CND Vinylux Weekly Polish Review

CND Vinylux is a new polish that aims to bridge the gap between regular nail polish and UV light cured gel or shellac.  The polish claims to cure and get stronger as it is exposed to natural light, supposedly getting more and more chip proof over time. The idea is that the polish will last at least a week, yet, unlike gel polish, remove easily with normal nail polish remover. A top coat is sold that locks in the polish and gets stronger as it is exposed to light. No base coat is needed.

CND Vinylux

I purchased 5 shades of CND Vinylux from sellers on eBay, along with the CND weekly top coat and gave it a try. One of the first things I noted about Vinylux was that it applies beautifully. Although two coats is recommended, I often got full coverage with one coat. There was no streaking or running. This polish simply goes on very smooth.  After a bit of drying time (it did seem a bit slower to dry for me), I added the top coat. Everything looked nice and shiny. Then I waited.

I am very hard on my nails. I use my nails as tools (bad habit, I know), I also write for a living and am typing all the time. On top of it, my nails tend to be pretty rough and peeling, which, despite the polish, you can see from the rough texture in the photo. So I don’t even bother with polish too often and just put on lots of OPI Nail Envy instead.

Regular nail polish never makes it past day two for me. Vinylux made it to day four before I got the teeniest of chips that you really couldn’t notice. Day six saw the first noticeable chip, and day seven saw a few more. So I basically got a week from it. I am impressed. I only get a week from home gel nails too. Removal was fine, it removed for me pretty much the same as normal polish. Totally easy! Although no base coat is needed with this, I think in the future I will try using  one to even out the texture of my nails. They looked way too rough without  a layer of base coat.

Here is a swatch of my nails with the shade Rubble.

CND Vinylux Rubble Swatch

Below are Vinylux swatches on a color wheel of all five shades that I bought. From right to left are Decadence, Tropix, Rubble,  Asphalt, and Regally Yours. Asphalt is gorgeous and I plan to do my next manicure with it. Regally Yours is a deep purple that looks almost black when done with two coats.

CND Vinylux swatches

Here are the same shades in outdoor light.

CND Vinylux Nail Polish Swatches

So, I declare CND Vinylux a winner! It applies beautifully, wears long, and looks great. There are also a ton of shades to choose from. One thing that is not clear is whether the average consumer is going to be able to easily buy it. It seems to be marketed as a pro product and it doesn’t seem to be widely available yet. However, I found it very easily from pros selling it on eBay, although I imagine that was with a mark up.  Here is the eBay search for it.

Update: You can now buy it on Amazon.

For a great set of directions for using and removing CND Vinylux, here is a pdf that CND has on how to use it.

11 Comments

  1. Wow!!! Great colors especially the brown one. I have never tried this brand but I have seen it in stores. Now upon seeing these swatches, I think I am ready to try it out.

  2. A basecoat will prohibit this polish from bonding to your nail properly and you won’t get the same results. I love this product though. Gel polish would never last but a few days on me and I can get the 7 days out of this.

  3. Thanks for the info Angie! That has been my suspicion as well. I did actually try putting it on with a base coat just a couple of days ago though. So far it is going OK, but we will see if it makes it a week or not. I’ll update on that! Either way, I am loving the product. I definitely plan to get more of them!

  4. I had purple/purple put on at a Women’s Fair and it lasted nearly a week with hardly any chipping. I love it and will try other colors now.

  5. So excited to read this review. I’m a huge CND Shellac fan and was wanting to try this out. I’m going to have my friend buy some for me from Nailco. Sounds like this polish would be good for the work week and less harsh than Shellac (and easier to remove).

    I was also wondering where you purchased your plastic nail swatches?? I have no idea what they are called….

  6. I got the plastic nail wheels at Sally Beauty store. They come in multi packs and are quite cheap! Definitely get the vinylux. I wear it a ton now since if wears so long!

  7. I never wore polish for the same reason in this review. I was talked into adding a polish with my manicure recently and they used this product. What a joy! I am in love!!!

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