OPI application techniques please?

[Anso]

I'm a huge fan of OPI and have far too many colours as I totally LOVE them... but recently I have gotten a bit disappointed with my manicures (in terms of lasting time).

It feels like they chip every time, now, the day after I paint my nails. It never used to be like that (I let them dry for a good hour before I do anything after they are painted and I don't specifically have my hands very much in water) This is all using different colours and as far as I can remember, I don't do anything different to when they used to last for days on my hands without a chip in sight.

This is what I do, either:

* Nail Envy (as base coat), 2 layers of OPI nailpolish (occasionally three) and Rapid Dry Top Coat

or

* OPI base coat, 2 layers of OPI nailpolish (occasionally three) and Rapid Dry Top Coat

Obviously I need to change something as it's getting rather upsetting to have chipping nails within 24 hours of painting them.

Any tips please?

Could it simply be the cold weather...?

Change of top & base coat? (to what? what is better?)

How long does it last for you and what do you use for top/base coat please?

Looking forward to any recommendations! I'm getting desperate:mysmilie_697:

Thanks in advance :mysmilie_687:

 

[Beading Belle]

I don't see you doing anything wrong Anso. Do you make sure your nail are dry and oil/cream free before applying the varnish?

I use both nail envy and nails inc. Cavier top coat. Only thing I can suggest is when you put top coat take it over the edge of the nail too, see if that makes a difference

 

[Beauty Sleuth]

My tip would be as Beading Belle recommends to seal the free edge (which is the top edge with the top coat but also before that seal that edge with the colour too).

Am a beauty therapist and it really helps a manicure to last if you do that

 

[Anso]

I don't see you doing anything wrong Anso. Do you make sure your nail are dry and oil/cream free before applying the varnish?

I use both nail envy and nails inc. Cavier top coat. Only thing I can suggest when to put top coat take it over the edge of the na

il too, see if that makes a difference

Thanks yes my nails are free of cream etc. My hands are not very dry so I don't need to use handcream very often.

Not sure how relevant this is but in the past (when I felt my colour lasted longer) it always started to chip at the tips. Now when it chips the dayafter it chips from the SIDES and in... a bit down on the pink bit (if that makes sense) . I find this strange as the tips (with most wear) should surely be first to chip....

 

[Beading Belle]

Thats strange may be the varnish is not bonding to the nail for some reason. Have you tried buffing your nails with the 4 way nail buffer?

I am sure Beauty Sleuth will be here to give you some advice on this too with all her experience

 

[Beauty Sleuth]

Thats strange may be the varnish is not bonding to the nail for some reason. Have you tried buffing your nails with the 4 way nail buffer?

I am sure Beauty Sleuth will be here to give you some advice on this too with all her experience

lol BB, the buffer is a good idea and the only other thing I can think of is how old are the polishes and how do you store them ? Ideally, they should be in a cool, dark place (like the fridge but i'd rather store food and wine in mine )

 

[Beading Belle]

Yes I used to store Polishes in the fridge but not anymore as have a small collection :mysmilie_17: now I keep mine in a cupboard and some of my OPI polishes are 10 years old but still just as new :mysmilie_696:

 

[Artemis]

I'm having the same problem. I use the nail buffer, 1 coat LD undercoat, 2 coats LD polish, then seche vite. I wear gloves to wash up. The only time it hasn't chipped the following day was when I used a Bourjois nail polish which did almost 3 days. I paid a lot for the LD and love the colours, so it's maddening........

 

[philosophy_girl]

Make sure that you don't touch the skin around your nail, if they polish goes on here then it lets oil and moisture seep in then chips are pretty much guaranteed. My polish lasts a lot longer since I learned that tip. Also, I use matt nail envy as my basecoat and that seems to help my polish stick a bit better too.

 

[Artemis]

Make sure that you don't touch the skin around your nail, if they polish goes on here then it lets oil and moisture seep in then chips are pretty much guaranteed. My polish lasts a lot longer since I learned that tip. Also, I use matt nail envy as my basecoat and that seems to help my polish stick a bit better too.

Oooh, good tips, Thankyou, I'll give them a try, though I don't have nail envy..

 

[philosophy_girl]

Oooh, good tips, Thankyou, I'll give them a try, though I don't have nail envy..

I think it's the mattness rather than the envyness that makes my polish stick :mysmilie_61: so probably any matt basecoat would do the same. Leighton Denny and Butter London are two I can think of off the top of my head.

 

[BetLynch]

Thanks yes my nails are free of cream etc. My hands are not very dry so I don't need to use handcream very often.

Not sure how relevant this is but in the past (when I felt my colour lasted longer) it always started to chip at the tips. Now when it chips the dayafter it chips from the SIDES and in... a bit down on the pink bit (if that makes sense) . I find this strange as the tips (with most wear) should surely be first to chip....

My varnish chips in this area when my nails are longer. The nail flexes slightly and it loosens and then chips off as you describe. When they are shorter and squarer, they last a lot longer.

Bet:mysmilie_20:

 

[VALM]

I'd change your top coat if I were you. I used to use Seche Vite but this always caused the shrinkage that Artemis mentions. I'm now using Nails Inc Kensington top coat and this is fab. My nail colours now last for 5 days without chipping, something that has never happened before. I either use Kiss base coat or Nails Inc. Both are good although I think Kiss may have been discontinued as I bought it on clearance at Boots.

 

[LE lover]

I love the shine that seche vite gives but i never used to get more than a third of the way throught the bottle before it went all gloopy. I now use either the Nails inc top coat or the Jessica top coat. Never have trouble with chipping when i use either of these.

 

[Anso]

Thanks

I think I might look into getting a Nails Inc top coat then. Do you all find that this holds better than the OPI one...?

Also is there only one Nails Inc top coat...or is it a specific one I should be looking for please...?

TIA

 

[loveheart]

I have been using the caviar Nails Inc top coat and base coat but still can't get a bliddy varnish to stay put.

 

[Beading Belle]

Thanks

I think I might look into getting a Nails Inc top coat then. Do you all find that this holds better than the OPI one...?

Also is there only one Nails Inc top coat...or is it a specific one I should be looking for please...?

TIA

I have been using the caviar Nails Inc top coat and base coat but still can't get a bliddy varnish to stay put.

I think nails inc top coat does holds better than OPI top coat but is just as good as nail envy which I also use as top coat! I love nails inc caviar top coat as it dries in 60 sec. HTH

 

[VALM]

Thanks

I think I might look into getting a Nails Inc top coat then. Do you all find that this holds better than the OPI one...?

Also is there only one Nails Inc top coat...or is it a specific one I should be looking for please...?

TIA

I've only had a small bottle of the OPi Rapid dry top coat but, like Seche Vite, it went gloopy half way down it. The Nails Inc one that I use is Kensington Caviar top coat which is the rapid dry. They also have a normal one called Albert Bridge. I got my base and top coat in a duo pack recently from Boots for £7.00. x

 

[overtherainbow]

i cant get the caviar top coat to make polish last either,i do all the things mentioned here, sometimes i find putting sach vite or opi start to finish on and then caviar on top it seems to last slightly longer, the only thing that makes it stay put for 2 days is opi chip skip but it drys my nails out, which isnt good as they then peel. ive just given up decided ive just got stupid nails lol and no polish will last on me

 

[barbedwire]

Nail polish never lasts on me either - I've tried most of the high end brands, QVC brands and nothing works. It doesn't matter how carefully I apply, what base coat/top coat I use - within a few hours it's chipped off. LD was the worst for me, whole nails just peeled off less than 12 hours after being painted.

A few months ago I went to Boots (the evil high street chemist ) and bought some Rimmel colours - £3 something a bottle, ones with Lycra in them - I used them with my Nails Inc base coat/top coat and my manicure lasted 48 hours before chipping, which is a record for me. Fairly sure it was the Rimmel stuff rather than the Nails Inc that did it tho..