Nailed

This isn't my entire collection of nail polish. I've picked these 7 nail polishes to review because they span a wide range of price and quality. From left to right, these nail polishes are ordered from least expensive to most expensive.

 This is the nail polish I'm currently wearing. I painted my nails with one coat of Revlon Metallic. This picture was taken about 3 days after painting, with no touch-ups or top coat.

 Love My Nails in Black Rage ($0.99)

*

I bought this at the beginning of my goth kick. This is definitely a case of you get what you pay for. The color's super thin, taking upwards of 5 coats to get even a decent translucent grey. I wouldn't recommend this even at $0.99, unless you're looking for a very sheer color.

 Confetti in Pink Paradise ($1.99)

**

This is also a super cheap nail polish. Like Love My Nails, this color is very sheer. However, if you use several coats, you can actually get a very nice opaque pink. I expected this one to chip in a few days, but I kept in on for a little over a week and it stayed in good condition. The reason I don't give this more than 2 stars is that you have to use a lot if you want it to show up, and it tends to look a little plasticky, especially if, like me, you tend to get it on the cuticle.

 Nabi in Star Glitter ($2.99)

*

This one was probably the most disappointing for me. I have two colors in this brand, the other being a bright orange I bought to finish out a rainbow. I was excited by the lovely stars in this color, but they don't really come out. I did manage to get some out, but they soon flaked off. You could easily give yourself several coats on each hand and not have any stars. As a clear top coat, it's not very good, because it's thin. The orange color I have served its purpose as part of a rainbow, but I wouldn't recommend it. It's bright, but it's thin and difficult to remove.

 Maybelline Express Finish in Gray-T Glamour ($5.99)

****

This is a brand I'd definitely buy often. In addition to this lovely limited-edition grey, I also have it in a metallic green, black, bright matte red, shimmery pale orange, and an iridescent green/purple. The nice thing about this line is that it dries fast (the bottle advertises 50 seconds, but I would gauge it more around 1.5 - 2 minutes). This is a higher-quality brand that stays on your nails longer and requires fewer coats. It does tend to chip at the edges without a top coat. This has a smoother finish than other brands.

 Revlon Top Speed in Metallic ($5.99)

***

Revlon is a good mid-price brand. I also have a shiny pinkish red from this line. This is my most recent purchase, and I'm happy with it. I chose it over a cheaper metallic silver because this polish is thicker and more like an actual silver color than a metallic glaze. It stays on your nails well, even with only one coat. My problem with this brand is that the majority of the colors are metallic or in some way shimmery. I tend to prefer matte colors, but Revlon seems to only offer matte colors in very light pastels.

 Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear in Mellow Yellow ($6.99)

**

This is a pretty respected mid-price nail polish brand, but I've found it unable to live up to the hype. I've used a few different colors, but none really work any better than their lower-priced counterparts. I love this shade, and it looks good when freshly painted, but it chips very easily and is hard to take off. This brand markets itself as being tough and long-lasting, but it's really not. Don't wear this unless you're the type to redo your nails every few days.

OPI Nail Lacquer in You Rock-Apulco Red! ($8.99)

****

This is the most expensive nail polish I have, but it's worth it. You can get it from your local drugstore, but it is also the brand usually sold by nail salons and beauty supply stores. I've used a few colors over the years, and I regularly use the OPI top coat. This isn't my favorite color, but it's a good polish. It goes on thick and dries fairly quickly, and it lasts for a while, especially if you use more than one coat or add a top coat. I wouldn't use this brand all the time simply because there are cheaper brands that are comparable, but you can't really go wrong with OPI.