How to stop nails sodding chipping, and Mrs O'Leary's BBQ

[RiffyWammal]

Usually OPI is pretty resistant to chipping but I put Black Cab on yesterday and it's chipped on nearly all my fingers I used undercoat and two coats. I'm wondering if I might have inadvertently bought a fake actually. What is your failsafe brand/method/topcoat to prevent chipping please?

Also. My all-time favourite colour is Mrs O'Leary's BBQ and it has been discontinued. What the hell? Why do all my favourite things get discontinued! I found a bottle on ebay but there was already a bid on and I don't want to pay over the odds for a bottle that I don't know the age/genuineness of. Does anyone know an equal colour and brand please, I like how OPI polish dries glossy and (usually) lasts a long time.

I buy Seche Vite from eBay, costs about a fiver.

Such a shame about Mrs O'Leary, I love that colour too. Collection do a very similar colour but I'm buggered if I can remember the name of it, sorry!

Valentine by revlon and red wine by barry m are very similar to mrs leary.
There are others as well, its quite a common colour.
My everything is dry right now with the changing weather; skin, nails etc and my nail varnish is chipping practically the second i put it on, no matter what!

I'm wearing Ruby Fruits by Max Factor this week, that's a similar colour too, I really like it.

I love a deep berry shade on short nails. Perfect for Autumn.

There are 4 dfferent Nails Inc colours on Glamour magazine this month (and the magazine is £2). I've got 3 already.

I got the Tate one with Glamour mag. It's a perfect red. I think there's a deeper red colour that the OP might like. They're full sized too, bargain.

Thanks for the reminder

I'm wearing Hanover Square which is a very dark red/brown/purple sort of colour. Not unlike the pic in the OP.

I love all these suggestions, thanks! But none are quite Mrs O'Leary - Essie Wicked is very close, but I can tell. I just loved the colour so much, and even the name. I wonder if B&Q would mix me some?

Trills I google imaged Hanover Square and it's apparently blue!

I'm wearing Essie Bordeaux today which is a nice berry colour, and no chips or smudges! I love Seche Vite!

I will look out for Glamour magazine, that sounds great thanks.

This one on the left

No idea why Amazon thinks it is blue..

Aah yes that's a nice colour, very similar to Essie Bordeaux. I think I would go for the Marylebone Mews one as I used to have a pale grey polish that I loved.

I found a Mrs O'Leary's BBQ on eBay! It's coming from France but the seller has lots of OPI for sale and good feedback so I think I will be ok. There is at least one bottle left if any other Learyophiles want to grab one?

ebay link

Seche Vite is great but be warned my nails chipped 4 days after a manicurist used it on me.

Riffy - to be honest I'd expect a manicure to last 4 days at least with a normal top coat so although I like Seche Vite it's not a necessity imo.

I use Rimmel or other cheapie top coat, just as good imo.

It's funny isn't it, products seem to work differently on different people. I have used top coats before (usually Sally Hansen) and they've always chipped quickly and took ages to dry. I think it might just be me - when I had a gel manicure it chipped the same day! I don't do bricklaying or anything, in fact I don't even do a lot of housework

I like Seche Vite for the fast drying and super glossy effect but agree that it is no more effective at preventing chips than other topcoats. I think some polishes are just more prone to chipping than others, probably different colours within brands too, I don't find any one brand reliably better than others, but some individual colours definitely are. I keep telling myself I should chuck out some of the ones which chip easily but I find it hard to let them go.

www.amazon.com/OPI-NAIL-POLISH-MRS-OLEARYS/dp/B000L9FBTA/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

They have some on amazon? Might be worth going to your nearest stockist and seeing if they have any old stock left? I think I recall seeing it it a local dept store the other day.
Chilli by Barry m from their new autumn range is quite similar.
I hear theres also a Chanel nail varnish thats quite close- but I can't remember the name!

I think it also depends on your nails- because everyone seems to swear by OPI and Essie but they chip immediately on me and cheaper Maxfactor, Revlon, Barry M etc polishes don't.

Thanks Skinheadmermaid that's good to know, I don't think they had any when I checked before. I managed to find some on eBay that was a bit cheaper than that in the end.

Seche vite gets a vote from me! If you buy the large bottle refill its an absolute bargain! I paid about £12 or so from Sally for the first small bottle I tried (15ml I think) then fond I could get the mahoosive 150ml refill plus s normal size small bottle for about twenty quid! Will last for a couple of years I reckon!

whysnickname - that sounds brilliant thanks for that. I always run out of top coat and have spare bottles lying around so a huge Seche Vite would be very handy to have.

Oh wow I'll be getting that refill. It's so annoying when there's some polish left in the bottom of the bottle where the brush won't reach it, I usually have to throw loads away. They should make extendable brushes so you can use every last drop!

A wee warning about seche vite - at some point about halfway down the bottle, without warning it turns into gloop. Apparently this is so normal they sell a thing called seche restore to thin it.

It might be easier to buy small bottles from eBay which is always cheaper. Alternative quick drying top coats which I've found pretty good but slightly slower than Seche are China Glaze Fast Forward and NYC In A New York Minute.

Yes, that is exactly what happened to my first bottle of SV. I tried diluting it with various solvents (I'm a chemist) to no avail and ended up replacing it.

The Max Factor Ruby Fruit that I put on on Monday eve is still chip free and holding up well apart from a little tip wear. Would definitely recommend that one.