Can a DIY manicure last as long as salon nails?

Our scientific test reveals all

COULD the salon manicure be doomed? There’s now a plethora of new varnishes, from gel- style lacquers to high-gloss, no-budge top coats, which claim to last as long as a professional polish. But do they stay put?

ALICE SMELLIE compared eight High Street polishes with two of the market-leading salon nails. Then she monitored the results over two weeks and asked nail expert Natasha Taylor to give her verdict . . .

FAB FROM A DISTANCE

1 Dior Vernis Top Coat Gel, £19.50, Dior Protective Nail Base, £19 and Dior Vernis Gel Shine Lacquer in Rouge 999, £19, dior.com

WHAT: A trio in pretty silver and glass bottles. Lasts at least four days.

TEST: A pleasure to use. But with both varnish and top coat I find the brushes too long, and the texture too thick. From a distance, the final result is as shiny as a professional manicure.

LONGEVITY: After a couple of days it looks a little less shiny. There is a chip at the nail base after a week. However, after two weeks, it’s barely scratched and looks shiny from a distance.

EXPERT: There will be properties in the base coat which may help colour to adhere as well as preventing damage and staining to the nail. 7/10

CHEAP & CHEERFUL

2 Collection Lasting Gel Nail Polish in Red Hot, £2.50, boots.com WHAT: A simple bottle and a mulberry red polish. For long-lasting gel-like shine — up to ten days — that locks in colour. TEST: I hoped that this would be as amazing as the price, but unfortunately, it looks thin in spite of applying three layers. LONGEVITY: Chipped by the end of the first day and by day three I just look ungroomed. After two weeks, the colour is dull, but I haven’t lost much more varnish. EXPERT: Polish may not last as long if a top coat isn’t used. 5/10

FINGERTIP COUTURE

3 Essie Gel Couture Top Coat, £9.99 and Rock The Runway, £9.99, superdrug.com

WHAT: Beautifully shaped twisted glass bottles with the red varnish and crystal-clear top coat.

TEST: Points all round for ease of application. It dries quickly and the gel coat seems to have a thinner texture than others.

LONGEVITY: After three days there is a chip. But the two- week deadline arrives, and it’s still exquisitely shiny. I’m impressed.

EXPERT: Some contain gel technology, but you can’t claim a varnish is a gel — marketing material is clear about this. Their formula is clearly very effective. 8/10

RUSSIAN ROULETTE

4 Mavala’s Moscow polish, £4.95 and Gel Effect Nail Polish Top Coat, £15, johnlewis.com

WHAT: A pretty red nail varnish and clear top coat in distinctive bottles. Re-apply top coat every three to four days.

TEST: Goes on beautifully and dries like a dream.

LONGEVITY: By day three, a little polish has chipped off. I apply top coat and the flaw is almost concealed. But after a week, this extra layer is starting to peel off. Two weeks in and it’s as though a mouse has nibbled my nails.

EXPERT: Layering on a top coat may trap dirt and oil — this will make it weaker. 6/10

THE REAL DEAL

5 Gelish manicure, salon from £25, call 01708 465 900

WHAT: A thin layer of gel nail varnish set in the salon with 30 seconds of UV light. The company boasts this treatment will last ten days with no chipping or peeling.

TEST: The Gelish salon process uses an LED light to harden it. Again, it’s a three- coat process. Lasts three weeks.

LONGEVITY: The result is a stunning, car-bonnet finish which stays put.

EXPERT: LED or UV light creates a chemical reaction called polymerisation, which sets the varnish hard on the nail. 10/10

SALON PERFECTION

6 CND Shellac, salon from £25, lovecnd.com

WHAT: Technically not a gel polish, but a unique nail colour system. The look has to be built up in stages, and applied by a trained expert. Lasts over 14 days.

TEST: I pop into a local salon. A clear base coat is applied and dried for ten seconds under a UV lamp. Each of the further two coats require one minute each.

LONGEVITY: After two weeks, there is just a tiny rim of naked nail and it is almost as shiny as the day it was applied. There is a small scratch down one side, but that was from a slip with a vegetable knife — so fair enough!

EXPERT: Having three coats applied by an expert is going to make a great deal of difference. 9/10

WALK OF SHAME

7 Gelled LED Nail System, £39.95, highsttv.com

WHAT: A one-step gel polish and an LED lamp. Beautiful nails in as little as 60 seconds, they say.

TEST: The LED lamp is my favourite — with comfy indents in which to rest fingers and thumb.

LONGEVITY: After three days there is a chip. A week later, I am compelled to apologise at a business meeting for my messy looking forefinger. Two weeks later my fingernail is only half varnished.

EXPERT: Perhaps the polish didn’t adhere correctly. 4/10

WORTH EVERY PENNY

8 Homedics Rokit Salon Gel Nails, £49.99, homedics.co.uk

WHAT: One-step gel nail polish kit with up to 14 days of high gloss wear. Comprised of a half-moon shaped LED light, a cleaning solution and a plastic- smelling Postbox Red nail polish.

TEST: I clean my nails with the solution to remove oil. After two layers, my nail is as hard and red as a post box.

LONGEVITY: Amazing. Two weeks in and not a chip or scratch.

EXPERT: The most important thing about gel nails is getting rid of oil from the nail plate. 10/10

TOUGH COOKIE

9 SensatioNail Starter kit, £49.99, boots.com

WHAT: A kit containing a base to cleanse the nail, a varnish, top coat and little half-moon shaped LED lamp.

TEST: The result is a glossy red nail, though it’s messy because I find it tricky to apply.

LONGEVITY: It doesn’t chip but is far less shiny after two weeks of abuse — including gardening.

EXPERT: Gel polish won’t damage nails if removed correctly. 8/10

FAST-DRYING

10 Nailsinc Pro Long Wear Gel Look in Westend and Gel Look Plump Finish, £12.95, sallyexpress.com

WHAT: Two rectangular bottles containing a long-lasting, highshine polish, claiming to provide a gel-like finish lasting two weeks.

TEST: I love Nails Inc and this duo is a dream. Easy to apply in a thin, even layer and fast-drying.

LONGEVITY: After a week, there is a single chip, but the varnish looks thinner.

EXPERT: This brand has excellent, flat round brushes. Gel Look is a strong varnish rather than gel, which has to be cured. 7/10