Nail polish

When it comes to nail polish, I pretty much tried every kind of brand there is. Okay, not every brand, but quite a lot of them. From M.A.C to department store brands.

Now see, I fully believe that cheap brands are just as good as expensive ones. To a point. Most cheap brands are good to wear just for a night as they certainly don’t last long without chipping easily. The most popular brands (In Europe) that is cheap and that has tons of different colours is P2 and Essence. Oddly enough, P2 has the same brand of nail polish H&M sells under a different name. They both have the same consistency and is likely produced from the same company. Which isn’t a tragedy, but it makes the polish less unique. Either way, my opinion on P2 and Essence is this – they’re good for a day. For me and my nails, I highly dislike the fact they chip and ‘brush’ off pretty easily, no matter how many layers you add and if you use a top/undercoat or not. They will not last for more than a day or two unless you rarely touch/do anything to prevent that from happening. While I’m in love with all their different colours and the price they’re going for, I’ll use a more pricier nail polish brand if I’m looking for something that’ll last awhile longer if I’m going on vacation or something. 

Below are my thoughts on some of the brands I own:

M.A.C Nail Lacquer: In the colour “Rocker” lasted pretty well. On my toe nails. For my fingernails, the consistency wasn’t all that great. ALTHOUGH, the colour is amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing. Still, I constantly wear that colour on my toe nails because I just find it really pretty and it also has a great shimmer to it under the sun in summer. I’d definitely buy nail lacquer again, but not anytime soon. The price is a bit much.

Chanel Le Vernis: In the colour “Black Satin”. This has to be one of the best black nail polishes I’ve ever owned. It lasted for daaaaaaaaaaaaays without even chipping. The texture is sort of elastic and no matter how often I washed my hands or scraped over it, that stuff held like no other. Also, one layer was enough to have a deep black without any sort of streaks. But you can add another layer if you really want to. Downside with Chanel nail polishes is most definitely the over the roof price. Like M.A.C, I’ll get another but not in the next year or two until the one I have finishes. I only recommend Chanel if you really have a penny or two to spend on it, otherwise stay away.

Canmake Tokyo: I got this little bottle while in Kyoto. I love it so much. The colour I have is kind of like a dark steel. I can’t find the name of it on their website anymore, but trust me, it’s a sexy colour. This too has an amazing lasting effect. I can’t really remember the price though, but it was a little cheaper than the ¥360 they have up on their website. Too bad they don’t sell that brand in Europe; else I’d have all the colours.

P2/Essence: As I mentioned right above. Nice price and great colours, but not very lasting. 

Esprit: In the colour “Candy Pink”. This polish is a ‘colour last with marine bio-ceramic’. If I had to pick a nail polish I wear most often, it would be this one. Not to forget the brush itself is VERY convenient and easier to use. The price is a little over the P2/Essence brands’ ones, but it’s a good polish. It lasts just as long as they say it does. Ten plus days with no chipping. This is the one I recommend getting if you want a name brand polish. 

Moral of the story - Cheap is good, but not always good. Expensive is good, but not always good.