Where am I going wrong with nail varnish?

[hippospot]

I paint my toenails successfully in the summer and get two weeks out of it.

One coat Sally Hansen base coat, then two coats of varnish - usually Mavala.

On my fingernails, however, I always seem to smudge or get a dull finish. How many hours exactly do I have to sit still doing nothing for it to dry completely? Usually I can get 4 days before it chips. I'm just frustrated because I have things to do !

When I tried the Sally Hansen fast-drying top coat (seche vite?) I got a great finish and it did dry much faster HOWEVER it seemed to be more brittle and chipped on the second day. My nails are very short by the way (and I wear rubber gloves for washing up).

I only paint my fingernails once in a blue moon and 9 times out of 10 it's disappointing. I'm not keen on the idea of gel nails.

Thanks!

it definetely doesn't last as long, but it doesn't really chip -just peels eventually. My full gel do the same, once I've got a bit of growth they tend to pop off

Shellac every 3 weeks at £32 a go! It's the l my way my nails grow, don't chip and look nice.

Seche vite top coat is your friend. You need to apply it thickly though, don't be scared to really slather it on. Oh, and you must do it while your polish is still wet, it doesn't last anywhere near as long on dry polish.