica.

I think I'm going to have to find this seche vite stuff, or my Chanel polish will only ever go on my toes. I know there's more serious stuff in life, but I bloody hate chipped polish when it's taken me hours to put it on and not smudge.

Seche Vite is amazing. It gives even cheapie varnish staying power - it's about £7/8 a bottle (try eBay or Lookfantastic, etc, rather than Boots) but it's definitely worth it.

Everyone on MN always says how much Chanel chips but I've never had that problem. I agree OPI lasts much longer (I can get about 10 days from a home manicure with a top coat - it may last longer but I can't leave my nails unfiled for more than 10 days) but I find Chanel lasts a week or so... I actually did a little experiment with my Chanel the other week. I used a base coat and 2 layers of colour (the new pink one - May) but no top coat. I made it from Thursday to Tuesday with no chips and I definitely wasn't just sitting and pointing at staff . Among other things I cooked a three course meal (and did the bulk of the washing up - cheers DP) and did lots of typing up of uni work (which is normally when I chip). I keep my nails short too.

OPI is definitely better value though. I like Essie but agree the consistency isn't as good, and I can't stand NailsInc. I won't buy a magazine if it has a free nails inc polish because I think it's a huge waste.

FWIW my DSis has the Chanel mattifying top coat and she loves it. Might help "toughen up" some of the lighter Essie colours?

definately try seche vite - it's what they use at catwalk shows to change polish between outfit changes...touch dry in under a minute and totally dry in 5. Works best when put straight over the second coat of colour while the colour is wet. It's also alot thicker than normal polish so be aware!! (and definately buy from ebay).

I love OPI.

Can anyone explain the science of the top coat? Why can't the last coat of colour be the "top coat"?

I have often idly wondered whether top coat varnish was just a marketing ploy to buy more products.

*sell more products

I'm so glad it's not just me who thinks chanel is rubbish. I was so gutted as I'd saved my boots points for ages as I couldn't justify spending the money otherwise.

I also like opi but again it's not cheap. My most recent find is mavala which is only about £4 and stays on really well. At the moment I uses nails inc top coat but don't think it's that great so may invest in seche vite.

Yep Chanel seems to chip, though the pearly ones less so. As for all brands. Opi lasts well for me, as does essie and china glaze. Randomly the best and worst have been nails inc.

I think you can improve chipping by painting onto nails in no grease, use a block file to smooth the nail and edge down, use a base coat (I use nailtek II) and don't let the polish or topcoat pool onto the skin. Topcoat is a necessity, and two which are the best, seche vite and posche