This $14 French Nail Polish Has the Speediest Drying Time, Ever (2024)

Founded in 1981, Essie has held a polished reputation. The nail polish brand offers 1,000 shades (and counting), including signature formulas like cloudy white Marshmallow and pale pink Ballet Slippers. We even surveyed our panel of consumer testers, who raved about its high gloss, saying they loved how shiny the polish remained throughout its entire wear time.

Many of our staffers count themselves fans, including Grace Wu, a product reviews analyst at GH. She appreciates that "it always has the color I want, from classic shades to trendy options that are perfect for every occasion." Its lightweight application can be built up for more opaqueness.

Among our staffers and testers, we found that on average this budget-friendly polish lasted the longest of any polish we tried, with a wear of almost six and a half days — without a base or top coat. It also tied with Essie for the highest shine score, with one GH tester marveling, "It was still shiny up until I removed the polish!"

Another person exclaimed: "I am very hard on my hands… planting, sports, pot scrubbing with my nails… The polish has stayed perfectly on my hands as if it were the first day." A few online shoppers loved its bold color options but noted some difficulty with ridding traces of the color from nails.

Picture all those tasking minutes spent painting nails, avoiding cuticles with finesse and carefully letting them air dry — only to accidentally smudge them. Enter French-made Manucurist's Green Nail Polish. The nail polish line dries quickly to avoid such qualms sans LED lamps.

"Never have I tried a nail polish more quick drying than this one. All it takes is two coats without the cumbersome waiting for each layer to dry," a GH staffer says. "I've also found it pretty resistant to chipping with the help of a top coat. I specifically love its rich, chic burgundy shade Dark Pansy. It's beautifully pigmented."

CoverGirl's nail polish floored our expert nail technician. It outlasted other polishes we tried, receiving the highest scores for chip resistance. Chipping first started around day four, and the polish lasted for an average of six and a quarter days.

Boasting a built-in topcoat, the polish is designed to deliver high shine and protection. An online shopper appreciates that "it doesn’t dull as fast as other brands." Even so, other reviewers revealed that they had to give it ample time to dry in between coats.

Zoya has been a pioneer for non-toxic nail lacquers with its 10-free formulas. Beauty editors and reviewers alike covet the brand and its incredible color options, which span more than 550 unique shades.

"I love the wide shade range and long-lasting formula," says GH Beauty Assistant Catharine Malzahn. "I’ve even had pedicures using Zoya that have stayed chip-free for up to three weeks. As a bonus, I barely need a second coat of this polish." Your manicure may take longer to DIY, though, as the long, thin brush requires more strokes.

A gel polish that stands up to whatever you've got going on, "I have been using this polish for years and have found that nothing else compares," says GH Nutrition Lab Director Stefani Sassos. "The quality and color selection is amazing, and the top coat adds great shine and protection."

As a busy working mom, Sassos says she's always cooking, washing dishes, changing diapers, working out, commuting and more: "My hands are constantly working, and this polish is the only one that keeps up and won't chip." However, shoppers online critiqued its thick formula, finding it difficult to apply around the edges.

Iconic French designer brand Chanel curates the ultimate palette of neutrals like reds and beiges as well as vivid statement colors. GH Beauty Director April Franzino loves its Particuliere shade, which she calls "the polish equivalent of a classic camel coat."

Chanel shoppers equally appreciated its "vibrant" and "shiny" coating. "I probably could have gotten away with just one coat as the brush is lovely for giving even application without streaks," one person writes. One caveat: The lacquer seems to chip a bit faster than other brands.

Get salon-worthy results with an innovative gel polish that doesn't require the usual light to cure. Ditch the acetone and foils; the polish lifts as easily as a normal polish would with remover. Our beauty pros reported that this lacquer dried fast, chipped less and lasted longer than regular nail polish, though it didn't last quite as long as a true gel polish.

"Deeper colors were rich and fabulous even after one coat," one tester raves. Shoppers echoed that sentiment, writing: "The brush is shaped perfectly to cover your nails in one stroke. It dries instantly, less than a minute, to a very high shine."

Dear Sundays made a believer out of GH Beauty Lab Director Sabina Wizemann. "I have a newfound appreciation for Sundays after having my nails done at their salon and finding my perfect red." This pepper red shade glides on smooth and spreads easily for a neat application.

Touting a "10-free" formula, the brand claims this polish is made without this number of known toxins. Another editor appreciated its easy-grip bottle and flat brush but found it chipped quite quickly without a top coat.

Iconic nail polish brand OPI has fans in GH beauty editors, staffers and manicurists alike. Complete with clever names like Big Apple Red and Funny Bunny, the nail lacquer spans more than 230 shades. We tapped a nail technician who gave OPI a perfect score across the board, including coverage and drying time.

"I swear by OPI nail polish!" raves Emma Seymour, a senior textiles analyst at GH. "I just use their general nail lacquer, and it has superior shine, longevity and easy application." Another editor adds: "When I get my nails done, I always choose OPI (a staple at salons) because I can rely on its quality." Just tap off the brush before applying as it picks up a good excess of polish.

For gel-like shine (and lasting power!) without the curing process, opt for this editor favorite. "Unlike any other nail polish, this four-step system goes on like regular polish but lasts as long as gel (and fully dries in five minutes!)," says Malzahn. "It's completely replaced gel polish for me."

As opposed to the process for removing traditional gel polish, you can easily remove this with regular acetone nail polish remover. Other staffers found it lasted one to two weeks. Much like getting a gel manicure at the salon, this DIY system is a small labor of love.

Super popular among our top-rated non-toxic nail lacquers, this high-pigment polish promises a quick-drying formula, week-long wear and vibrant color. The brand claims that the formula is vegan and Orosa shoppers love the payoff: "I can't believe how long it lasts," one reviewer raves. "I didn't use a base coat or a top coat, and it still lasted over a week for me."

While praising its pretty packaging, a few shoppers struggled with its brush, finding that the bristles made it hard to control the polish application.

GH editors favor Cote for its glossy finish that dries quickly and looks professional even without a top coat. "The colors are perfectly pigmented, so it's easy to paint layers without them looking streaky," says one editor. "It dries quickly, lasts up to two weeks and has a gel-like sheen that always gets tons of compliments."

"I was pleased I went three or more [days] without chipping with Cote. And, I even forgot to use a top coat for some of the nails," praises an Amazon shopper. But despite its toxin-free boast, the Cote nail polish may have a potent scent, per online reviews,

Olive & June is a DIY manicure must-have among multiple GH beauty editors. "Every time I paint my nails with this brand, the polish lasts and lasts," says one editor. The "fanned out brush shapes make applying at home a breeze."

You can also opt for the mani system that includes "Poppy," Olive & June's patented polish bottle handle, making it easy to paint both hands mess-free. Just make sure you double-check nails before applying a top coat as a GH editor found it took some time to dry.

Available in 34 shades, "this collection has colors you can’t find anywhere else, like this minimalist putty shade," says Franzino. She also appreciates its custom-matched "power couple" hues designed to complement each other, "taking the guesswork out of mani/pedi shade selection."

Its paddle-shaped brush is a stroke of genius when it comes to easy application. However, the polish is a bit of a splurge at $22.

It's less about the polish and more about the prep! For better chances of a manicure that lasts, ensure nails are clean and dry before application, says Choi. Or, swipe nails with polish remover immediately before applying nail polish to remove any residue. Then, "push back cuticles for a neat, clean application and apply a base coat before applying color," she says.

Longer nails can elongate fingers, but "shorter nails are less likely to chip, so opt for a clean, short cut" if you're worried about chipping, suggests Rachel Apfel Glass, founder of GLOSSLAB. When it comes to painting on the polish, "applying with caution and not applying more than two coats is ideal for a long-lasting manicure," adds Choi.

"After-care should consist of daily hydration to the cuticles," says Choi. Glass recommends using coconut oil to moisturize the nail bed. In the Beauty Lab, we love a hand cream or a specialized cuticle cream to keep nails healthy and hydrated.

You'll never catch Good Housekeeping Institute Deputy Editor Jessica Teich without her nails done. Armed with more than 10 years of product testing experience, Teich regularly teams up with the GH Beauty Lab's scientists to write about the very best nail products on the market, according to their testing data.

For this story, she sourced product picks and testing insights from Danusia Wnek, a chemist in the Beauty, Health & Sustainability Lab. Wnek has a B.S. in chemistry from St. John’s University and 10 years of experience in the personal care industry including formulation, product development, claim evaluation and efficacy testing.

Commerce Editor Jacqueline Saguin regularly collaborates with the GH Institute and most recently updated this guide with fresh picks.