Brand Comparison: Nail Polish

I LOVE Essie 🙂 I recently decided to get my nails done at a nail spa and I must say that I’m loving my Solar Gel Nails. Not a fan of going fake but the older I get the more brittle my nails have gotten.

You can get CND’s Vinylux on Amazon. I can get a good 5-7 days out of a wear. Which is huge for me because I have 3 littles, cook and clean all day. My hands/nails do not have an easy job!

Me encantan Essie y OPI, sobre todo la enorme variedad de colores que tienen, aunque no todos tienen la misma calidad.

Kyllie | Make Up Fragrances

I am surprised you like the formula of Julep! All the ones I’ve tried have been great the first two times and then impossibly thick. I hate needing to use Seche Restore on a nearly new polish!

You should check out China Glaze. They’re less expensive, great quality and have an amazing color selection.

Chanel is my all time favorite for colors but for the price some of them seriously chip way too quickly.

Great post!

Berrie-Blogs: Beauty Blog x

Essie is my favourite brand, but I’d love to try Juelp but I can’t find anywhere to buy it here in Britain. I have tweeted them to ask, but no reply as yet 🙁

Great overview of different brands of nail polishes! I’m not as into nail polish because I have gel nails so I only paint my toe nails. I stick to OPI because of the color range and they last surprisingly long (although that’s generally the case on toenails).

I live in Ontario, Canada and can find CND Vinylux at a couple salon/retail stores- Trade Secrets has the whole collection!

I have a friend that suggested Zoya. She says she likes it even better than Essie. I haven’t tried it myself yet, but I’m curious if you’ve heard of it?

I love Juelp, Zoya, and Essie. Julep and Zoya last the longest on my nails, but I love Essie’s color options! I will occasionally pick up a Sally Hansen because they have this one pinky/coral color that is my go to color in the summer.

I’m a bit of a nail polish junkie. 😉 I have over 500 polishes in my collection, and that’s what I blog about mostly! But I’d have to say one of my favourite brands is OPI, followed by China Glaze. I’m also a big indie brand lover (handmade polishes, mostly sold on Etsy) 🙂

I’m a bit of a nail polish junkie. 😉 I have over 500 polishes in my collection, and that’s what I blog about mostly! But I’d have to say one of my favourite brands is OPI, followed by China Glaze. I’m also a big indie brand lover (handmade polishes, mostly sold on Etsy) 🙂

Morgan Taylor is amazing my favorite by far.

Have you tried Zoya nail polish? They are three free and have tons of classic and fun colors. The brush isn’t that great, small like essies, but the formula is good and my favorite part is it is lacking of the chemicals a lot of other polishes still use. I wasn’t as concerned about chemicals in beauty products until after I had a baby.

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Have you ever used Revlon? I just bought the Stormy color in the Top Speed line (I think) and it has the prettiest glossy finish.

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Hi Kate! I’ve found that the important thing is the base and the top coat. No matter which brand of nail polish I use, it always lasts the same time. I like Orly Bonder base coat, and I always clean the nail plate with rubbing alcohol befor apply the base coat. And as a top coat I use Seche Vite. It help me with the dry issue, I don’t have patience to let my nails dry propperly, and with the seche vite my nail dry quickly. However, I compare different nail polish brands for their brushes, with OPI, Orly and Zoya, you have great coverage with 2 coats. Love your blog!

I’m a huge fan of Sally Hansen Total Manicure. I usually still use a base and top coat, and my nails are set for a week.
I also love the brush it comes with — it’s slightly flat, so I find it easier to apply.

I love Vinyllux. I have a few colors that are mostly pale. Does anyone recommend some colors that stay on well? I do have one shade from them and it only lasts a day. That is Strawberry Smoothie. I really want to try the shade Cityscape or Rubble. I find it super cheap on Amazon.

Most of my nail polish is Essie. I like the small brush because I’m not as good when polishing with my left hand and the small brush makes it a little easier, so my fingernails look good on both hands instead of awesome on the left and smeary on the right. 🙂 I also like the Sally Hansen Total Manicure formula (especially the dark purple Pat on the Black!) but they don’t have very many colors, and it’s a love/hate relationship with the flat brush. Love it for my big toenails and most of my fingers, hate it for my little toenails and pinky fingers. It’s easy to go overboard with it on those. But it does last forever!

I have not tried Essie but remember reading that Duchess Kate used that brand of polish on her wedding day. 🙂

I really like China Glaze and also the VERY inexpensive brand called ICE (available at WalMart). Amazingly, I get a week’s worth of good wear from ICE. It’s about $2.00 per bottle.

OPI does not wear well for me at all. If I get 24 hours of chip free wear from it, it’s a good day.

I’ve made the switch to only non-toxic nail products over the years. I primarily use Butter London, but also use Sparitual, Zoya, Essie & OPI. The key for long lasting nail polish is applying a daily top coat, it takes less than 5 minutes each evening and keeps the tips from chipping or wearing off. Also, a polish with a fine glitter wears significantly longer.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised with Revlon’s Colorstay nail polish. I’ve been able to go without chipping for at least seven days. I do notice, however, that the polish seems to have a single crackle look to it after awhile. In my opinion, it still beats the eventual chipping that I’ve had with Essie and OPI.

I LOVE Essie! My first nail polish ever was an Essie and I still stick with them to this day(10 years+ later)!
I actually haven’t tried OPI until last week and I was rather disappointed at how fast they chip (like, the next day). Probably because I’m rougher with my hands.
I might give Julep a try some day, but for now, I’ll stick with Essie 😛

I LOVE Seche Vite Top Coat. It literally makes polish dry in minutes which is awesome when you have a little one. Plus, I found my nails last longer without chips and the finish is gorgeous. I’ve recommended it to lots of family and friends and they all love it too. You should definitely check it out. Thanks for the fun post! Lots of great info from you and in the comments.

Zoya is fantastic, Kate!! Amazing color selection and great formula. Better brush than Essie, too.

Kate – love your blog! You must try Revlon Quick Dry Top Coat! I gave up painting my nails because I would always ruin them before they’d set. This stuff makes them hard as a rock. I can paint them an hour or two before bed, top coat them, and no bed sheet smudges in the morning.

Essie is one of the few polishes that still has formaldehyde resin and other chemicals in them. I am allergic to formaldehyde resin so I can’t wear it. I have a feeling that it is one of the compounds that keeps polish from chipping. I haven’t checked China Glaze’s label recently but they also used to still have these chemical ingredients also. I like Zoya and Sally Hansen with Seche Vite quick dry topcoat to make polish last.

I love Essie polish! Have you tried Color Block? I received a few in my Birch Box and have been impressed at the longevity of some of them. I also tried Ruffian, but I hated it! The handle was amazing, but the polish was horrible quality. I wish Essie would steal their handle though 🙂

Kate @ sunnylikemyrainboots.com

I’ve been able to buy CND Vinylux from a couple of local beauty stores in Lincoln and Omaha, Neb. — Beauty First and Beauty Brands, so at least in my area, they’re available to the public!

Need advice! I love Essie and got the 3 way glaze but struggle with polish doesn’t cover well after I apply the base coat of the 3 way glaze. Then after I apply the top coat, polish seems to thick and all is a mess. Am I doing it wrong?

I think opi is the best. I’ve tried Essie but was pretty dissapointed. The polish is so thin it doesn’t go on evenly. You definitely have to do two coats to get the desired color. But with that said, I don’t usually do a base coat. So that may be the problem.

I love, love, love Vinylux. I buy mine at my local salon, which carries it. So, it is available to the public, but you may have to search it out 😉 Great brand!

CND Vinylux is on Amazon!

I stopped spending money on professional manis and now have a huge collection of my own polishes! I agree with all of your notes on each. I only have a couple of Julep polishes but they last so long!

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Essie is by far my favourite. I didn’t realize how much of a quality difference there was until I bought a drug store brand in a hurry and yuck, it chipped so quickly.

After years of being obsessed with OPI I’ve switched almost completely to BUTTER London. It dris in less than 5 minutes and goes on like butter. I even am able to use it on my 16 month old daughter and don’t have to be worried about the harsh chemicals.

My most treasured polish though is by Sinful Colors ($2 at drugstores!) and was used for my wedding. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to part from it and use it exclusively for anniversary and dates with my husband. <3

Zoya is my favorite. With 4 kids it’s the only polish that can last a whole week on me without chipping. With all the hand washing and household stuff I do that is pretty miraculous. 🙂

I can actually purchase Vinylux at my local salon & spa. It’s awesome! Super easy to apply and lasts well over a week for me! LOVE it.

Avon has some great nail polishes that seem to wear well….better than OPI in my opinion.

Hi Kate,

Great post. Would you have any recommendations for nail treatments? Or any tips to get your nails to grow strong?
Thanks!

Wow…we must have completely different nails 🙂 OPI is my favorite, and I also have had good luck with China Glaze.
I’ve tried Vinylux and it chips the next day on me…VERY disappointing, as I love CND’s shellac system. Let me know if you want mine and I will send it to you. It was a complete waste of $$$ for me. I recently tried Julep, but wasn’t impressed with it, either.
I have been happy with Essie polished I’ve tried.
My new favorite nail product is Seche Vite top coat.

I love every color of Essie. Last summer I bought a CoverGirl Outlast Stay Brilliant (I believe it was per your sister’s recommendation!) and have had such good luck! I think right now I only have 2 or 3 colors of it, but definitely want more. They’re fairly cheap (and I think I had a coupon woohoo) and comes in pretty colors.

I was an OPI girl at first but Essie won me over a few years ago. I really love them!

I have to say Sally Hansen complete salon manicure is the best polish i’ve ever used – better than Deborah Lippman or Butter even! Sadly, it doesn’t come in quite as great of a selection of colors. I always snap them up when they release new good ones though!

A GREAT drugstore polish I’ve found is the Rimmel Lasting Pro Finish…. This is like HOLY grail nail polish for me…. While the brands you’ve mentioned have a lot more color selections… I wish they had this formula! (speaking of Julep, OPI and Essie, as I haven’t tried the 4th one) Anyway, I noticed these guys were going on clearance at my local drug store and I am hoping it is just so new colors can be introduced… I feel like one coat is all it takes! (though I usually do two) I’ve even tried this stuff without using a top coat and it still didn’t chip for about a week… With a top coat, this thing lasted me longer than I care to say I went without getting a pedi or changing polish! ha! Definitely worth a try, if you can still find it!

by the way, I completely agree with you on the OPI…. I love th color range, but I can paint my nails and literally, the next day I have fading and chipping…. OR PEELING…. I just can’t do it anymore!

OPI + Seche Vite = perfection.

I absolutely hate Essie – I find it gives a streaky, uneven finish. I end up going over and over it, then it peels because I have too much on.

You should definitely try seche vite!! Dries SUPER fast, and so shiny and professional!

I have been a fan of Essie for years but lately I have started a using a lot of the Butter London. I think that it goes on really smooth and it doesn’t require coat after coat. It’s pretty expensive but if you watch on their website they actually put a variety of colors on 50% off periodically. I received my first Julep Maven box last night; I am happy with the quality of the paint so far. I like that Butter and Julep are more creamy when applying.

I have become a huge fan of Essie.. I’m a farm girl so having polish on my fingernails that last’s for more than an hour is pretty much impossible. I recently started using their polish (2-3 coats) with their No Chips Ahead and it’s held up quite well in the barn and out and about! I never painted my finger nails until this winter. I’ve really enjoyed it! 🙂 Thanks for the reviews because I have been wondering if there is a product even better out there but it sounds like I am using the right stuff. Love how it’s affordable, too!

I waffle between my love for Essie and OPI – OPI has a better brush, but Essie has so many colors that I want these days! Essie’s formula might be a little longer-lasting, but OPI bright colors only need only coat (which is great). Conclusion: I will just have to buy them all…

I am a big Etsy fan too, as well I love Seche Vitte for my top coat!!

I am a big fan of Essie and Orly, with the OPI Nail Strengthener as a base coat and the Revlon Gel-Shine topcoat. I can get easily almost a week of no chipping (and I work in a hospital where I wash my hands and use hand sanitizer CONSTANTLY).

I’ve always wanted to try Julep so thanks for the overview!

http://hazelberrypaper.blogspot.com

I really like the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure line. The brush is flat, which is nice for application, and I get decent wear out of it (and I have a job where my nails are easily beat up). Just tried Zoya for the first time and had good results, too. I think OPI has great color options, but the price and the length of wear just don’t match up anymore.

Please do this with more drug-store brands, like L’Oreal, Sally Hansen, etc. Those are in my budget! lol

Vinylux is great – I’ve found online at Amazon for amazing prices – cheaper than drugstore brands actually! My other new fav is Julep, discovered through this blog, such cute colors. I also like the Essie 3-way glaze. I keep a number of those bottles around (purse, work, home).

You can get CND Vinylux at Chatters – no longer only online 🙂 🙂

I love Zoya, China Glaze, Color Club, Jessica, OPI. I am swearing off Essie because they are not cruelty-free.

I agree with some of the other commenters – my favorite is the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure. The brush makes it SO easy to go on and it lasts longer than other polishes for me.

I’ve been hearing about Julie G polishes lately. Have you tried those?

I am a nail polish newbie… and have liked the “finger paints” brand from sally’s so far. Can I just say, I am surprised how expensive nail polish is! But it’s worth it to feel like you have pretty nails.

Kate, I used to never ever paint my nails… I thought it looked weird. Isn’t THAT weird?! I really liked your post way back when about how to give yourself a manicure at home, and other than the fact that it still takes me a good 30 minutes, I really like doing it, and your tips are great! I love the CND Vinylux since it lasts. (!!) I don’t have a ton of time to spend painting my nails, so I appreciate how nice my nails look days later. I’ve had luck finding it at Beauty Brands and on Amazon. I also love the vibrant colors that Essie has… and that’s a lot coming from the girl who was anti-nail color! 🙂

I love Essie, too! The coat goes on so smooth and dries quickly! I switched from OPI to Essie after watching you manicure tutorial. I love the color options as well! I feel like every time I go to Target there is new color in my basket to add to the collection. I haven’t tried the 3 way glaze yet but I’ll be sure to grab it at Target next time! Thanks Kate!

Turn up your noses (and laugh!) if you will, but Avon’s nail polish is pretty impressive. The speed dry isn’t much to brag about, but the regular polish from them wears better and longer than Essie or Zoya and is less expensive. Color selection is not as broad, but they do have some nice shades to choose from!

I’m a fan of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri. Good variety of colors, dries within 15-20 mins, and it’s cheap (appx. $4/bottle). For girls like me who have little time and less patience, it’s a good one.

Just an FYI, Avon has come out with a gel nail polish that doesn’t require a UV light. I haven’t used it, but if you like the CNDVinylux, it might be worth a try.

I like the Sally Hansen Salon line. They seem to last well. and FYI, I saw the CND Vinylux on Amazon. I’m going to give it a try!

If you’re in the midwest, CND Vinylux can be purchased in-store at Beauty Brands. Can be ordered off Beauty Brands online also.

I’ve always loved OPI from getting my nails done in a salon, but I started getting the Julep Maven boxes a few months ago…and have fallen in love! The polish goes on so smoothly and it seems to last just as long as any others. I have quite the new collection going. ha

I love Morgan Taylor!

I love Sally Hansen’s Total Salon Manicure, L’Oreal, and Zoya. Sally’s will last FOREVER with bottom (I use Essie’s first base) and top coat (Julep Freedom)… like more than a week. It also has a really nice wide brush that makes application super quick. I love Zoya’s color options, the bottle is cute, and it’s supposed to be one of the healthier options out there. The quality of the formula is super nice too! L’Oreal is super cheap, always on sale, and has a lot of neutral options for a drugstore line — Mauvealicious is my go to! It’s also long lasting.

I found Vinylux at Beauty Brands! Tried it for the first time last Tuesday, and took it off today (a full seven days from when I put it on) only because I had a good amount of growth coming in. No chips. No cracks. I don’t think I’ll ever use another polish on my fingernails again!

i’ve never been able to get essie to work well for me! i mean, that hasn’t stopped me from buying a couple of colors, but i think i only have 3 and i’m always tempted.. i just can’t get them to last on me.

I like the Mabelline nail polish that promoises 7 day wear… there are every now and then new colours, the varity isn’t that big yet, but we’ll see.

Actually I wear gel nails on my naturals most of the time, it helps me to keep them in a good form, otherwise they would rip apart all the time.

Oh I am 100% a Julep girl too…love their polish!!! Consistent, great colors + great packaging! Who can resist…
http://www.thepinnestsjournal.blogspot.com

I am going to NYC in April for 7 days, what brand and color do you think I should use. I was going to go with Essie and a peachy-orange color…

Like to see your opinions…I feel like you know what is up! I find that I love Essie’s colors and chip-resistance best, but I need at lesat 3-4 coats for it to look ‘thick’ and waiting for THAT to dry is always my issue.

I love having my nails painted, but have always had the hardest time keep polish on for a long time, I find it chips off very easily and soon after applying, I’m not sure what the issue is. Right now the polish that I have had the best luck with staying on my nails is Ulta’s brand, it has great coverage and stages on for awhile.

I have fallen head over heels for Ruffian that I got in my Birchbox a few months back. It doesn’t chip, goes on easy. I actually like that the bottles are small so it won’t last me years (think freshness). I highly recommend giving it a try!!

Have you heard of Gelous? I use this tutorial to stretch out my manicures. Boy, does it work! I can easily get 10-14 days from this “recipe” of products! http://www.mintarrow.com/2013/08/shellac-hack-perfected.html

I love Vinylux (thanks to your suggestions)! I’ve bought it on Amazon, but now it’s sold at a local retail beauty store in my area.

Have you tried the Formula X line from Sephora? I have been loving it! I’d love to hear your thoughts/review!

Have you ever tried Jamberry laquer?? Best one I’ve EVER tried!! leahh.jamberrynails.net 🙂

Hey girl! Awesome blog! Check mine out and give me a follow back please 🙂 theskincarebible.com

I’m so relieved to see that you, too, are having chipping issues with OPI. I thought it was just me. I even emailed OPI and they suggested the Chip Skip and specific base coats, etc., yet I’m still chipping. I will have to pay more attention to Essie and try out Julep in the future.

Kate,

I’m curious to know if you have tried any of the zoya nail polishes? I’ve been using it more since it’s three free (less chemicals). Any luck with it?

They CND vinylux is now available to the public. I bought mine st Beauty Brands!

You can find vinylux at beauty brands-I have several colors and love it!

What colors of the Vinylux do you like and do suggest using the top coat or is the actual polish shiny enough without top coat?

I get so frustrated by chipping! You wait so long for the polish to dry (I usually fall asleep and end up with attractive imprints on my nails) and they literally start chipping the next day, even when it’s the nicer polishes like Essie and OPI. While I’m intrigued by the idea of Julep, I’ve been afraid to try it. Mainly because I have a new obsession: Jamberry Nail Wraps. These vinyl wraps go on in 15 minutes and last about 2 weeks! They have over 300 designs to choose from so the mixing and matching possibilities are endless! If you haven’t hear of this company, I STRONGLY suggest you do!
http://jammingwithashley.jamberrynails.net/

These are good color ideas! Plus if they don’t chip… even better! You should post this on Fashom.com, it’s all I go on now lol

These are good color ideas! Plus if they don’t chip… even better! You should post this on Fashom.com, it’s all I go on now lol

I love Essie, but find it takes a LONG time to dry. I end up messing it up more than anything!
Hoping to try Julep soon!
http://kenziesclosetwordpress.com

My favorite “at-home” nail polish is Zoya, by far. It’s about $8/bottle, and there’s a million color options. They are vegan and cruelty-free, and the wear is FANTASTIC. I also feel that it dries pretty quickly, and the finish is beautiful.

I’m an essie fan for sure! Have you tried the gel-finish nail polish by Nails, Inc. that is carried at Sephora? Estee (from Essie Button) raves about that nail polish, but I’d love to know what you think about it.

My absolute favorite top coat is Seche Vite dry fast top coat. I stumbled upon a review of it a few months ago, took their advice and went and bought some. It has really made a difference! It dries fast, is VERY shiny, and whatever polish I use doesn’t seem to chip off near as bad. It’s worth giving it a try. 🙂

I use Essie all the time 90% of my collection is essie. I want to try the new sephora x polish, I’ve heard great things about it. And FYI, BEAUTY BRANDS carries the vinyllux! Fave top coat is Essie good to go! Seche Vite does not work for me, its def fast drying but causes my nails to chip quickly!

I use Essie all the time 90% of my collection is essie. I want to try the new sephora x polish, I’ve heard great things about it. And FYI, BEAUTY BRANDS carries the vinyllux! Fave top coat is Essie good to go! Seche Vite does not work for me, its def fast drying but causes my nails to chip quickly!

I love essie! I got my first julep box a couple months ago and tried one of the sparkle whites that I got. I found that the formula was really clumpy and thick and I found it extremely hard to put a nice even layer. I don’t know if you ran into that problem or if it was just me. I have yet to try the other 2 polishes from the box, but I’m hoping that polish was just a fluke. For some reason I also couldn’t really see some of the glitter when I put on the polish. When I was trying to clean my nails and used nailpolish remover and removed a tiny bit of the nail polish, then I could see the glitter and I just thought it was a really weird experience.

Kate,
Do you have any suggestions on how to make the Vinylux last longer? I usually do 2 coats of color, one coat of weekly top coat, but mine lasts AT MOST 3 days and then it chips. Sometimes it’s chipping the next day. Drives me nuts. If you have any tips, feel free to share! THANKS!

As someone who frequently changes her nail color, do you have any recommendations for removing nail polish easily? I love painting my nails, but hate removing it, and am hoping you have some tips! Thanks!

I use Opi and love it! The trick to longevity that I’ve discovered is using Chip Skip by Opi. I discovered this by accident when I was using glitter paint and had to use multiple coats of top coat to smooth it out. I use that and then the Opi base coat, then one to two coats of the color and then top coat. I will put on one to two more layers of top coat over the next couple of days. Also if you like any kind of glitter, I think that stuff makes your polish last a long time. I change my color every couple of weeks. A fun one over the 4th of July is red base coat, blue crackle and then silver glitter. I also did a green with white crackle and silver glitter over Christmas.

i love essie nail polish too :))

http://prettypurple92.weebly.com/

I’m a nail tech from KS and I love the new CND vinylux polishes. I’ve done some experimenting and I’ve found that if you use one of the lighter colors from the vinylux line, like lavishly loved or grapefruit sparkle as a base coat, then use ANY color from ANY brand, followed by the vinylux top coat, you get a polish that lasts a good week.

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Hello again,
Sorry computer problems. I have been a Nail Tech for 35 years and have tried many polishes. I have used Seche Vite top coat, Loved it, but oddly it peels off of our nails. I have a few tips to pass along to you ladies. You can apply base coat one day, then apply the 2 coats of color, (be sure to cover tips with both coats), and top coat the next day. Dries much quicker, also any quick dry drops will help. I specialize in silk wraps, and have silks on my nails, my polish can basically stay on for 2 weeks or longer if needed. Something about the silks is amazing for helping nails grow and keeping the polish on. One more thing, I am an Avon Rep, and Avon polish scores an 8 and I have had great results on natural nails with their new Gel polish, no light required, only two coats of polish. Hope this information is of help to my fellow nail polish lovers.

Take care Love,
Eileen Leiva