Nail polish - do you get what you pay for or is the colour relevant too?

[Goingtobeawesome]

Just painted one set of nails with a Rimmel polish in a light pink. I can't see a name on the bottle. I paid about £3 and it doesn't look great. Do I need another coat or is Rimmel generally not great? I used to have about fifty polishes but are starting to build up a colour collection again and would like to have a good polish. I bought this one as I was actually looking for the Rimmel nail brightener which doesn't seem to be available now.

Forgot to say - £2 a bottle.

Get a a quick dry top coat - Poshe (from Amazon) or Seche Vite (from Boots etc). Game changer! Dries like lightening!

Think I've finally found something to spend my Christmas money on! Yay. 💅

I decided to try Essie nail polish having always used fairly cheap polishes before, Revlon, Barry M , Bourgois etc, but have to say Essie totally amazing so much superior in every way!

What colour did you get Laurie? I fancy getting a new one.

Sorry, Lara. Don't know where Laurie came from.

I got the Essie base coat and quick dry top coat in a set from boots for £13. Well worth it to use with 2 coats of any brand polish to make it last

Too lazy to go and find the bottle sorry, but it's a fuschia shade, it just has a semi transparent feel to it as is easy to apply and def not gloopy as so many are, I do confess to always using eschew Vitebsk top coat

I agree with cakes Seche vite was a game changer for me, I'm pretty rubbish at doing my nails but now they always look glossy and well done. It does have a knack to putting it on, I was doing it wrong for ages and hated the stuff, it kept making my polish peel off, but when I watched YouTube to see what I was doing wrong I twigged and have loved it every since. It makes any polish, even cheapo ones look great as it sort of smooths out the polish iyswim.

Also, not sure if they're available in the UK but NYC Colour do amazing nail polishes, they're $1.50 here and beat any other polish hands down for texture, ease of application, colour density and longevity. I have the Upper West Side shade which is a beautiful corally/peach.

Seche Vite top coat sorry!

Pale pinks are hard to get opaque, the ones that do usually have a bunch of white in them and some look chalky. I have one that isn't a colour that suits me as much but covers well so I put a coat of that and then a coat of the better colour over and they work well together.

ITA that SV is fab.

Thanks Lara I kind of want a bright pink one for Summer rather than my usual reds. I'll go and have a look.

. Made discussions of the day!

My Boots is too small to stock Essie polishes but I have had one I bought after a manicure and the colour was lovely as well as it looking good once on, and I expect too small for the SV too.

My recommendations are Kiko, Models Own (£5 a bottle but they often have sales on) and Barry M.

OPI is worth paying for and the bottles are big, but Nails Inc polishes just never seem to set solid ime.

No 7 top coat is better than SV ime.

I like the Revlon 'gel nails' version, where there are a range of colours and a top coat. If I take my time and do them properly, they last about a week with no chips. They are a bit more expensive so i try and get them in a 3 for 2

With your skin tone you need to choose warm colours. I think the pale pink is a bit cool but still looks nice. You have lovely nails!I reckon a gorgeous colour like a strong coral will suit you, or a deep pink. I like Opi polishes but I tell you what, the ones from New Look are A-mazing! Especially the iridescent ones.

I use a mixture of OPI and Chanel. I agree with the MN's who say that it doesn't last but with the exception of Rouge Noir. I seem to be able to get a week out of it for nails and 3 weeks for toes and it looks great. Also agree that you need a good manicure and shape, good base and top coat.

I have stopped paying for manicures as they are expensive and the only good thing they do is apply the colour well. Someone complimented me on my toenails yesterday (Chanel Rouge Noir) and couldn't believe I had done it myself.

I agree with Chicky that New Look polish is really good. Their gel top coat is almost as good as SV too.

I've been streamlining my polish collection and getting rid of the crappy ones. My favourite overall brand is China Glaze as the formula is really smooth and the colour range is great. My next favourite is Barry M, which are the best combination of value and formula. I love their new flat brushes too, so much easier to use.

I find OPI to be hit and miss; a lot of them are streaky and need 3 thin coats for total coverage. They have great reds and pinks though, and I love their mini bottles. I've been buying up Nails Inc from Poundland; I don't think it's worth anywhere near £15 a bottle, but for £1 - yes please. Their glitters are awesome, regular colours aren't so good.

I also have a few random brands that I buy for a particular colour. NYC Coconut is great for jelly sandwiches, Primark have some interesting one offs, Rimmel have a few nice quick drys, and Esscence and Claire's have some good glitters and top coats.

I've got about 150 bottles at the moment that I'm in the process of swatching onto sample sticks, to hopefully avoid duplicate colour purchases. I like to read UK nail blogs to find out what new colours or brands are coming out, and to see swatches before I buy.

Oh and I don't care about how long they last as I change my polish every day.

The gel like Rimmel range is really good. Lasts much longer then the CND Vynlux range.

I don't like rimmel much the darker colours are better, I use the bourjois ones they are fab, stay on for ages, glide on really easily and have a gel effect. The OPI ones are nice but a little bit pricey. I like Dior nail varnishes but only get them as a treat for myself.

The rimmel gel called 'soul session' is a really good light, neutral shade OP. Also the french manicure one, if you are looming for something a bit pinker.

Soul Session is an amazing shade,I wear it loads.

I am really pleased with my toes and the colour and I'll do my finger nails tonight as I'm having a cosy night in with the puppy and television as dh is on a black tie work thing. He made me some chocolates yesterday so I best eat those before I paint!