Yardley Gel-Lac polish in Fuschia

I change my polish often.  Even though the brands I use are really great and last quite long I have never worn a polish for more than a week.  So when it comes to polishes that last forever and have no wear I am not the best person to ask.  I will admit that most of my polishes have lasted well when I wore them for the week.  Minimal tip wear, almost no chips and no peeling.  Unless I do something silly of course, like get my finger stuck in a drawer or break a nail.

I do know that for many people a polish that will stay on for a longer time and still look good is vital! It would seem that Gel polish is the way to go but that includes UV lamps and time.  For most, that is just not going work.  I then heard about the Yardley Gel-Lac polishes and thought I would give it a try.  This is what Yardley says about it:

“This easy to apply nail polish will give you fabulous shine and volume – a perfect GEL-LOOK without the fuss. With its ultra-brilliant intense colour, outstanding one coat application and fantastic gloss and volume your nails are sure to say Va-Va Voom!

Just apply one coat with the fool-proof flat brush and wait to dry, no need for UV lights. To remove, simply use cotton wool and nail make-up remover. For added gloss and volume, add a second coat! No top coat needed!”

I decided to test it and see if it lives up to the reputation of long lasting and ultra shine.  I knew to do this I had to test it as the instruction say to use it.  It doesn’t say anything about a base coat so I decided to go ahead and use my regular base coat except for one nail on each hand.  I will track the progress of how it holds up. (yes, this will be a draft post until it’s all said and done)

First, let me just mention the colour.  It is so gorgeous and it’s pink.  I love the colour.  It says that one coat is sufficient and for “added gloss and volume, add a second coat”.  I applied one coat.  The colour was glossy and vibrant but it was thin.  I am sure it would be fine for some but I am used to two coats anyway so I decided to go ahead and add two coats.  These photo’s were also taken with the 2 coats.  After about 2 hours though I noticed that I had a bit of visible nail lines.  In certain light it was fine but in others it was very evident.  This is of course a personal preference . I applied the polish but by that evening I was thinking of adding a third coat.  I did and within seconds I made a big mess of it.  I decided to start over.  On the first attempt I wrapped my tips but on the second go around I completely forgot.

This polish is bright and glossy and vibrant.  I definitely have nothing bad to say about the colour or the finish.  I love it.  The brush is one of those wide brushes that seems to be more popular lately (very much the like Essence polish brushes) although I did think this one might be thicker or more dense.  Either way, it was a perfectly good brush and worked quite well.  No complaints there either.  It’s not something I haven’t seen before but they also don’t claim it to be.  It is definitely better than some.

Application was easy.  No streaks or funny antics.  Nice and thick polish that was nice to apply.  Except for the slight sheerness (again, personal preference) I am really happy so far.  It also dried relatively fast considering I had no top coat on.  I also didn’t use any express dry drops or anything of the kind.  That is already a win in my opinion.  Also, it was on the two coats that it dried so quick. One would expect it with one coat but with two, I am impressed.

This is the picture after application.  Love the colour!

 

 

As it turns out.  This was the hardest week to test this polish.  I was extremely rough on my hands.  Even though I was still impressed I am sure the results would’ve been better had I not put my poor hands through the ringer!  I broke 2 nails and that was the good day.

Anyway, I was still quite impressed. By day 4 I could notice a slight bit of tip wear.  Keeping in mind that I was really rough on my hands AND had no top coat on.  At the end of day 6 i got my first chip.  It was like that one chip broke the dam wall because I immediately got another one on the same finger and another tiny one on the other.  I decided to take it off on day 7.

I know it might not sound like it lasted long at all but considering I broke two nails at the time I think it held up really well! I also did not have a top coat on at all I am a firm believer in top coats and how they can extend the wear of your polish.  Add to that wrapping your tips I am very confident that this would’ve lasted much longer!

Let me show you some photos.

 

On the day 7 photo I also have a lovely black line on my ring finger from a marker.  The visible nail line is also quite evident here in this lighting.  You might have to enlarge the photo to see the real damage.

All in all I am really impressed with this polish.  I am fairly confident that WITH a top coat it really will extend the wear.  I know they say it isn’t necessary but in my opinion a top coat should always be worn.

Have you tried Gel-Lac?  What is your opinion?  I have passed this on to someone else and I hope to get some feedback from her as well.  I doubt she will be breaking nails at the same time 😉 I will actually ask her if she will do a mini review as well.

 

Thanks for reading