Testing Nail Polish Brands During Quarantine

As a lifelong nail biter, nail polish has always been a useful tool to stop, or at least slow, the rate at which I chew my nails off. However, I hadn’t worn any in years – until the COVID-19 outbreak hit the U.S. Suddenly, nail biting seemed to be just as dangerous as not washing your hands frequently or wearing a mask to the store. So, I used this opportunity to attempt to stop biting my nails and start wearing nail polish again. While I was at it, I thought I’d experiment with five different brands to see if factors such as price, brand, and ingredients made any difference in the quality and durability of a bottle of nail polish (Note: The nails in the photos below are not my own; I recruited someone with better nails to show off each brand). Here are my results testing nail polish brands during the quarantine.

Broadway Nails

Does price matter when it comes to nail polish? After all, paint is paint. So, I started with a dollar store brand of nail polish to see how it would hold up.

The bottle is round and comes with a decent brush. It’s not too thick, and its quality is just as good as  the more expensive brands that I tried.

The first coat went on watery, but then the second coat went on thick, and applying it while the first coat was still wet made the coats sticky and uneven. The color was bright and glossy, though the odor was very strong as it was applied, and the smell lingered for several hours, even after it dried. It was dry to the touch in about 15 minutes, but it did lightly smear an hour later.

This polish tends to leave marks on paper if it brushes up against it, not ideal when you’re handling papers in an office. However, it turned out to be the most durable of the five brands that I tested. My nails actually grew out longer than the paint before it had chipped enough to wipe off. The chipping happened near the cuticle rather than at the edge of the nail. Overall, though, not bad for a dollar store purchase.

Purchased From: Dollar General

Cost: $1.00

Color: hot chili pepper (red)

Pros: Long lasting, cheap, nice color.

Cons: Goes on thick. Leaves marks on paper, potent smell that lingers for about a day.

Sally Hansen Vegan

Sally Hansen was my go-to nail polish brand when I was a teenager. However, I came across this vegan brand on Amazon and gave it a try next.

The polish applied smoothly and evenly with each coat. It also came with a nice brush that helped with the smooth application.

The color, though, wasn’t what I was expecting. I hate online shopping because you can’t accurately tell what you’re getting, and this color reminded me of the color that old ladies get their nails painted when they go to get a manicure. It’s not horrible, but it’s not for me.

The paint dried relatively quickly, drying to the touch within about 10 minutes or so, though as with any nail polish, you have to be careful for at least an hour after you apply it. The odor was strong going on but immediately disappeared once it dried.

My biggest issue with this nail polish, though, is that it didn’t last. After two days, I noticed that the nail polish was totally gone from one finger. Then, it happened again and again. The polish on the nails that held on would start to lift at the corners and then peel off like a sticker.

I tried applying it again, this time with a 2-in-1 base and top coat applied before and after two coats of the polish. No difference. It still peeled off in sheets after two days.

Purchased From: Amazon

Cost: $6.79

Color: pinky clay

Pros: Applies smoothly. Dries quickly.

Cons: Does not last. Color was not what I was expecting.

Essie

Looking for a pricier nail polish, I found Essie on a rack at the drug store. It wasn’t the most expensive brand in the store, but it was more expensive than the other brands I’d tried so far.

I applied two coats one evening. The brush wasn’t the greatest, but there was practically no odor to the polish. The coats went on thick and took over 20 minutes to dry to the touch. Of course, there was smearing after an hour just like the others.

I loved the color of this polish, and it didn’t start to chip until about three days in. I finally removed it after five days. So, it didn’t last as long as the dollar store brand but still a decent amount of time.

Purchased from: Rite Aid

Cost: $9.00

Color: Angora Cardi (purplish)

Pros: Color, lasts somewhat long.

Cons: Price and the brush is not the greatest.

LA Girl Gel

LA Girl is another brand that I remember as an affordable nail polish brand. I specifically chose a dark blue for this brand because when I was a teenager, my mom discouraged me from buying any nail polish colors other than red, pink, and purple, saying that any other color looked stupid. So, this mini-rebellion came 20 years late.

This bottle came with a thick brush. I had just had a nail-biting relapse when I put this on, making it hard to apply the paint to my stubs. There was a slight odor to this polish, but it wasn’t too bad and faded away as it dried.

This particular bottle was marketed as a gel-like polish, and it was shiny but not much, if at all, shinier than some of the other brands I’d tried. The first coat went on very light, almost a sky blue. The second coat went on darker but not as dark as I would have liked. It dried in about 20 minutes and didn’t really smear after, though like the dollar store brand, it did leave marks on paper.

After one day, I noticed some slight chipping, but overall, the polish hung in there for about five days. Some nails held up better than others. When I did remove the polish, it left a stain that looked like I had dipped my fingertips into blue Kool-Aid.

Purchased from: Rite Aid

Cost: $4.00

Color: Grounded (dark blue)

Pros: Price, average lasting.

Cons: Color isn’t as dark as I’d hoped.

Nicole

A few years ago, Kelloggs ran a promotion where if you bought a few boxes of Special K cereal, you could send away for a free bottle of Nicole nail polish. So, I participated, even though I wasn’t wearing nail polish at the time. When it came, I gave it to my sister, and she said it was one of the most durable nail polish brands she’d ever tried. So, I had to include it in my experiment.

I purchased a bottle online from Walmart, and once again, I was disappointed in the color. It was a Barbie pink that looked like a 12-year-old would wear to school in 1985. The color grew on me after a few days, but overall, it cemented my new rule that I only buy nail polish from a brick and mortar store.

The first coat went on very watery. So did the second. It took about three or four coats to cover, depending on the nail, and even then, it wasn’t very thick. The bottle came with a decent brush, and it was easy to apply one coat after another without going on uneven or smearing.

The odor was minimal, and my nails dried in about 15 minutes with the usual smearing after an hour. After three days, there was some chipping, and I removed it completely a few days later. Overall, it lasted about five days.

Purchased from: Walmart

Cost: $9.00

Color: At Least I Pink So

Pros: Relatively durable. Easy application. Decent brush. Bottle shape keeps it from rolling or tipping.

Cons: Color is tacky for an adult. Price. Watery consistency.

My results

Most durable: Broadway Nails

Most disappointing: Sally Hansen Vegan

Favorite: Essie

In the end, each brand of nail polish had its pros and cons. Whether it was a non-toxic odor, affordable price, great color, or long-lasting effect, unless you’re getting your nails professionally done, they all last no more than a week and all take about the same amount of time to dry. My recommendation is to shop within your budget, don’t buy online, and keep the nail polish remover handy. Most importantly, though, utilize it as a tool to keep your hands out of your mouth, and protect yourself from yourself and the invisible viruses that surround us.

What is your favorite brand of nail polish? What colors do you gravitate toward? Leave your answers in the comments below!

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