Favorite nail polishes?

[stephm0188]

Makeup, I do okay with.

Nails, not so much. Inever have really bothered painting them.  I bought a few Essie shades and didn't really care for them. I though they chipped easily despite using a base and topcoat.

What's good? What's not? 

[bowies]

SpaRitual and CND last the longest on me. I like the shades of Butter but I think they're overpriced. I also like OPI's darker/bright colors and China Glaze - most of my polishes are these brands. Formula X is also decent for me.

Zoya chips immediately on me and I find them streaky.

[AJL]

Like -
OPI
Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure
China Glaze
Sally Hansen UV gel colors

Dislike -
Essie (it peels off)
Sinful Colors (too goopy)

Best top coat EVAH - Seche Vite

[lyssbobiss, Command, B613]

I hate china glaze, essie, and sinful.

I love OPI and Butter London.

[redheadbaker]

I just put on Nicole by OPI this morning and didn't really like it. It doesn't go on evenly. Hasn't chipped yet, though, which is a small miracle, especially considering I didn't use a top coat.

[mdgirl]

Polish makes my fingernails weak and regardless of how good of a base I use they stain, so I don't leave it on for very long. So I don't get too fussy about it.

My favorite color for my toes is Essie Meet Me at Sunset.

[tiramisu]

I use CND Stickey base coat and Seche Vite topcoat. Everything lasts fairly well with that combination. Lately I've been using a lot of Julep polishes because I was a maven for a little while and have tons now. I like OPI, Essie, and Zoya a lot. I've been getting nearly a week of wear with Julep and 5+ days with OPI lately.

[brainie]

I like Butter London, but dang it's expensive.

[tacoflavoredkisses]

Most of my polishes are julep, opi, essie or zoya. But I've had good luck with China glaze too.

Seche vite is good stuff. I've been using their base coat too. It smells horrible but does the trick.

[memenee]

I think it depends on your nails. Some people swear by Essie, but it chips like crazy on me. My nails do very well with OPI, Revlon, and zoya.

[kittycatlove]

I have terrible luck with Essie as well.

My favorites are OPI, Zoya, and Butter London.

[IIOY]

OPI but it's overpriced like whoa. Sally Henson for base and top coats.

ETA: I used to love Essie but haven't used it in years. I have been reading that its quality apparently has gone down the tubes, which makes me sad because it used to be a decent lower cost alternative to OPI.

[lisad]

I like Essie. Doesn't stay longer than 2-3 days on me but nothing does. I change my polish every night usually, it relaxes me

Colors, I love chinchilly and miss fancy pants for fingers. Naughty nautical for toes or pretty much anything blue/green/purple.

[So_Fetch]

I really like Fingerpaints (Sally), Julep, and Revlon. Though, the Julep tends to dry up and get a little goopy more quickly than the other brands. I love some of Essie's colors, but it always leaves my nails yellowed when I take it off - even with a base coat.
boo.

[partyinmytummy]

Ellagee
DigitalNails

I like a lot of indie polishes. These two are my favorite.

Edited for formatting.

[Vespasia]

I stick with Zoya for the most part. I had one color that was a dud (from Ipsy, bad move!) but otherwise I find them easy to apply and they last fairly well.

Ditto all the Seche Vite recommendations.

[kwx2]

OPI is my go to, but just stated really liking the ESSE colors. I also don't paint my own fingers or toes, so there's that. But I bring my own colors in sometimes. China Glaze isn't horrible. And just bought a Julep color the other day. We'll see how that turns out.

[veruca5839]

The best on my nails are essie and OPI.

So-so are Butter London and Julep.

Zoya is crap on my nails.

I like Orly Bonder base coat and Poshe top coat. I also use Gelous nail gel coat as a layer between my polish and top coat- it really helps my polish last longer.

[auntie]

CND Sticky is the best base for standard polish on natural nail. Top coat and polish are less critical IME. Essie, Butter or OPI are all fine.

I like CND Vinylux Polish and Topcoat. I can get the better part of a week out of a pale color.

[Laura Palmer]

I don't have issues with any particular brand - though some colors within a brand don't work as well for me.

I always use Butter London base coat and either Butter London or Seche Vite topcoat.

I do notice that polishes will chip on me if my nails aren't CLEAN when I polish them. Like at the salon, I'll make sure to wash my hands very well and swipe a bit of polish remover on the nail before I put on the base coat.

[martini]

I really like Zoya, OPI, and Julep.  I use the zoya color lock system (base coat, top coat, quick dry drops) and it usually lasts about a week on my fingernails.

[moreace01]

I can't stand the smell of Seche Vite. Like I had to open the windows when I used it - I don't use it anymore. It also sometimes cause polish to fall off my nails. Like, the whole thing would just peel off and fall on the floor in one big piece.
I used to use Orly Bonder and Poshe top. I had heard that some people thought Bonder started peeling their nails and turned them nails a yellowish color, and I was sort of noticing the same thing, so I stopped using it.

Right now I'm using something by Essie - Good to go top coat and some kind of base that is greenish. They are working really well.

I use Zoya base (Anchor) with Zoya polishes because I think it works the best on them.

For polishes -
Also agree that Butter London is overpriced. So is Deborah Lippman, but I've been finding bottles at Marshalls lately for cheap.
OPI has the best brush, by far. Colors are good. Formula is usually good.
Essie I don't really care for - I don't like their brush at all.
China Glaze is generally good.
Zoya I have problems keeping it on if I don't use their Anchor base coat. Good colors, formula and brush.

Also - as someone mentioned above -make sure your nails are clean before getting started. Giving them a swipe of rubbing alcohol wipes off any residual oils from soap or moisturizer and helps the polish adhere better. 

[cjeanette]

Sally Hansen mega shine is my favorite top coat.

Orly bonder for base.

I have been enjoying Color Club polishes I get from Birchbox lately.

[parisinthespring]

Butter London, julep, OPI and Chanel are my favorites. Though I hate how goopy Julep gets after opening. I do not like Zoya at all. It peels so fast for me. I typically use an OPI base coat and Seche Vite top coat.

[centralsquare]

I got a fancy pedi at a spa where they used lakur polish. It is still chip free (albeit horribly grown out) six weeks later. Pricey per bottle, but worth it.

[Deleted]

Apr 5, 2015 20:03:49 GMT -5 toriwc said:

I do not like Sephora's Formula X. It chips in a day for me. OPI lasts the longest for me, but I don't like the thickness of the brushes.

I wonder if this depends on a person's nails--Formula X lasts among the longest for me. It has better opacity (if that's a word?) than many other polishes too.

[Deleted]

Gelish base coat from Sally's is the best I've used.

HK Girl Glisten and Glow is better top coat than even Seche --less shrinkage.