Nails
The 2011 Nail Polish AwardsWe painted on hundreds of polishes to find the best -- and the worst. See which ones deserve a place on your manicured hands |
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Sure, you could pick a color solely based on shade, but when there are 30 pale pinks, 50 reds, and seemingly every color in between, how do you weed through the masses and know which brand will deliver a smooth, shiny manicure -- and last through a week of typing, dishes, and texting?
Actually, the answer is simple: You click here to see the 2011 Total Beauty nail polish awards so you can go to the salon (or do your DIY mani) knowing which polishes will wow you.
To come up with this list, our editors spent weeks with multi-hued nails as we tested hundreds of brands and shades to find the best nail polishes on the market right now.
What did we find? Polishes that survived a weekend of sailing without so much as a chip -- and others that smudged and chipped after one measly day. We discovered new eco-friendly brands that delivered more shine than we thought possible, a polish that actually protects your nails from fungus (and has some of the most amazing glitter shades around), and much more.
There were old favorites that won awards, like OPI nail polish, and plenty of brands you haven't heard of but will want to try immediately.
So the next time you're headed to the salon or breaking out your DIY manicure bag, use this list as the ultimate guide to the best (and worst) nail polish available.
SEE NEXT PAGE: Most Chip-Proof Polish
Older comments
i love essie and yes, my guilty pleasure is chanel - i have it particuliere (the shade in the photo) and rouge fatal - the best red ever!
by AstridB Wednesday, March 20, 2013 at 12:15PM Report as inappropriate
Yes to Opi and Essie!
by EricaC123 Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at 10:56AM Report as inappropriate
I love the smudge proof factor. Some how some way i will smudge!!lol
by Backinaction86 Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at 10:32AM Report as inappropriate
Should try a new soak off gel polish called NaiLuv, awesome! Long lasting, smudge and chip proof for over 1 month.
by Bebex34 Monday, January 7, 2013 at 10:33PM Report as inappropriate
great slides! cant wait to try some of best!
by rayshaviolet Saturday, December 22, 2012 at 02:13PM Report as inappropriate
You just have to grab a real fantastic top coat and can use cheap colors. It's the top coat that really matters anyways; my favorite is Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat from Sally's
by Only1KimmieD Thursday, October 25, 2012 at 07:57AM Report as inappropriate
You just have to grab a real fantastic top coat and can use cheap colors. It's the top coat that really matters anyways
by Only1KimmieD Thursday, October 25, 2012 at 07:44AM Report as inappropriate
essie, opi and revlon are my favorite nail polish brands!
by Chris213 Sunday, October 21, 2012 at 06:43AM Report as inappropriate
i'm not sure I like essie that much. The color is not as opaque as stated in the article. I ifind that Julep does a good job as well as OPI.
by springsblue Wednesday, October 17, 2012 at 09:06AM Report as inappropriate
Deborah Lippman is pretty good too!
by anna_cookie_hwang Monday, October 15, 2012 at 08:22PM Report as inappropriate