So despite seche vite/rubber gloves/not biting my stupid nail varnish the STILL chips!

[upjacobscreekwithoutapaddle]

Ok, prompted by all the nail polish threads on here I'm after some foolproof 'no chips' tips. I've been been looking after my nails for a few weeks now and they are in better condition but despite using quality colours (and cheapo ones), rubber gloves when washing up etc etc my bloody polish chips badly within 24 hours! Help please.

Apologies for the random 'the' in title!

Dunno, might need a bit longer with the TLC? You may just have unfortunate nails?

Try Shellac or similar, see if that works...

Ha at the unfortunate nails. Think you've got it in one. Shellac ruined my nails :-(

I find the best thing is doing that painting over the end of the nails thing. When i have them done professionally they do it beautifully. I'm trying to learn, but v clumsy!

Are you using a base coat? I always buff my nails and wipe with varnish remover before applying varnish as any oils on the nail stop the polis bonding.

Least that's what I heard anyway.

Base coat, two or three coats of colour (OPI and Essie are the most chip-resistant ones IME), and a top coat. Wait for each coat to dry completely. Then, if you get a chip after a couple of days, dab some more polish on the chip and do another coat of topcoat. If you use Nails Inc Albert Bridge it should last all week and has the added bonus of self-levelling so if you've had to touch up a chip it will be invisible with the second coat of topcoat.

And if you don't mind having short nails, keep them no longer than the ends of your fingers. This makes a massive difference.