Post Response: How long does my manicure last?

Last fall Kelly, of Vampy Varnish did a post called “Nail Polish Wear & Why I Never Discuss It”. Also, the nail polish industry has recently been bombarded with gel polishes which promise to give you two weeks worth of wear from your manicure.  I have often been puzzled why so many people can’t get their manicure to last more than a couple days without chipping.  If I choose to not change my polish, I can easily get 2 weeks out of a manicure with no chipping; of course, there will be growth and tipwear, but I very seldom have issues with chipping.  So I decided to do a response post to Kelly's original post. I followed my normal manicure regimen and took periodic update pictures. My goal was twofold, one, as a tutorial and two, to see for myself how long my manicure and tolerance would last. (I normally get bored with a polish after a few days, LOL!)

So for starters, products used were as follows:

• Treatment: OPI Nail Envy Original (1 coat), I rotate with Nail Life Nail Revitilizer also, but they both give me the same results
• Basecoat: American Beauty Gelous (1 coat)
• Basecoat: Nail Life Gripper Adhesive Basecoat (1 coat)
• Nail Polish: Misa Sinning Out Of Control (2   coats), & China Glaze Liquid Crystal (2 coats) on accent nails. I had to decide on a color(s) that I could tolerate for a   long period of time. *I pretty much get the same wear, regardless of the polish brand I use-drugstore or department store.
• Top Coat: Seche Vite Fast Drying Top Coat (1 coat)

I realize that that is a drawnout process, but For Me, It Works…

Regimen:

• Remove Cuticles (if needed)
• File, shape and buff nails (if needed)
• Oil Nails and Cuticle with my cuticle mix
• Exfoliate hands (optional)
• Moisturize with favorite hand cream
• Wipe down nail beds with alcohol to remove all traces of oil
• Proceed to polish my nails with each of the products mentioned above. Yes, all of them. Also, being certain to "wrap my tips" with each product.
• Moisturize my nails & cuticles at least once daily.

Side notes:
Kelly stated that some of the contributing factors to her polish life were a lot of hand washing and using the keyboard. She also clarified her definition of a perfect manicure as it looking “exactly like it did the second you applied it. That means NO tip wear, not a single chip or crack and no noticeable nail growth around the cuticle area.”

My definition of an “Acceptable manicure” is as follows: No chipping or peeling; no noticeable nail or cuticle growth and minimal tip wear. My life is filled with a lot of hand washing, dish washing without gloves, and like most people, live by texting and a keyboard.

Starting photos (3/23/2012)

Update photo: (3/27/2012) - 1 week into manicure. There is minor tip wear, and some growth at the cuticle. But still acceptable.

Ending photos: (4/2/2012) - 10 days into my manicure. Although there was no chipping, I couldn't tolerate the growth at my cuticles and had grown tired of the color.  The manicure had also lost some of its shine. But still no chipping.

No Chipping, but much growth.

Texting & Keyboards = Tipwear.

Another view of tipwear.

So as you can see from the picture timeline, I was able to go several days with no chipping. So for me, I see no reason to invest in the latest gel nail products.  In addition to the enjoyment I get from doing my own nails, I also get substantial "wearage" (my word, LOL!) from the products and process I currently use.  So if your level of tolerance is similar to mine, you may want to try the products & process I use and hopefully, you will get similar results.  Should you have any questions, please post them and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Remember, treat your nails as jewels not tools. 

Grace , Peace, and Blessings. 

Grace, Peace, & Blessings.


* FTC: These products were bought with my own monies. These are my honest opinions. I am not employed by nor was I paid by this company.