I love nail polish.. and I haaaate it. I hate that I get tip wear so easily--scratching, itching, dishes, showers, etc. I've been trying and trying to figure out how to make my nail polish love not be such a tough love.. and I thiiiiink I may have found a solution ;)
Step 1: Buff your nails (gives more grip!)
Step 2: Use a base coat! I use Essie Protein Base Coat (thanks Catherine!)
Step 3: Use thinner coats of polish (not globs!)
Step 4: WAIT IN BETWEEN COATS!
Step 5: Use a top coat! I use Seche Vite (thanks Diana!) and I use it when the polish is still wet, since SV also speeds up drying time.
In regards to "Love and Friendship" by MAC, I don't think I waited enough between my coats of polish.. and with the formula and my impatience, I was having a hard time getting nice thin coats. I think I may try it again and hopefully have better results!
Anyway, this post will be about NAIL POLISH REMOVAL and my current favorite drugstore nail polish.. SINFUL COLORS - Rich in Heart 811. Oh my gosh, I loove this color.. and I love the price tag even more ($1.99 at CVS?)!
I was perusing through the aisles and I stumbled across the Sinful Colors display (which I honestly have never seen before at a CVS) and remembered that I absolutely ADORED my "Nail Junkie" from them (again, thanks Diana!).. so.. I looked.. some ehh colors.. but hidden.. and.. gasp!
Essie Protein base coatTwo coats Rich in Heart
Ta-daaah! After seeing a post by KC (cambo soup) about having a TUB of nail polish.. I decided to peruse around.. and found this at my CVS (obviously, since it's CVS brand).
The inside.. it's a sponge.. with 3 slits.. and 3 holes.. you insert your finger inside and twist around (trying to "scrape" your nail onto the sponge, much more effective).
Ooo the red really comes out here!
Process of the removal! Sorry if I switched fingers, I guess I was twisting too vigorously so my nail ended up being clean by the time I pulled it out to look.. hahaha xD fail~
End result... ignore my cuticles as always. Nice, clean nails. Your finger tips may feel a little dry but it's nothing that lotion can't cure.
Seche Vite top coat
Normal hand/nail usage/abuse, result after 4 days! Completely fabulous for me.. ignore the chipping near the cuticles.. that was all me, haha. Anyway, isn't it a pretty color? I was having such a hard time figuring out how to photograph this, and I decided to take a picture in the bathroom.. wha-laa.. it's a very very black looking nail polish with a hint of red from within. Oh I looove these kinds of colors, I definitely have more on my wishlist xD
Anyway, on to the REMOVAL part..
Ta-daaah! After seeing a post by KC (cambo soup) about having a TUB of nail polish.. I decided to peruse around.. and found this at my CVS (obviously, since it's CVS brand). I'm going to share an embarrassing story.. ok.. so.. when I went to go get this and found it.. I opened the cap.. looked at it.. and SNIFFED IT.. hahahaa. Such a bad mistake! I was super tired.. I don't know why I did it in the first place. But yes, it still does smell like your typical nail polish remover, if anyone's wondering... d'oh -___-
The inside.. it's a sponge.. with 3 slits.. and 3 holes.. you insert your finger inside and twist around (trying to "scrape" your nail onto the sponge, much more effective). I thought about taking a video.. but you have to have two hands to use it.. well, at least I use two hands (one to hold the container and the other hand.. is.. having the nail polish removed). So I tried to take illustrative pics :P
Ooo the red really comes out here!
Process of the removal! Sorry if I switched fingers, I guess I was twisting too vigorously so my nail ended up being clean by the time I pulled it out to look.. hahaha xD fail~I tried counting how many twists or how long I left my finger (per nail) in the container.. I twist TWICE per time I count.. and I count in seconds.. so.. I counted for 10 seconds, and twisted 20 times.
I had to leave my thumbs in for a bit longer, since the nail is misshapen (also makes it harder to paint evenly!).. there's lumps on my nail, parallel to my cuticles. My boyfriend makes fun of me for them :( but he has lines/wrinkles going the OTHER way.. hahaha. We're both weird :P
End result... ignore my cuticles as always. Nice, clean nails. Your finger tips may feel a little dry but it's nothing that lotion can't cure. 
The tub "before" and "after" removal.. I took off 8 fingers of nail polish (I scratched off 2 in my boredom in class). Not bad.. especially helps using this for glitter, since the sponge doesn't come off in wisps onto my nail like using cotton pads does.
I'm not sure how many "uses" there are.. but.. I know it's worth it for me to go get another one when it "stops working". Maybe I just need to throw out the liquid in there and put in fresh nail polish? I'll let you know.. but I have a feeling it's gonna be a long time before I have to do that, haha, especially since I don't paint my nails ALL that often :)
Hope this helps!
What are your guys' HG methods of removing nail polish?