My BIAB / gel nail era ends with 2025. What at-home polish actually lasts more than a day?

[AccidentallyOnTrend]

Just that, really. I’ve always been epically lame at anything vaguely girly and lack any kind of “doing my own nails” knack — they always end up looking like they have been painted by a five-year-old wearing a pirate eyepatch.

That would be fine, but they also chip and peel and flake within a day – does anyone have any recs for really decent polish that actually stays on? I figure even splurging on a few bottles will be quickly offset by a month or two not paying any more valuable life hours and hard earned £££ sat in salons that smell like car paint.

My nails are awful and I have zero skill/patience for painting them. Glaize nail wraps are an absolute game- changer. So easy to apply, last a fortnight and come in lots of different colours/finishes. Will never return to a nail salon again. Cannot recommend enough!

Navy strengthener, base and top coat and any polish (think mine is L’Oréal or similar supermarket brand). The Navy products have significantly helped my weak, pealing nails after my BIAB removal.

Agree with this. I’m notorious for smudging my nails before they’re dry but this top
coat dries properly so quickly and makes any nail polish look shiny and lovely and lasts for days

I use Orly Bonder base coat, Essie polish and Seche Vite top coat - my nails will last for at least a week (toes last longer, maybe 3 weeks)

Thank you all SO much! Never heard of Navy before and forgot about Orly

Nails wraps all the way. I change them weekly because I get bored easily but they could go two weeks. I put nail strengthener underneath and my nails are stronger than they have ever been. I couldn't be arsed with polish, all that faff for a few days max.

@Thepossibilitydo you have a recommended brand?

Good thread- I am really worried about all the toxins in varnish. Does nailberry or similar last?

Same. I’m so proud of myself for this as I already stopped in summer. Before that, for 3-4 years I had been spending at least £100 a month on silver tier BIAB manicure & pedicure.

Feet are easy to do at home - toenails don’t really need biab. Personally I used to get French tip designs, or chrome top coat etc on my toes which the salon would charge more for. So I just bought that add on stuff, alongside a core wardrobe of a couple of colours that suit my skin tone and the nails inc quick dry top coat. I switch between a plain sheer pink, a pastel peach, French tips, then sometimes add a chrome or glitter top coat. It looks 90% like the salon version so no need for me to return to salon.

Hands are more difficult as I like the thickness of biab and the protection. I’d say nails inc have the best stuff - but honestly the consumer nails market is totally missing all the pretty, sheer, neutral biab shades. I find it hard to locate dupes of colours like Teddy etc. plus, one of my nails has started to tear at the edge, but this is the first time it’s happened in the last 6 months. The nail polishes in stores just aren’t as thick (in a bad way) as the salon ones. If you find thick polishes, they tend to go on unevenly or smudge easily etc so it’s a pain even with a quick dry top coat (plus you don’t get the protection that biab gives regardless). So I am considering going back to the salon for manicures. I just think it looks noticeably smoother and nicer than home manicures.

I have just been using nail polish for a few months after bad biab removal left my nails in a shocking state.

I already had some Revlon products, so I was just using these. And I've added in some Sally Hansen and Essie now, but I think it's more about the prep and how you apply that makes more of a difference.
This is what I do and I have changed them weekly, but some of the times I change them every 2nd week. I haven't had any chipping so far.
The trick is to not rush it. You have to allow time for each layer to dry.

Before anything push back cuticles otherwise you might get that line if you get polish on them. If you do, it will actually wash off after a day or so.

First I use BioSculpture keratin drops as my nails are still in rehab. (I might just carry on using it anyway as it seems this bottle will last forever)
Base coat I use Sally Hansen Miracle Repair. Sometimes I just have this on. It's clear but with a pinkish tint.
One coat of colour, wipe the one side of the brush on the bottle, and swipe over nail in strokes with the other side. 3 should be plenty depending on the brush. Middle, side, side.
Let it dry.
If you need to, do another coat. Same process but cap the edges. Let it dry.
Top coat. Cap the edges again.

Around Christmas time now, I have left off the 2nd colour coat and used a fine glitter polish layer and then a top coat. I might just keep doing this as this layer does seem to make them so much longer lasting. I have taken some off after two weeks just to change them up, not because they were chipped. I could have left them on another week I am sure.

I had been going to a salon for years, but I am just going to continue doing my own. You do get better with practice, so the more you do it, the better the results. And now I am able to monitor the state of my nails, where before I had a quick look after the removal, for them to just be covered up again for another month.

I’m removing my BIAB next week, I’m dreading the weak nails and feeling sensitive for a bit. Any recommendations for making them stronger and a decent polish to strengthen them?

When I first had mine removed, the salon put on the Bio-Sculpture keratin drops I mentioned above, and then the lavender treatment base.

They were super sensitive for a few days I will warn you.

I didn't want to buy more products, as I had the Sally Hansen hardener and miracle cure so I carried on using these. Mine were so soft they were bending badly even though they were super short, so the hardener did help quite a lot.

It is not my favourite though as it seemed to bubble, but it did what it needed to at the time.

So I think some type of hardener will be the way to go at first.

I get biab done £32 lasts 4/5 even 6 weeks

Yeah, I’ve just bought my first Glaize! I was sceptical but they look really good. So far lasted 3 days, and no issues. Last gel manicure I had chipped by the next day (I am a clutz)

Thats interesting, I have had them before at a place where they didn't last and would peel, I tried a different place and these stay so well, and I'm a huge picker/biter. If other people aren't having the same issue though then thats odd!

I saw these on insta and they looked too good to be true, how do they come out?

This is the one. I get two weeks from mine but I use a base coat (Essie all in one Uberlack), two thin coats of polish, and the gel couture top coat.

Alternatively OP would you try nail wraps? Stick on, made of real polish. No drying time and they’ll last a good week. Holy Grail Nail wraps are great.

Mine only lasts a few days, never a week if I get it on my own nails no matter where I get them. Only thing that lasts is getting acrylics

I don't have chance to paint my nails often with a small child, but when I do I use
Sally Henson Miracle Growth
Rimmel 60 Second Shine
Sally Henson Insta Dry top coat
Then a quick dry spray. It's upstairs but it's from Boots and it's a silver bottle with a purple lid.

My nails tend to last a week or more. And that's with multiple hand washing etc.

Base coat, Essie or Maybelline 7 day varnish, followed by Maybelline 7 day top coat that I reapply every couple of days. I easily get a week with that.

These were painted/felt tipped last Monday (15th) and this is them today. Amazing!

@WildFlowerBees have a look at Manicurist active range. I use the active glow (raspberry) which lasts ages and makes my nails so much stronger. I sometimes use active smooth as a base coat but if I had to pick just one it would be the active glow.

Also This Salon Life has lots of other suggestions

all Seche Vite does it makes sure all your polish comes off in one go when you knock it! tired it many times very carefully but have up because of that 👎🏽

Gel nail wraps are great! I started using them this year and I'm obsessed with them! I use Holy Gels, and i got some Hello Nails for Christmas.

The solid colours look identical to a salon gel and they are actually easy to apply. No nail damage either like i got with salon gels. I've changed them every two weeks so far, they would have lasted longer if it wasn't for the regrowth.

I highly recommend OPI Repair Mode if you can afford it to strengthen your nails before getting into painting them at home. It's very different from other strengtheners because it's a serum that gets absorbed into your nail rather than a polish type product that goes on top. They recommend using it twice a day for 6 days as a bit of a reset. You can't wear polish whilst you do this as it needs to get to the nail. My nails were very peely until I did this a couple of months ago and it has completely fixed that problem. I use it once every 1-2 weeks now in between taking off old polish and putting on new polish.

I would say that top coat matters more than colour for avoiding chipping, which is good because it gives you more choice of brands for colour. I use Seche Vite or OPI Infinite Shine, and I haven't tried the Essie one but hear good things. Seche Vite dries very quickly if that is something you are looking for.

Removing the cuticle (ie the dead skin on the top of the nail) is also really important for avoiding chips, because otherwise you can get lifting in that area. I never cut anything but just use the Sally Hansen cuticle remover liquid to soften everything then clean up the top of the nail and gently push back in the area of the proximal nail fold. I would recommend watching some videos on this. Doing this has also made my nail beds look significantly longer and my manicures look much more professional.

I also think that proper technique is key when painting - in particular using thin layers and wrapping the tips with each layer (ie painting the very end of the nail). Wrapping the tips is much more awkward with very short nails, but you can use a small nail art brush and acetone to clean up any that gets on the skin. I keep my nails a bit longer than my fingertips mainly to make wrapping the tips easy because it is so essential IME for avoiding chips. Cleaning up any nail polish on the skin can also help avoid chips.