What is your most used nail polish?
Illamasqua Raindrops probably… but I repeat polish the least out of the different types of beauty products you can wear over and over again!
Illamasqua Raindrops probably… but I repeat polish the least out of the different types of beauty products you can wear over and over again!
We're here to help you make better beauty purchases that you'll enjoy and love! We recommend signing up to take advantage of personalized features like tracking products you own, viewing dupes that you already have, and more!
Here are some useful resources for you:
Curious how two shades compare to each other? Type in the shades below to get instant side-by-side swatches!
Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!
Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).
We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!
We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!
This is the most difficult category for me, as I own well over 100 nail polishes! This time of year, I do reach for more bright or icy shades, like mint green or aqua. For brights, I’ve put a serious dent in Orly Purple Crush and Hawaiian Punch (bright raspberry), Sinful Gel Tech Picante (warm bright red) and Patent Pleasure (orange with a aqua shift). Icy shades, Orly Naked Canvas (ivory white w/ purplish shift) and Gumdrop (aqua) and Sinful Gel Tech in At Sea ( darker aqua).
Dior Tra La La
Chanel Delight is my old standby. Lately I’ve been wearing deborah lippmann Dream a Little Dream of Me.
Whatever’s the latest shade at the salon. Ha! OPI’s Bogota Blackberry is a longstanding winter fave however I don’t buy many nail polishes. Those I do tend to be lighter, more forgiving shades.
This month CHANEL April.
I’ve been keeping it simple lately with the Zoya Naked Manicure System!
Models Own Northern Lights
It’s a tossup between OPI An Affair in Red Square or Cara Mia Crimson.
I’m wearing Cara Mia Crimson at the moment and also own An Affair in Red Square. Love reds. My biggest fave is OPI Off With Her Red and I’ve recently bought Amore at the Grand Canal which is gorgeous too.
revlon bare bones by FAR
I don’t really have a specific one I wear a lot as I like to switch it up, but I have a few shades that I really use a lot during different seasons. That moment when winter is just shifting into spring was all about Essie’s ‘Maximillian Strasse-Her’. As the sun sticks around a bit longer I’ve been reaching for Butter London’s ‘Artful Dodger’. I tend to bring out Essie’s ‘Mint Candy Apple’ and ‘Bikini So Teeny’ a lot during the summer, along with some brighter colors. And there are others I bring out more in the fall like BL’s ‘British Racing Green’ and ‘Marrow’. I have waaaay too much nail polish so I think this was totally a non-answer but I like how nail polish is a bit of a longer term choice than makeup, and I find it a nice routine to do once a week or so (aside from when I let my nails breathe).
I have too many polishes to name just one I use the most. I just bought like 6 new ones to try. From Essie to OPI to Sinful Colors. I am always trying new colors!
I use Butter London Slapper the most. It is a fun blue/teal color with a great formula.
I use Butter London Slapper the most. It is a fun blue/teal color with a great formula.
Sinful in “Tapping Nails” (it’s a deep, vibrant shimmering orange, I should look for a higher quality dupe), CND Violet Shimmer (love it on bare nails, so subtle and pretty) and I used up something and replaced it with OPI Brisbane Bronze, but I can’t for the life of me remember what the first one was that looked similar. I have a really large collection so I don’t repeat a lot either. I’m glad that nail polish has such a long shelf life – and thank goodness for Seche Restore! I’ve revived some really sad and dried out bottles with that stuff.
Digital Nails “Nox.” It’s a thermal that is sparkly purply bluish when cold and sparkly pinkish lavender when warm. Love it!
I once got the Chanel 593 Rose Moire Nail Polish as a present during an internship. It’s super pretty and wearable with everything, so it’s become my go-to shade ever since.
I like that one. Don’t have it but tempted.
Tie between Sephora by OPI – It’s Bouquet with Me and Essie’s Bikini so Teeny.
Sadly Sephora by OPI’s been DC, I was able to find a backup at BigLots, but I’m not using my first bottle as much anymore. Just hoarding both now lol.
Hi i live in the UK and bought a set of Sephora by OPI minis in the US about 5 years ago. Fell in love with Break a Leg Warner and was lucky enough to find a full sized in a blog sale. Want to wear this so much but once it’s gone that will be it which saddens me.
Have you tried looking at the Nicole for OPI line at Target? Perhaps they have a similar shade.
Autoimmune sux: I rarely wear nail polish on my fingernails or toes at this point since my illnesses have completely wrecked them. My nails were perfectly fine and lovely for the first couple of years, even through all the drugs: the chemo, the roids, and the biologic, but in the last 3 years they have gone completely south. My nails have pitting, peeling, and cracking issues. I’ve tried ever nail supplement and goo imaginable. There are worse fates tho and my hair (quite fine still, but rebounded) and skin (minor rashes) is doing pretty good, so I trim my nails down to nothing and get on with it.. I do feel a touch sad when it comes to my toes though. I paint them when I have proper nails to paint, but invariably one of my big toes will crack far down into the quick (so painful) which puts the kibosh on the polish thingee. As a former polish junkie it feels so foregin not to at least have my toes done. If I paint, I go for something with shimmer like Illamasqua Creator which draws less attention to surface imperfections. Thank Dog for nail filling bases. I know there are a number of peeps here who also deal with autoimmune. Anyone have a miracle potion?
Wendy, I possibly do. My daughter turned me on to European Secrets Rock Hard Nail Hardener, and it at least allows me to have fingertip length nails, plus it helps with preventing that dreadful peeling! But I still apply Nail-Aid 3 Minute Artificials on top of it. Something about THAT combo has helped greatly. Still, not having the nails I used to have before the roids and biologics (chemo classed), is a bummer.
Just googled the Nail Aid.. I will definitely look into it. Thanks for your response Nance!!! 🙂
There are so many autoimmune disorders – I have Vitiligo which is an autoimmune disorder but doesn’t affect my nails. I would love to help if I could. Cracking nails sounds incredibly painful.
Absolutely Deborah..and many sufferers have more than one disorder. I have MCTD – mixed connective tissue disease – Rheumatoid with Lupus and also further developed Fibromyalgia as a result. I’m in comparatively great shape health wise from 5 to 6 years ago, so the nail thing is pretty darn trivial in the large scheme of things..still summer = sandals and painted toes always look so much more polished (pun intended for shuuure) 😀
Isn’t the split toenail thing the WORST?!? Mine I “fix” with nail glue, and then apply my 2 little helpers. The only thing that helps in my case, is that the splits tend to happen closer to the sides. But they do still hurt like heck!!!
Same here with multiple autoimmune diseases, severe advanced Crohn’s Disease, SLE, eczema, and some stuff I am too embarrassed to even write about.
Sometimes the smallest things can make us the happiest. I love for my nails and toenails to look nice. It’s not a big thing but it sure makes me feel as you said ‘polished’. The first time I ever used acrylic on my nails was to cover a broken nail that was in the quick and couldn’t be removed. So acrylic was placed over it until the nail grew long enough that it was no longer needed. Now I wear acrylic nails 24/7 because the polish lasts 3 weeks and then only the gloss
fades. I add a coat of top coat and they look brand new again. Then I go for a fill in. I hope you try acrylic/gel and it will work for you.
Wendy have you thought about or tried acrylics? What about a coating of gel polish? They will do gel and/or acrylics on your big toes also.
Good point Beth. It didn’t dawn on me that acrylics and gels could be applied to the big toes. Thank you!
Essie Mint Candy Apple
Wearing it right now!
Guerlain Gemma.
Probably either Zoya Sia, a royal blue, or OPI Viking in a Vinter Vonderland, a beautiful deep purple, probably my favorite polish ever.
OPI Princesses Rule. It’s the perfect shimmery pastel sheer pink that I’ve been using for years. I don’t even know how many times I’ve repurchased. I hope they never discontinue it. My second go-to is OPI Happy Anniversary. Shimmery sheer white. Beautiful and classy.
Wet n Wild 1 Step Gel in Pinky Swear. Love this formula!
I’ve been loving Smith & Cult nail polishes lately, right now I’m wearing Suburban Warrior, but I have Beat Street and Psycho Candy as well. My other favorite at the moment is Chanel Vibrato, a bright cobalt blue 🙂
chanel frenzy <3
Frenzy is perfect!
O.P.I. Tickle Me Francy, followed closely by O.P.I. Lincoln Park After Dark.
OPI You Don’t Know Jacques. I also love OPI Taupe-less Beach. I have months where I alternate just those two!
OPI Black Cherry Chutney
Another old fave of mine. I have a back up bottle. In fact I loved most of the India collection.
Raindrops is so pretty, I love it!
I think technically, I have to say Illamasqua Swarm because the fact that it’s two different sizes of black glitter make it a versatile topper. I can do an interesting lacy gradient effect with it, just use it sparingly on top. It’s especially cool once I’ve mattified everything.
Full color polish-wise, I’m not entirely sure. I have so much polish. I’m gonna guess it’s Zoya Nyx, because it’s a pretty color and PixieDusts wear well on me for something I don’t have to put topcoat on–they’re a good one to apply if it’s getting late and my nails are bare.
Essie – Mamba , Icognito – Dior , Wicked – Essie
Currently Beauty Never Fades by L’Oreal.
Probably one of my Zoya reds. In fact, I’ve got one on right now, with a Barielle dark red flake as a topcoat.
OPI Tickle My France-y paired with Essie H’ors D’oeuvres on ring finger (1 coat of TMF underneath)! And my face top coat is definitely Seche Vite!!!
Butter LONDON in Disco Nap
Dior Tra La La- don’t need to think twice. Although, Essie Teenie so Bikini might edge it out in spring- best periwinkle out- surprised no one has done something similar, everything else is either darker or bluer.
Essie Merino Cool
Essie Jazz
This is such a difficult question for me! I love wearing nail polish and have so many bottles. This year so far I’ve worn NYC Cosmetics ‘Upper East Side’ a lot, it’s an exact dupe for Essie ‘Sand Tropez’ and probably my all-time favourite nail polish shade. Essie ‘Lilacism’ or a bright coral shade is probably my next most-used nail polish!
OPI Cha Ching Cherry!!! I’m afraid they have discontinued this color; so, I’ve been buying as many as I can find from anywhere online. It goes with blue-reds and orange-reds.
Essie polish- great colors- wears great & goes on smoothly.
For day, China Glaze – Diva Bride.
I have so many nail polishes that I only use every polish one Time. Otherwise I Will Never come through my Collection.
But if I should pick one out of my collection to wear a lot I would take OPI DS Original.
My First Holo polish and with it my Love for nail polish started. It is still the Most beautiful Holo polish I can Imagine. Unfortunately LE but as I Said I use every polish one time so If I will Ever use the DS Original again I have 2 Backups.
My all time favorite is Delphinium by Sally Hanson professional. Unfortunately it must have been discontinued. It is a beautiful grey lilac, and the formula was perfect.
Scarlett O’Hara by Essie. I have been wearing it for a couple of years!
OPI Tickle My France-y and anything in oxblood by anyone (all polish chips on me). Even at this time of year.
OPI Brisbane – coppery brown colour
Nail Inc gel effects Berkeley Street
I love nail polish, but rarely use it because no matter what I do or which brand I use, it smudges or chips within a few hours.
But when I get around to polishing, I’m drawn to pale blues these days. I have a WnW polish and an Ulta polish in similar light blue shades (the Ulta one leans more turquoise), and those have been used a lot lately.
OPI Tickle My Francey on my nails, and on my toes OPI Cajun Shrimp rules the summer and OPI Every Month is Oktoberfest rules the cooler months.
OPI don’t bossanova me around. Is a very opaque neutral light pink, in the bottle looks kind of gray but it’s very flattering. And the name is hilarious ?
This year there are 2 favourites- guerlain red heels and ysl#68 from winter collection. Both are beautiful reds which remain perfect even after 5 days of wear.
Nail polishes are my weakness too. If I think of most used as nearly gone I have a bottle of OPI Pirouette my Whistle that I’m Project Panning. I’m also trying to work my way through the stash of minis that I have and currently am working on Sephora by OPI Dear Diary. One colour that I’ve worked my way through and am on a back up is supermodel by Leighton Denny. Finally the last bottle I bought and have worn a lot is OPI Amore at The Grand Canal. Today I’m wearing OPI Cara Mia Crimson.
I got a nail polish in a subscription beauty box, by the brand Nanacoco. The color is Romantic Cruise. It is a soft robin’s egg blue, a color I wouldn’t normally wear. I decided to polish my toenails with it, and the shade contrasts nicely with my skin. I actually like it, and have gotten compliments on it. 🙂
Black tulip by chanel
OMG.., this is a tough one. I apply according to mood; or season… Or.. If i dont know what to apply; I just apply a nude shade or even just a base and top coat. Yes; those are the ones i go thro most; mostly nude nps or just the base and top coats.. To give my nails a nice healthy pink sort of color without being too obvious.
Black polish, as I tend to foil my nails frequently. It has been Nevermore by Cult Nails but, since they have closed their doors, it will now be Blacquer by MJ. Second most-used is Dior Perle (187) as French manicures are my second favorite look.
Omg, I don’t know…. Probably OPI – My Vampire Is Buff (I’m so Swedish on this haha)
Essie minamalistic on my fingers, opi 5 apples tall on my toes
Fave? Wow, I have hundreds! Of course every OPI collection that comes out is awesome, but I really like my Zoya Aspen (a very matte white). It’s rare I do a repeat though.
My most used nail polish right now is between Deborah Lippmann Sheer nail polish in Naked and Nails Inc. Nail Kale polish in Montpelier Walk. They are both great nude nail polishes to wear all spring/summer long.
Chanel Tentation.
OPI Elephantastic PInk!
China Glaze Custom Kicks
It’s probably a tie between Essie Footloose and Topless and Barefoot
OPI by far simply it’s because it’s what my nail salon carries
My most used polish is essie bikini so teeny, but the polish I reach for most often lately is Pretty and Polished Maleficium, white crelly polish with multi-colored flakes that are shimmery.
My most used polish is essie bikini so teeny, but the polish I reach for the most lately is Pretty and Polished Malefecium.