A beautiful manicure is a great finishing touch to your look. But it loses its glamor when it starts to chip. Consumer Reports tested seven nail polishes, including several that claim to last a long time. All were applied with a base and top coat if the brand had one.
Ten panelists tried the polishes at home, while ten panelists received a series of professional manicures. Those were checked at 7, 10 and 14 days.
The Chanel Le Vernis polish is the most expensive tested at $27 for the color plus another $52 for the base and top coat. But it chipped so quickly, most of the home panelists removed it early.
Which are the hands-down favorites? Surprisingly, a $2 polish available at Walgreens called Sinful Colors came out on top. And the base and top coat together are just $8. The polish still looked good after seven days, but it took slightly longer to dry than others.
Another winning polish is the $10 CND Vinylux Weekly Polish lived up to its name and still looked good after a week. It doesn’t need a base coat, and the top coat is $10.
Also a favorite, the $6 Revlon Colorstay polish promises to last 11 days, and still looked okay when checked on day ten. The base and top coat cost $13.
If you want a quick manicure and don’t have time for the whole base coat, top coat routine, Consumer Reports found some one-step polishes that looked pretty good at the end of a week. They’re Sally Hansen complete Salon Manicure for $7 and Covergirl Outlast for $5.
Complete Ratings and recommendations on all kinds of products, including appliances, cars & trucks, and electronic gear, are available on Consumer Reports’ website.
