Despite my love for affordable beauty products, I've never came around to talk about my nail polishes. They're one of those items I never had much care for back when I was a teenager (who was very guilty of biting her nails, mind you). It always seemed like too much of a hassle for such a short time span of enjoyment, not to mention I was - and still am - terrible at painting my nails.
Nevertheless, as I grew older and somewhat wiser, I discovered painting my nails could be quite terapeutical, in a sense where you have to sit still afterwards, not really capable of doing much with your hands, too afraid you'll mess up all of the hard work you've put into your nails. So that little recovery time between being done painting them and actually having the whole thing behind me gives me a chance to just reflect on everything - or better yet, sit back and watch one of the many shows I've been meaning to start but never find the time to do so.
Either way, being the person I am, it wouldn't be reasonable to simply spend twenty euro on a single nail polish, so it took me a long time to find affordable polishes that won't break the bank whenever I'm in need of a new shade. The first brand I fell in love with was Kiko and their nail lacquers. With a myriad of colours to choose from, a budget friendly price (2.90€) that always seems to be on sale (1.90€) nonetheless, and a staying power like very few other formulas out there, I was instantly blow away. I've had many Kiko polishes over the past couple of years, but as of right now I only have the shades 240, 287, 319 and 507. Of course, there's always some odd ones in the collection, like the very pale peachy nude colour in the shade 507, but it's a rare exception, most likely due to the lightness of the shade. Then again, shade 319, a lovely greige, is quite light and never gave me any issues, so perhaps I simply bought a spoiled one, who knows? They all do wear for a very long time, up to two weeks without chipping if you're being careful (if you're on dish washing duty at home, this won't last you through the task, sadly, but if you won't be doing so much hand soaking, you'll be good). You also get an amazing colour payoff, two thin layers give you a very opaque result. Not to mention you'll never lose that glossy finish that tends to wear off after a day or so in most polishes!
For a very long time, Kiko was my one and only brand when it came to polishes. Why would I need to go look somewhere else when Kiko gave me all I needed? But the eye tends to wander and soon enough I found a way to get my hands on the Tanya Burr Cosmetics nail polishes, and well, I was weak and gave into the urge to buy one, the shade Peaches and Cream. At 4.90€, it's not the most expensive polish in the world, not to mention backed up by the name of one of my favourite youtubers out there.Sadly enough, this did not live up to my expectations. The colour is absolutely beautiful, no question about it, and the finish is quite lovely, but it simply did not last on my nails. It chips in less than 24 hours and I can't seem to make it last even a full week without having to remove it altogether.
It's worth mentioning I don't use a base coat, nor a top coat. Like I said, painting my nails can be quite the lengthy task alone - adding even more steps would only turn me off from getting them done myself altogether. So perhaps this nail polish could have been a favourite of mine if I had a good base and top coat. But on its own, it doesn't even compare to the way the Kiko nail polishes wear, and they're half the price of the Tanya Burr ones.
After that little fiasco, I decided to remain faithful to my Kiko nail polishes once more. I had been foolish enough to go looking somewhere else for something I already had, and I wasn't planning on making the same mistake twice. That is, until Sephora decided to have a sale where the very popular and beloved Formula X nail polishes would cost only 2€ instead of the regular 15€. However, unlike the Tanya Burr polish, I was not disappointed. I only managed to grab the shade Rush, mostly because the offer was short on diversity since most of the nicer colours were long gone and only the glittery top coats and the occasional gem was found. I found that this polish, despite not being as long wearing as my beloved Kiko polishes, still held up very well for almost two weeks, never lost its shine and was quite opaque, giving me all of the colour I needed in two to three thin layers. Strangely enough, despite lasting a little bit less, these definitely turned out to be my favourite nail polish formula out there, because they look the most professionally applied out of them all. I'd even go as far as to say I'd pay the full 15€ for a couple of shades I'm dying to try and doubt they'll ever be included in the Sephora sales anytime soon.
Last, but certainly not least, came the most recent purchase of them all, the Sensinity nail polish in the colour 41. An impulsive purchase, without any real reason besides the fact it only cost 75 cents. As expected, it wasn't mind blowing, but it wasn't terrible either. I'd actually still rate it above the Tanya Burr polish, considering it lasts longer, even if you need three thin layers to get a nice colour payoff. Are they anywhere near the Kiko or the Formula X polishes? Absolutely not. But if you're in a pinch or if there's a colour you're dying to try out, Sensinity polishes probably got you covered. Or you can do like my mom, who frequently gets her nails done at a salon by her friend, and whenever a nail chips, she covers it up with these polishes so she doesn't have to rush to the salon and pay for another manicure that frequently.
Overall, if you're like me and enjoy a fuss free mani, Kiko is probably the way to go. It will last, it won't take forever to dry and it'll look good until you take it off. If you won't mind spending a little bit extra or if you're not one to change up the colour of your polish very often, then I suggest investing in a Formula X polish, simply because it will look like you knew what you were doing even if you're as hopeless as I am when it comes to applying nail polish. It doesn't dry as quickly as Kiko's, but it will look good for a long time and you won't have to worry about reapplying very frequently throughout the month.
Those are all the nail polishes I currently own, though I'm waiting for Fall to roll in so I can invest in some more Formula X polishes, as well as the more out there shades of the Kiko ones. If there's any brands you really love that won't break the bank, please leave them down in the comments and I'll be sure to check them out and hopefully feature them in a future polish collection update!
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