Tough as nails?

Does chip-resistant nail varnish really exist?

I'm 36 hours into a new application of nail varnish.  Black is my colour of choice this time.  I have carefully applied two coats, used a top coat for added protection and shine and left each coat to dry properly.  It was glass-smooth and looked great.  This pot of nail varnish promises up to five days of perfect nails and is supposedly chip-resistant.



I went to bed, slept for 6 hours, woke up and saw a slight chip in the corner of my ring finger (right hand).  How did that happen in bed?  I had to touch it up before setting out to work as there wasn't time to take off all the polish properly before I headed out of the door.

I have a day in front of a computer - mainly typing, answering the phone, writing, washing the odd cup after a brew, buttering a piece of toast... the usual office-type activities.  It's not exactly manual labour.  I head for home noticing another couple of chips on two separate nails on my left hand.  I think to myself that I'll have to sort that our later.

I go home, eat my tea (I don't prepare it - my husband has already done that). dry the pots after son #1 has washed them, watch some TV, read a book, open my laptop, go for a bath, wash my hair, get ready for bed, head downstairs for more laptop/TV time and a brew and notice that my nail varnish is now beyond touch-up repair.

HOW?  What have I done to create this mess and chaos on the ends of my fingers?  I turn to Twitter to ask for advice and recommendations.  The general consensus appears to be that the 5-day-chip-free nail varnish is an urban myth unless you follow this advice that @Tasshhaaar has heard:

Fuck that for a game of soldiers! (a) it would take FOR-EVER to apply, (b) I'm not sure I'd be able to move my nails with all that weight on the ends of them and (c) that advice has to have been generated from a nail polish promotional team to sell more of the stuff.

So what now?  Am I resigned to looking like a bit of a tramp with my chipped nail varnish or do I really have to reapply it every single day?  Am I unique when it comes to this or does it happen to you too (men can answer this too - I know that Andrew Stone almost always has chipped nail varnish so he needs a quick-fix solution too)?

Which nail varnish or application technique works for you?

Oh, and whilst I'm at it - those promotional shots of smashed up make-up really annoy me.  Don't break it!! Send it to me *wink*

Photo credit:  Google Images