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.

I can only dream of cuticles that neat.

I can't believe my little old thread is enjoyed so much 💅

Best quality nail polish I have ever had was Dior. Better than Opi or Chanel.

I have to share my bargain. I'm the minimalist sort who doesn't wear polish except on my toes in summer. I bought a bottle of dark purple glitter polish in The Co-op supermarket for the grand sum of £2. A single coat (no base or top coat) has lasted 4 weeks so far and I've just spotted the first tiny chip. I've been wearing a mixture of trainers & sandals at work & bare feet on a pebbly beach so I think its done well.

A lot of it is in the application with nail varnish, use very thin coats and dont touch your cuticles. Most 'nice' nails you see have a really small gap all the way around the nail (except) the tip. If you want to improve your technique have a look on youtube. Its only very subtle differences in how you put it on but makes a big impact on how it looks

Thank you JessicaPeach. I think that's where I've been going wrong!

Tk Maxx often has more expensive brands like OPI, Nails Inc and Leighton Denny sets at much cheaper prices. Also once you know what brands and shades you like, eBay is your friend -- just watch for high postage charges.
That said, I have a Rimmel one in a nude shade (Kate Moss range I think) which goes on well and has a lovely. wide brush. Cheap but very good value.

They do, but in less popular colours, so everyone should just be aware of that before they make the trip!

I find the best brands are OPI, Ciate, Essie and China Glaze. Barry M and Rimmel aren't too bad.
The trick for clean cuticles, if your not steady enough to leave a tiny gap, is to use a very fine paint brush, dripped in acetone nail varnish remover, and use that to tidy up the cuticles.

It's also best to use lots of thin coats and make sure you allow them to dry completely before applying the next coat.
I will say that I am not a professional but a very close friend is and used to take me on all her training days as her "model" as they always fell on my days off so I picked up a lot of tips.

I do that cuticle trick Nym it works really well. Perfect edges.

I use an angled eyebrow makeup brush as they're firm and small.

Has anyone used the OPI colour Funny Bunny before?

pin.it/a9i2Xxj

I posted ages ago about wanting an OPI colour similar to Shellac romantique (which is what I had on my wedding day) but I think this could be it. Only because so many salons only use OPI and not Shellac now. Anyway found this and it seems like a good match and wondered if it really came out the way you see in the Pinterest photo.

i have a VERY HUGE nail polish collection and i have found that truely the best polish is from Illamasqua! Not a brand that people normally consider nail polish from. I swear, it even makes my nails grow faster! They are a little more costly than the £3 Rimmel or Barry M bottles, but i found the polish on my nails and the bottle of polish lasts longer. also, Illamasqua do have sales where the prices go very cheap on the polishes. I think i've bought most of my Illamasqua polishes in their January Sales! I rarely buy other brands now because i have had such great experiences with Illamasqua's

I like orly. Small bottles and a nice brush. They used to sell in my local boots but no longer. Really annoying.

Also like the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure range. Also no longer stocked by my local boots. Got rid of to make way for the acres of NYX

Just tried to remove my polish. The SV stuff is strong! Or is it that my remover is the minimal strength stuff and I just need better remover?

NRFT but are the gel kits you can buy from boots with the UV light any good?

Barry M polishes are very good value. Especially the coconut range. Doesn't need a base coat and lasts ages. The Revlon gel polishes are excellent too but a few pounds more. They're usually on offer at 3 for 2 so you could get 2 colours plus the top coat for £16. If you want to go high end try the new Chanel long wear range.

For me the best top coat is Seche Vite. The Champneys nail oil will sort anyone's cuticles out (from Boots) as will the Essie apricot one. Also push them back every few days, preferably just before you apply the oil.