Good grief, Biscuitsmom, that customer must have been a miserable old bat. Imagine having nothing better to do than complain about the cashier's single chipped nail.

I'm on the same page with Aida and you, Elizabeth. I think chipped and black or very very dark polish on nails is a look that certain people can pull off and make it look as though the chips are "purposeful." I like the arty vibe of chipped polish. Now, if I was a professional in a conservative business, of course I would not wear it - but otherwise, a little bit of chip means a little bit of "bad ass" attitude - love it!

Longtime reader, new poster. Honestly, I think you're using the wrong stuff on your nails. I also use dark polish and type all the time and can typically get my polish to last at least 5 full days before getting chips, often a week. I may get a bit of tip wear, but that's only noticeable to me. I typically paint my nails on Sunday. I occasionally add an extra coat of color on Wednesdays and that's it. This week, I did NOT add the extra coat of color - my nails are a vampy red-black (OPI Rajah Ruby) and it has been 7 days with only minor tip wear. I am in a professional setting (attorney) so I can't get away with chips (I think some people can, just not me).

In addition to using a salon polish, I ALWAYS use a tacky basecoat (I really like Orly Bonder) to help the polish adhere better. Then, I paint two thin coats and make sure to "wrap" the polish around the tips for one of the coats. A good, fast drying polish is important. For me, OPI is best. I use Zoya and China Glaze too, but I find that the lasting power isn't AS good (especially for China Glaze). Lastly, I add a good top coat (Seche Vite is the go-to brand). [EDIT: I've tried the Sally Hanson Diamond Finish top coat recommended earlier in this thread and I didn't like it at all. I got major peeling with it. All of the nail bloggers use Seche Vite.]

Don't give up! It's totally possible to paint your nails only once a week and wear dark colors but not deal with chipping.

I just wanted to update on my experiment. I painted my nails Wednesday night and they are still chip free and darn near perfect this morning. I'm not rock climbing or anything but I am doing my normal chores--dishwashing with gloves, etc. The three things I did differently: buffed my nails, used nail polish remover before applying base coat (something called Chip Skip by OPI) and applied my daughter's top coat called "Seche Vite"which Iheartfashion mentioned above.

I'm nothing short of amazed. Usually, I would have had chips the next day so I'm kind of scratching my head wondering which of the three steps really made the difference.
@iheartfashion: Thanks for chiming in on your polish experience. We are almost out of base coat and I will look for the Orly bonder.

Okay, that's it. I just ordered the Seche Vite and will give it a try!

I meant to pick up Seche Vite at Sally the other day. I LOVE polished nails and have a rather big collection of polishes, though many are rather "old" compared to all the YouTube haul videos LOL! I'm bothered by chipping, so I rarely plan on wearing dark nails for many days without some sort of maintenance work. I DO find that a base coat helps, and as someone mentioned, refreshing the polish now and then, also adding top coat coats over the days of wear. If a nail gets really bad looking, I will just re-do that one nail. Mostly, I find that I wear paler colors and shimmery shades mostly because they are lower-maintenance, and do not show chips that much. I do love black and dark nails on me, though, too. If you take the time as you are applying polish, and wipe just a tiny hairline off the rim of the nail on each coat, I think that probably helps with wear on the tips. Do you notice, as I do, that your dominant hand shows wear faster than your other hand? What a pain! But I like really shiny surfaces on my nails. So the refreshing coat or the new top coat help a lot to make the polish look freshly applied, as well as making it last longer.

Depending on my mood and how I am dressing sometimes I really like the way chipped nail polish looks. In this case only with my dark purple/black polish or my metallic polish, i.e. not traditional pretty colors. It wouldn't fly in a situation where I need to look professional or dressed up, but usually I am not in those situations. Interesting tips from everyone, btw.

I can wholeheartedly agree with the recommendation for Seche Vite. It's probably #1 on my list of holy grail beauty items. It gives a mirror-like shine to nail color and it makes my pedicures last so long that I typically need to repaint because the color is growing out rather than wearing off.

I LOVE this stuff. Just make sure to follow the directions and apply it while your nail color is still wet, not after it dries.

I don't usually notice other people's nail polish, but chips do bother me on my own, which is why I rarely wear colored polish on my hands (I do wear dark colors on my toes most of the time). Usually if my polish has started chipping I'll just take it off and leave my nails 'naked' or with a clear coat.

Thanks for the Seche Vite recommendation, ladies - I've had good luck with the OPI top coat and Nail Envy (base coat/strengthener which I use by itself a lot) too.

iheartfashion: thank you so much for taking the time to describe your fingernail-painting steps! I will try to acquire some of this magical Seche Vite (Quick Dry! gotta love that) top coat. Since, apparently, I don't even own a bottle of nail polish remover, I am clearly not the type to take any pains with my nails (touch up the tips mid-week? haha, not likely!) but something you can paint on at the initial time of application that is both protective and quick drying sounds like just the ticket.

By the way, I use OPI nail polish, and the base coat and top coat I have are also OPI, so I don't think I'm having a paint quality issue. I think the issue is my chipperific lifestyle.

Have to chime in that 1) products DO make a difference and 2) different ones work for different people! Seche Vite did not do it for me, but happily Diamond Nails did! and for me the 'wrapping around' technique tends to lead to more chips Those interested in getting perfect nails - experiment!

& most of the time top coats, remover,etc. are for sale at the same place as nail polish.......just sayin'. Have fun! steph

(I was really hoping someone would just say "embrace the chips"....sigh....)