Makeup
Review: CND Vinylux Weekly Polish
12 • 17 • 2013
My name is Kathleen, and I am a Shellac addict. I’ve been wearing Shellac or gel polish for six months straight, without a breather for my poor nails. Underneath their glossy, chip-free exterior, I knew my nails were peeling and weak. So when I noticed the new CND Vinylux Weekly Polish at my nail salon that had a lot of the same shades as Shellac and boasted seven-day wear, I thought it might be a good way to Back. Away. Slowly. From the Shellac. Vinylux could be the nicotine gum to my Shellac habit! Here is my CND Vinylux review:
The routine: on clean, bare nails brush on two coats of the Vinylux polish, and then one coat of the special Vinylux top coat. No base coat needed.
The verdict: Meh. First of all, the finish looked ‘bumpy’ because Vinylux did not totally smooth out the ridges and unevenness on my nail tips caused by nail peeling. However I was impressed by how quickly the Vinylux dried, and to an unusually hard finish. I did not get any creases or nicks despite how hard I am on my nails. I also loved the Vinylux collection color selection, and adored the color I choose, Midnight Swim (an inky navy with slight sparkle). I tried Cityscape (a pale, neutral gray) Vinylux on my toes because it is a favorite shade in Shellac.
The shine on Day 1 (pictured above) was not like Shellac, but was very satisfactory.
Day 2: no chips yet. Vinylux definitely stays on better than regular polish, but you can tell the finish just isn’t as shiny as it could be. Also, you can see imperfections in the surface of the nail more than with Shellac, or even compared to most regular polishes (when used with a ridge-filling base coat).
Day 3: one tiny chip on my left hand third finger, but still totally wearable.
Day 4: The chip on my third finger is more noticeable, and there’s a little wear on the tips of the other fingers. My main problem with it, though, is that the finish is so dull now. I did not own a bottle of the Vinylux top coat, or else I would have applied a fresh layer to try to make the nails shiny again. The CND website does not recommend that you add a new layer of topcoat, as it will make the polish harder to remove. CND seems completely oblivious to the fact that the Vinylux finish dulls after just 1 or 2 days.
Day 5: No more chips really, just additional wear on the tips and basically no shine whatsoever. I’m starting to feel pretty grimy now and can’t wait to get this off my nails. It pretty much looks like a matte polish at this point.
Day 6: Sorry guys, but I just can’t push it to seven days. I MUST remove this dingy “weekly” polish. BLECH.
Although bloggers and the CND website say the Vinylux should be easy to take off (no soaking and scraping!) and non-staining, I found it incredibly hard to get off. It required dozens of acetone soaked cotton pads. I was using a generic store brand polish remover, but then I found a stash of Deborah Lippman “The Stripper to Go” remover pads, and that seemed to work a lot better. My nails look damaged and stained, but that is probably more Shellac’s fault than the Vinylux. Yikes.
In all, aside from the fact that I love the Midnight Swim color, I was not super impressed with CND Vinylux. The finish was just too dull, and the surface never looked smooth. I did poll several friends who have tried it, though, and they seem to have had more luck with the lighter shades like Romantique and Cakepop.
UPDATE: I tried a Vinylux pale shade and it looked better, but probably because the lighter shade didn’t need as shiny a finish to look decent. Here I am in one layer of Romantique, topped with a shimmery pink, Beau:
Overall I would say try Vinylux for yourself next time at the nail salon, but hold off on investing in your own bottle.
xoxo,
Kathleen
I’ve just started to go to salon’s a couple of months ago.I’m 63 years old and I’m a guy.I’ve been getting gel put on but I’ve noticed since i got my nails done 2 day’s ago,Im starting to see streaks in a couple of nails.What’s this caused from.
The reason istarted going to a salon in the first place is because my.daughter told me that my nails didn’t look very well.That’s putting it nicely.Now im going every 2 weeks for manicures and once a month for pedicures. I.love being pampered Who’d of thought.The nail tech I go to told me that I’m the only guy that asks for color on my nails. Am I weird for wanting my fingernails and toenails to look good? I hope not because I like it.I’m getting a neutral color put on now.I’m thinking of trying Vinylux next time I go and having the nail tech put on the same two polishes as Kathleen has on. I’m going to try it on one nail and see how it looks. I want enough colors I can’t see through the top of my nails.I’ll let you know how it goes after the 7th of July.