NEW YORK (WABC) -- The nail color industry has enjoyed stellar growth in the past few years, as women head to salons for specialty services like gel manicures and pedicures. But for a simple nail color change, women prefer to do it themselves. Consumer Reports tested polishes for its ShopSmart magazine to find the longest lasting nail polishes.
A beautiful manicure is a great finishing touch to your look. But it loses its glamor when it starts to chip. Consumer Reports tested seven nail polishes, including several that claim to last a long time.
All were applied with a base and top coat if the brand had one.
Ten panelists tried the disguised polishes at home, while ten panelists received a series of professional manicures, with different polishes on alternating nails. Those were checked at seven, ten and 14 days.
This Chanel polish is the most expensive tested - 27 dollars for the color - plus another 52 dollars for the base and top coat. But it chipped so quickly, most of the home panelists removed it early.
"It chipped the next day, even with a top coat and a base coat," said Jessica Vecchiano.
Which are the hands-down favorites? Surprisingly, a two-dollar polish available at Walgreens - Sinful Colors - came out on top. And the base and top coat together are just eight dollars. The polish still looked good after seven days, but it took slightly longer to dry than others.
Another winning polish - ten-dollar C-N-D Vinylux Weekly Polish lived up to its name, still looking good after a week. It doesn't need a base coat, and the top coat is ten dollars.
Also a favorite - this six-dollar Revlon polish promises to last 11 days, and still looked okay when checked on day ten.
"It went on really smooth, and they looked really nice, and I felt like I had a real manicure," said Jennifer Frost.
Base and top coat -13 dollars.
So to keep your nails looking their best, pick a polish that lasts.
If you want a quick manicure and don't have time for the whole base coat, top coat routine, Consumer Reports found some one-step polishes that looked pretty good at the end of a week. They're Sally Hansen complete Salon Manicure for seven dollars and Covergirl Outlast for five dollars.