Nails inc vs Leighton Denny vs OPI

[Nutsville]

Nutsville, interesting what you say about using thinners like As Good As New. I have tried this, as well as an Orly one I got from Amazon (better value as bigger bottle and I used an LD dropper to add it to the polish). I have not had much success sadly. It definitely thinned the polish (using a lot more than the recommended 2-3 drops - like you, I needed a whole pipette full at least). But manicures using the thinned stuff take forever to dry. I am sure it would take ages without thinning as gloopy polish is slow to dry of course, but you would think the thinned polish would dry quickly. Any more tips, apart from leaving it an hour before using, which I have not tried?

You definitely need more than a few drops of As Good As New. I tend to do my manicures in the evening usually after a bath or dinner and the heatings on and the flat is at it's warmest or during the summer I switch to the middle of the day again when the flat is warm. I did struggle for a while and tried with out success Miracle Drops which still took an age to dry, then the Miracle Spray was launched and because it sprays on cold all of a sudden my polish is drying an awful lot quicker. I have about 3 new tins as I don't want to ever run out.

 

[von 2]

OPI every time for me. I have good nails and have used Nail Envy for years. I don't like really bright colours although I do wear dark burgundy & dark purple colours. My favourite of all time is Happy Anniversary from OPI. Just a plain translucent silver but it suits me. I find the gold/beige colours don't seem to suit my skintone. I like the LD colours but they don't last well and really don't get on with the Nails Inc.
Another small point - I remember OPI years ago changed the brush to the 'pro wide' one. I don't think I appreciated how much better the OPI brushes are until I use one of the others - they seem really thin.

 

[Nicky-j]

Dont rate LD at all. Prefer OPI for a longer lasting finish but colours/nail art finishes for Nails Inc are more fun.

I'd agree absolutely there. I can't get Leighton Denny's polishes to stay on my nails for more than a few days (the metallic 'car' finishes are a bit better) whereas both OPI and Nails Inc last just fine. I do like LD's Crystal Finish topcoat which is very glass-like, but it dries slowly, so prefer Seche Vite.

 

[rainbowdottie]

I always used be a 100% faithful customer of OPI.wouldnt hear let alone try anything else.

I love all the "ink" colours of varnish...black,navy,blue,dark green,dark cherry etc.I have found these colours hard to get in OPI and no way available on QVC in these colours.So I was kind of forced to nails inc where these colours seem more readily available.And I'm truly converted.I love the colours,I love the way they dry so quickly and the depth of colour is good.I wouldnt consider even purchasing an OPI product now.

I cant comment on LD as I've never purchased.All the time nails inc are bringing me what I want then I have no reason to change.

 

[Akimbo]

I love discussing nail polish obsessions! We should start up NPOA (Nail Polish Obsessives Anonymous)! Sign me up!

Anyway, sorry to chop your post about but wanted to comment on a few points: No worries!

(1) Glad I'm not the only one with a few ageing polishes in my collection. I am sure I have one from the late 1980s!
(2) Who's Dirty Peter? aka Peter Simon, famed for his viagra monologues on Bid in the evening.
(3) The Revlon set sounds lovely. Do BidTV often do nail polish? Or maybe don't tell me as I have too many! Just an odd decent buy in their Beauty department; don't make a special effort to watch but have a quick browse on the website and you'll see the recognised brands are thin on the ground over there!
(4) Nails Inc have definitely not exhausted the A-Z of street names. They need to venture east a bit as most of the City street names are unused.
(5) Love the idea of peeling off nail varnish when there's glitter involved. Is the Andrea Fullerton stuff any good? Does it peel off before you actually want it to or does it last a few days? This is definitely a very temporary fix, I wouldn't expect it to last beyond a night out. Peeling it off is quite satisfying. I can't see the peelable polishes on the Superdrug website but having been a nail polish whore for 35+ years I know this is the sort of product that manufacturers reinvent every couple of years so the next "innovation" should happen soon probably from a cheaper highstreet or teen brand.

I have a bottle of the OPI thinner somewhere which works well on those gloopy polishes.

 

[Anso]

Being a hoarder, and because OPI polishes stay usable, I have ones going back 15 years and obviously there are only so many colours because they do repeat polishes. My all time favourite range was the Summer For Shore (2003) including Sanderella, Crim-sun, Blue Moon Lagoon etc which are amazing pastel holographic lacquers which they later developed into the more expensive designer series. If you see one on ebay "just buy" (as Dirty Peter would say) because there's every chance it'll still be perfect. Mine are still going strong, I tend to save them for holidays as they look amazing in the sun

I have these too from back then and they are some of my faves!

As for the brands, I have not tried LD.

I have "three figures" (not admitting to quite how many!) of both Nails Inc and OPI. I like Nails Inc for the colours but the staying power is bad. I would say 2-3 days on average. With OPI I get approx 7 days on average and this is using either brand with either Seche Vite or Kensington Caviar top coat. If anyone have any tips for getting Nails Inc to stay on longer I'd be soooo happy please?

For me OPI wins by far for staying chip free for so long. Also their bottles are bigger (which actually make them cheaper than Nails Inc!!) and the brush outclasses any other brand I have ever tried so far.

 

[Wornoutcreditcard]

I haven't used LD polish but have loads of OPI and nails inc. the latter have more vibrant colours and are more chip resistant than OPI. As for top/base coats I must agree with Sparkley Andrea about the nail envy and seche vite but only if QVC have them on special otherwise I buy from amazon or independent discount online retailers. Actually that goes for most of the beauty brands that QVC sell at over inflated prices.
I do like the LD crystal file though, it's brill really saves my nails and shapes them beautifully, much cheaper on his own website though.

 

[Tangle foot]

I have a large collection of polishes. Mostly LD but also OPI, Essie, Nails Inc, A England and a few other indie brands. I'm something of a polish obsessive lol. I do think some of LD's colours the neutrals can go streaky, especially in the hot weather. I also agree you need more than a few drops of his Good As New to thin polishes/ basecoat. I use to love OPI brushes until they changed to the pro wide brush. I find l need to do a much bigger clean up now. For me LD's brushes are the best for my nails, just the right thickness. His hydraflex serum and shield is a must for me - no more splitting or peeling nails. nails Inc for a topcoat as l find it does dry the quickest.

 

[grovesy]

I find OPI, Nails INc, Orly, don;t last on me even having a professional manicure. Barry M last better on me but only 3-4 days.

 

[Letz-be-avenue]

I find OPI, Nails INc, Orly, don;t last on me even having a professional manicure. Barry M last better on me but only 3-4 days.

Oh I might give Barry M a go then, as all these makes chip very quickly on me, Opi lasts me longer than Nails inc but no longer than a couple of days, and LD will chip badly in one day and that is using caviar top coat, even if I have a professional manicure done or shellac they still chip quickly, I must be the only person who gets less than 7 days out of RCM as well, I must have very bad nails :mysmilie_10:

 

[Ellaaa]

Barry M is the longest lasting I've ever tried and much cheaper than "premium brands". The textured ones in particular last flipping aaaaages.

 

[sharonk]

We'll now hubby realises that I am not alone in my " but I haven't got that colour" mantra every time nail colour comes on TV or we walk passed some in the shops.
I can report that my " meet me on Venus" LD is lasting well with one tiny chip and lots of comments about the lovely colour.
I am loving the crystal finish top coat, it still feels very smooth.
It seems consistency is a bit of an issue with his colours from what people are saying.
I think I might risk buying my own bottle of this colour but not risk the darker colours. The one I had problems with was a gorgeous plum colour.
The other thing I wasn't that keen on was the long thin brush, must admit I love the bourgeois speed brush, nice, flat and easy to use.
Like other posters I have a huge collection, various makes and various ages. I have an OPI Nicole one that is about 12 years old and still as good as the day I bought it.

I tend to remove my make up, get ready for bed and paint my nails just before I get into bed. I can't remember ever waking up in the morning with them smudged.
One thing I will say is the LD dried very quickly, I literally did base coat two coats of colour and top coat with less than a minute between each coat and they were dry within ten.
I find OPI and nails inc take longer.

Maybe we all need a nail confessions thread

 

[AndiK]

I have a bottle of the OPI thinner somewhere which works well on those gloopy polishes.

Thanks for this and your answers/comments earlier.

Afraid to say I am going to have to check out BidTV now - your fault!! I am also going to look into peelable polishes for one-off glitter occasions.

Thanks.

 

[mediastar]

I have to say, I use nail colours from wherever I am at the time, even Aldi, even though they seem to have stopped selling them at the moment. They work well and give terrific coverage, without a decent top coat they don't last long, I happened upon a combi base and top coat recently by accident, Miss Sporty, £2.29. makes any colour from any make last ages on me, when other top coats chip within 4 days, that one just goes up up to ten days. Has anyone ever found a perfect russet,rust cream colour? M&S did one called exactly that, Russet, I bought two, luckily as they seem to have stopped selling it again!

 

[AndiK]

I have to say, I use nail colours from wherever I am at the time, even Aldi, even though they seem to have stopped selling them at the moment. They work well and give terrific coverage, without a decent top coat they don't last long, I happened upon a combi base and top coat recently by accident, Miss Sporty, £2.29. makes any colour from any make last ages on me, when other top coats chip within 4 days, that one just goes up up to ten days. Has anyone ever found a perfect russet,rust cream colour? M&S did one called exactly that, Russet, I bought two, luckily as they seem to have stopped selling it again!

Have you looked on ebay? Someone is selling an M&S polish and lip colour in Russet. Also, not sure the shade is exactly what you are after but Feel The Burn by Leighton Denny is nice.

 

[mediastar]

Thank you for that, I looked, seems like the listing is gone or I was looking in the wrong place! It is difficult to describe the shade, it is not red, it is not brown and it is not pink, but somehow it straddles all three, it looks wonderful on a pale, with warm undertone skin tone!

 

[spartacus]

Thank you for that, I looked, seems like the listing is gone or I was looking in the wrong place! It is difficult to describe the shade, it is not red, it is not brown and it is not pink, but somehow it straddles all three, it looks wonderful on a pale, with warm undertone skin tone!

I don't have this shade but from your description this might fit the bill - sparitual bon appetite.
http://www.lucyrose.biz/sparitual-earthy-low-notes.html

I've used Lucy rose several times without problems and fast delivery. I've found a swatch of the shade here - hope it helps.
http://www.nailsoftheday.com/2010/01/notd-sparitual-bon-appetit.html

 

[AndiK]

Thank you for that, I looked, seems like the listing is gone or I was looking in the wrong place! It is difficult to describe the shade, it is not red, it is not brown and it is not pink, but somehow it straddles all three, it looks wonderful on a pale, with warm undertone skin tone!

Sorry about the ebay reference - it was an old listing. Silly of me not to pick up on that! At least the photo gave me a rough idea of colour. Leighton Denny's Feel The Burn would probably be too dark/brown for you. I love the SpaRitual one Spartacus mentioned above.

 

[SparkleyAndrea]

OMG have just sorted through my nail varnish stash and I also have the original OPI Blue Moon Lagoon and Sanderella from Q all those years ago -still useable !
Someone mentioned LD Crystal Nail file and I have both the LD and the OPI one and I have to say that the LD is fab and I wouldn't be without it.
Love this thread btw -makes me feel a bit more normal

 

[AndiK]

OMG have just sorted through my nail varnish stash and I also have the original OPI Blue Moon Lagoon and Sanderella from Q all those years ago -still useable !
Someone mentioned LD Crystal Nail file and I have both the LD and the OPI one and I have to say that the LD is fab and I wouldn't be without it.
Love this thread btw -makes me feel a bit more normal

You ARE normal. It's everyone else who isn't!