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The Best Nail Polish Brand for 2022
Your Ultimate Guide to Nail Lacquer Products
We’ve all been guilty of grabbing whatever nail polish we can find at the department store and calling it a day. But nail care is something we need to pay more attention to, because nails can become sensitive over time if we’re not careful. That’s why we recommend checking your nail polish brand’s ingredients list, or better yet, take the time to research if they’re free of toxic chemicals like formaldehyde.
With that being said, we’re here to recommend 11 nail polish brands with long-lasting formulas that have passed the test. Let’s go!
In A Hurry? This is the Best Nail Polish
Sally Hansen Good. Kind. Pure.
We’re all about taking the best care of our nails, and the Sally Hansen Good. Kind. Pure is a nontoxic nail polish collection that is vegan and 16-free.
It comes in 35 no-chip, ultra-shine shades for every occasion you can think of — from subtle nudes for a classy finish to deep pigmented reds for a sultry look!
This cruelty-free nail polish tops our list for its reputation as a long-wear nail lacquer. With its shade range diversity and ultra pigmented formula, we can’t really get enough of it.
Which nail products are best?
BEST OVERALL
Sally Hansen Good. Kind. Pure.
One of the most well-known and best nail polish brands, the company started with just two nail products in 1946 launched by Ms. Hansen herself…
BEST QUICK DRYING
Essie Expressie Nail Polish
We’ve all been there: patiently waiting 10 minutes for our nails to dry, only to rummage through our purse…
BEST LONG LASTING
OPI Nail Lacquer
This salon-favorite is a favorite for a good reason. OPI nail polishes tend to last for a pretty long time, have a pigmented formula…
BEST 2-IN-1
ORLY Top 2 Nail Treatment
If you frequent a lot of nail spas in the country, you’ve probably seen a lot of ORLY nail products lining the shelves.
BEST UNIQUE BOTTLE
Smith & Cult Nail Lacquer
“Go easy on the planet, go hard on nail art.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves, but Smith & Cult hit the nail on the…
BEST ALL-IN-ONE POLISH
Orly Breathable Treatment + Color
Brittle nails are pretty difficult to maintain. A gel manicure may cause more breakage, so it’s best to stay with a breathable…
BEST GEL
Deborah Lippmann Nail Polish
On the other side of the coin is this healthy alternative to (most) gel polishes. The eponymous line offers high shine and extended…
BEST VEGAN
Ella + Mila Nail Polish
We’ve listed a lot of great vegan brands so far, but our clear winner is the Ella + Mila Nail Polish. It’s not three, not four, but 17-free.
BEST LOCAL BRAND
Happy Skin Express Gel Polish
Local cosmetics brand Happy Skin has it all: lippies, foundation, and nail polish. If you’re wondering whether to run…
Tips to Apply Nail Polish Like a Pro
One of the best things about nail polish is that you can do a manicure yourself in the comfort of your own home. Don’t be intimidated by a DIY manicure, because once you try these tips, you’ll be able to do your own nails like a pro in no time.
1. File & Buff Your Nails in One Direction
Don’t scrape your nail file back and forth as you see in the movies. This could lead to splinters. Instead, go from the outer corner to the center in one direction for a neat and clean look.
2. Soak Your Hands
Treat yourself by adding hot water soak to your usual at-home manicure. Fill a small basin with warm water and a few squirts of gentle cleanser. Then gently exfoliate your hands using a body scrub before soaking them for 3-5 minutes in the water. This also makes your cuticles easier to push back.
3. No Cuticle Cutting!
Cuticles are part of what protects your nails from infection, and cutting them may destroy that layer of protection. Instead, use a cuticle pusher to push back your cuticles and give your nails a nice oval shape.
4. Want Neat Nails? Use Petroleum Jelly
One of the challenges of a DIY mani is the tendency to paint outside the nails and onto the sides of the skin. To prevent this, apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly around your nails using a cotton bud. Goodbye, messy polish!
5. Don’t Forget the Base-ics
Applying a base coat can save your nails, quite literally. They prevent breakage, splits, and also help the color of the polish last longer.
Best Nail Polish Brands
Let’s Go Over Each Nail Polish
Best Overall: Sally Hansen Good. Kind. Pure
One of the most well-known and best nail polish brands, the company started with just two nail products in 1946 launched by Ms. Hansen herself. Now, one of the largest brands across the world, the reputable nail brand has over 500 shades and multiple lines.
Their latest collection of cruelty-free, vegan nail polishes, aptly named “Good. Kind. Pure,” is our pick for the best polishes to buy.
Their nature-inspired colors come with an all-new vegan formula that lasts up to two weeks. This longwear nail polish is 16-free, meaning it’s free of 16 toxic ingredients found in other harsh nail polish formulas.
Pros and Cons of the Sally Hansen
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
✔️ Vegan and cruelty-free ✔️ Works as a top coat and hardener ✔️ Drugstore brand that lasts long ✔️ One of the most well-known brands | ✖️ Expensive if bought from outside the US |
Best Quick Drying: Essie Expressie Quick-Dry Nail Polish
We’ve all been there: patiently waiting 10 minutes for our nails to dry, only to rummage through our purse and ruin our fresh polish. Thankfully, Essie’s Expressie line is remarkably quick-dry (try 66 seconds) so you can avoid those kinds of mishaps.
Essie has been around for a long time, and the brand is a crowd favorite (Meghan Markle reportedly wore the shade Ballet Slippers for her wedding day). But the Essie Expressie collection is what really seals the deal for us.
It’s the brand’s first 8-free nail polish arsenal, a vast improvement from their previous 3-free collections. It’s free of formaldehyde, toluene, dibutyl phthalate, formaldehyde resin, camphor, ethyl tosylamide, xylene, and triphenyl phosphate.
Pros and Cons of the Essie Expressie
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
✔️ Free of 8 harmful ingredients ✔️ Beauty editors and fan-favorite brand ✔️ Comes in fun colors | ✖️ Costly |
Best Long Lasting: OPI Nail Lacquer
This salon-favorite is a favorite for a good reason. OPI nail polishes tend to last for a pretty long time, have a pigmented formula (one coat is already pretty dark), and generally take longer to chip.
You’ll also know OPI by their catchy names, including “Eiffel for this Colour” from their France collection, “La Paz-itively Hot” from their South America line, and “Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees” after the co-founder of the brand, Suzi Weiss-Fischmann.
If those adorable names aren’t enough to make you go grab one right now, then you might be swayed by the fact that OPI nail polishes are 3-free, or free of DBP, toluene, or formaldehyde. Another selling point is their wide brush that makes it easy-peasy to apply polish to the whole nail in just one swipe.
The brand also sells nail treatments, mani/pedi products, and nail lotions.
Pros and Cons of OPI
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
✔️ 3-free ✔️ No UV light needed ✔️ Chip-free manicure ✔️ Unique, memorable shades | ✖️ Not a budget-friendly polish ✖️ May contain other harmful ingredients |
Best 2-in-1: ORLY Top 2 Bottom Nail Treatment
If you frequent a lot of nail spas in the country, you’ve probably seen a lot of ORLY nail products lining the shelves. This brand is known for its high-quality, long-wear catalog inspired by the latest fashion trends, so its popularity across the globe comes as no surprise. The brand has more than cemented itself as a classic. In fact, the brand’s founder, Jeff Pink, actually created and popularized the original French manicure. Talk about iconic.
The first ORLY product certainly reflects that same originality. The ORLY Top 2 Bottom combines the hardening formula of a solid base coat and the quick-dry sheen of the perfect top coat.
Made with no toxic ingredients, this nail treatment lets you save time by mixing two types of nail polish in one. For those always on the go, this quick nail treatment is perfect for you. It’s also designed with an award-winning gripper cap for foolproof application.
Pros and Cons of ORLY Top 2 Bottom
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
✔️ High-shine finish ✔️ Top coat and base coat in one bottle ✔️ Trademark easy-grip cap for the easiest application | ✖️ More expensive than other brands |
Best Unique Bottle: Smith & Cult Nail Lacquer
“Go easy on the planet, go hard on nail art.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves, but Smith & Cult hit the nail on the head here. Their vegan, cruelty-free, gluten-free, and 8-free formula is perfect for any clean beauty junkie.
We named it the best unique bottle for their trademark design that is both classy and fun. The wide cap may be a challenge for those who are used to smaller handles, but for some it may be a better option.
The brand offers a wide color range that includes deep hues and playful light shades, but we highly recommend their metallic polishes that have a super shiny finish unlike any other.
Pros and Cons of the Smith & Cult Lacquer
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
✔️ Vegan, cruelty-free, and non-toxic ✔️ Diverse colors suitable for all skin tones ✔️ Uniquely shaped bottle | ✖️ Expensive ✖️ Wide cap may be challenging to grip |
Best Dark Colors: Jin Soon
What started as a small nail salon business founded by celebrity manicurist Jin Soon Choi eventually blossomed into a global brand.
The brand is known for plenty of things: their designer collaborations, their artist-inspired color family, and even their non-toxic formula that contains a UV filter so it doesn’t fade or yellow under the sun.
While those things are no doubt remarkable, one thing that we love this brand for is its deep colors. Thanks to their highly pigmented formula, their dark shades like Vanity (a bold red), Plunge (an ocean-deep blue), Epidote (a deep emerald green), and Heroine (a dark red wine) are nothing short of glamorous.
Pros and Cons of the JINSOON
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
✔️ Great color payoff ✔️ Perfect for formal events ✔️ Long-lasting coat ✔️ Contains UV filter | ✖️ One of the pricier brands |
Best All-in-One Polish: Orly Breathable Treatment + Color
Brittle nails are pretty difficult to maintain. A gel manicure may cause more breakage, so it’s best to stay with a breathable polish that nourishes along the way. The ORLY Breathable Treatment + Color contains argan oil, pro-vitamin-B, and vitamin C to keep your nails colorful, healthy, and strong.
The formula is a breathable blend that contains vitamins and doesn’t include any of the harmful ingredients usually found in budget-friendly polish options. The gripper cap makes it easy to open and close the bottle securely, while also making it easy to hold the brush steady. It’s perfect for beginners and professionals alike.
This particular polish line comes with a built-in base so you can get a full manicure in just two strokes of the brush.
Pros and Cons of the ORLY Breathable Treatment + Color
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
✔️ Nourishing formula ✔️ Suitable for brittle nails ✔️ Non-chip and 13-free ✔️ Budget-friendly option Doesn’t need a top coat | ✖️ Easy to remove |
Best Gel: Deborah Lippmann Gel Lab Pro Nail Polish
On the other side of the coin is this healthy alternative to (most) gel polishes. The eponymous line offers high shine and extended wear without the need for UV lamps, resulting in no nail damage, unlike many other gel formulas.
Plus — and this is our favorite part — you can remove it with ordinary nail polish remover. Cue the celebration!
If you’re looking for cute pastels suited for everyday wear, Lazada carries a set of 6 candy-colored shades for less than Php 2,000 a box.
Pros and Cons of the Deborah Lippmann Polish
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
✔️ Breathable gel formula ✔️ Long-lasting ✔️ Achieves gel effect without UV lamps ✔️ Removable without scraping | ✖️ Only comes in standard shades |
Best Vegan: Ella + Mila Nail Polish
We’ve listed a lot of great vegan brands so far, but our clear winner is the Ella + Mila Nail Polish. It’s not three, not four, but 17-free.
With their commitment to safe products for everyone, we can’t help but fall in love with just about everything in their line, from their polishes to nail treatments, top coat formulas, and cuticle oil. They even have a soy-based polish remover.
Streak-free and nourished with vitamins, E + M’s collection comes in different textures like matte, jelly, metallic, neon, pearl, shine, and more. Our pick? Their wide collection of nude colors that are fit for everyday wear.
Pros and Cons of Ella + Mila
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
✔️ Neutral everyday colors ✔️ Come in multiple textures ✔️ Free of 17 harmful chemicals | ✖️ Some textures take longer to dry |
Best Local Brand: Happy Skin Express Gel Polish
Local cosmetics brand Happy Skin has it all: lippies, foundation, and nail polish. If you’re wondering whether to run to the nearest store to buy a UV lamp in order to use Happy Skin’s express gel line, worry not.
The formula is nourishing as well as naturally drying and 10-free so you can perfect your nails without guilt or harm. The brush is designed for easy application, and you can get great color with just two coats.
Check out their collaborations with Disney by taking a quick look at their website. You’ll also find tons of other everyday-wear shades from the brand’s multiple nail collections over at Lazada.
Pros and Cons of Happy Skin
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
✔️ Filipino-made brand ✔️ Contains hydrolyzed keratin and almond oil for maximum protection ✔️ Affordable | ✖️ Lack of color diversity |
Best No-Chip Polish: Butter London Nail Lacquer
Finally, we’re returning to foreign waters with this luxurious nail company. Butter London Lacquer might be a bit of a splurge, but it’s one of the few brands that actually mean business when they say they’re no chip.
If you think they use harmful ingredients to achieve such a long-lasting formula, however, we’ve got some good news.
Butter London is one of the many wonderful vegan, gluten-free, and non-toxic brands in the industry. Our favorites are the English Lavender Patent Shine and the London Fog Patent Shine, which instantly transport you to the busy streets of London.
Pros and Cons of Butter London
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
✔️ Safe for anyone to use ✔️ Contains bamboo extract to strengthen nails ✔️ Filters out UV rays to avoid fading | ✖️ Expensive ✖️ Short cap |
Best Nail Polishes Comparison
Final Note
With these amazing brands, you’ll be guaranteed to nail down your look every time with a salon-worthy finish.
For more insights on all things beauty and fashion for Filipinas, check out our blogs and product reviews right here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best polish that lasts long?
Pretty much most polishes on our list are long-lasting to varying degrees. But since we could only fit in 10, we thought we’d shine the spotlight on other noteworthy brands that can give your hands an extra shine:
- Sundays Nail Polish. Organic, cruelty-free, and comes in beautiful bright shades for the playful person in you.
- Dior Vernis Gel Shine. Luxurious is how we’d describe this brand, and glasslike is how we would call their gel shine polish line.
- LeChat Dare to Wear. If you want to go for the old-school shimmery nail color, do it with LeChat.
- Olive & June Polishes. Olive & June is another popular brand that is 7-free and vegan.
Joey is an AB Psychology graduate of the University of St. La Salle – Bacolod. Her life’s passions include writing, film, and spending hours on end binge-watching fashion vloggers on Youtube.