Your Mission: Tell us what you love, hate, or are otherwise indifferent to about sheer nail polish. What drives you bananas? What makes them necessary?
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Not a fan, not a fan, definitely not a fan of sheer nail polish! Even when I wear a nude creme I expect full (or almost full coverage)!
They can be great for softer looks or for layering. I am currently loving a semisheer duochrome polish that was not marked as semisheer…but I really really appreciate it when companies will actually clearly identify the opacity levels of their polishes. That lets me choose.
I can’t stand a VLN on my nails. Also, I’ve found more often than not, sheer polishes have a tendency to streak.
In my opinion, I bought sheer nail polishes because I thought the opaque ones had a tendency to streak! Though thankfully now I’m finding opaque ones that aren’t streaking. 🙂
I general hate sheer polish as when I spend the time on them I want the coverage. Otherwise I just wear clear.
I’m definitely a bright color and glitter type of girl but I do love my sheer polishes on occasion. What I love about sheer polishes is that they are so classic and clean looking. They are work appropriate if you are not allowed to wear bright nail polish at work and make you hands look dainty. My favorite is Essie’s Ballet Slippers.
Not a fan at all. I will always gravitate towards my polishes that don’t require more than one coat to obtain opacity.
Unless it’s a beigey-pink color, like what would be used during a french manicure, I’m not sure what the point is.
Sheer polish? No thank you!
Bleh. I don’t care for sheer polish at all. It just looks weird to me.
Yeah, I’m not a fan at all. It just drives me CRAZY being about to see my nail bed. I feel like theres no reason to paint your nails then! It makes it seem like the polish is cheap or a little kid set, or if an older lady should be wearing it!
I don’t know. I just can’t deal with it!
Don’t like it either. If I wear nail polish, I want color! not something that looks “half-a$$ed”
The only time I like sheer polish is if I’m doing a french manicure, but most of the time I find that they apply unevenly and streak.
I really can’t stand sheer brights or dark polishes. I HATE visible nail lines and will do whatever it takes to cover it up, even if it requires 7 coats of polish.
Unless we’re talking something like a glitter that’s meant for layering, I want total opacity from my polish. I don’t like VNL, not even a little. That’s why I appreciate Zoya for giving opacity ratings for each color.
I hate sheer polishes, I like my polishes to be fully opaque and in not too thick, not too many coats.
As long as I know it’s going to be sheer, I don’t mind them. VNL is okay, as long as my nails are looking good. It’s frustrating, though, when you buy a fabulous color and find out it takes 9 coats to get the color to match the bottle. I LOVE companies that tell you the opacity level online.
If I want my fingernail tips to show, I’d leave my nails bare.
I personally think wearing a sheer nail polish with nail tips showing looks bad and defeats the purpose of a nail polish.
Layering sheer polish over and over to reach maximum opacity is kinda annoying, but it’s worth it sometimes for those spectacilar shades 😉
I wish all nail polishes were opaque in one coat 🙁
Sheerness is fine when it’s for a french manicure, a layering polish, or a jelly finish.
However, drives me crazy when I want a very soft color, but it just turns out sheer and streaky. GRRR. I have a lot of ridges in my nails, and I want those covered. I guess that’s one of the reasons I’ve been liking shellac lately.
Personally, I can’t really stand sheer polishes. I think only a few can pull them off but otherwise, nope, I steer clear.
Rave for sheer nailpolish. I love the look of natural nails but better.
It’s unnnecesaraily troublesome!
I very rarely wear nail polish, but when I do, it’s always a sheer neutral shade, so that it’s low-maintenance.
Generally not a fan at all but I recently wore Zoya – Laurie and was pleasantly surprised at how fresh my nails looked. However, that is a rare exception and most look terrible on me.
The only thing they are good for is maybe a hint of colour over a french mani or if they are sparkly to revamp a boring colour!
RANT!! They ALWAYS apply streaky. No matter what brand I try. Maybe it’s me but I hate them.
I like it if it contains glitter but otherwise I prefer opaque polish.
HATE IT! If I wanted to see my nails, I wouldn’t bother putting polish on.
I only like sheer nail polish if it’s a nice, prim and proper nude/natural shade that I wear to interviews or in business settings. Sheer polishes are also fun if they’re good for layering.
So over them. I have about 2 now. I would much rather have a nude or pale pink cream.
hate them!!
95% of the time, I’m not a fan. The only time I’m okay with sheer is when I’m doing a french manicure or something – in which case I use a sheer pink.
I like them because good duochromes have to be sheer, and duochromes are my favorites. To be fair, I wear them over opaque black cremes, but I still have a strong affection for the sheer duos!
The entire fact that it is sheer. I despise VNL. But I’ll accept it for a bright color, never a nude or neutral.
I really dont like sheer polishes either unless its a glitter which I’d use as a top coat, not alone. I do however love nude cremes!
LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE.
probably the odd one out here, but i kind of the like the look of seeing your nail through the color. sometimes i dont really like the thick nail polish look and sheer looks just a bit more effortless.
I don’t get the point of sheer nail polish. It’s like wanting runny mascara or cakey foundation.
I like sheer polishes when it’s intended to be sheer. It can look clean and makes your natural nails look nicer. I absolutely HATE when a polish is sheer and it is meant to be opaque. It’s insanely frustrating!
I hate sheer polish, LOVE opaque polish!
I use mine mostly now for layering. Rarely wear a sheer alone anymore. Not into the French/Am. manis – lived through that and not interested in going back. Glad to even see hosts on more conservative TV shows (talk and otherwise) even branching out to more tangents.
I enjoy using them for layering sometimes, but I try to avoid buying sheer polish in the first place since inevitably something is going to end up more sheer than it looks in the bottle.
Glitter and special effects topcoats are of course another story.
I’m mystified by how many people don’t like a sheer polish! I love the look… I find it so polished. I like a color like Essie’s “Starter Wife.” I do two coats and a top coat and always enjoy it. And I’m a full-makeup, totally funky color hair girl and everything! 🙂
The only time I like sheer nail polishes is if it’s a glittery shade to apply over an opaque color. For example, I’m currently wearing a peachy polish on my toes with a sheer yellow glitter layered over it, and I love the effect that it gives. But I only own a couple of those kinds of sheer, glittery polishes, and if that’s not the look I’m going for, then I won’t touch a sheer polish with a ten-foot pole. They can be so infuriating to work with!