I Tested Spray On Nail Polish To See If It Lived Up To The Hype

    Things got messy.

    Ailbhe Malone
    by Ailbhe Malone

    BuzzFeed Staff, UK

    Sian Butcher/BuzzFeed

    Nails Inc recently released a spray-on nail varnish that claims to wash off easily.

    Nails Inc

    Here's how it works: You spray the varnish, you wash your hands, and then you're left with a perfect mani.

    And as a lifelong mani fan, I was interested but sceptical.

    Ailbhe Malone

    I do my nails most Sunday evenings, and while I'm not the most dextrous, I've got a steady enough hand. But I am also lazy, and anything that promises to get the job done quicker is obviously appealing.

    So I ordered all the colours online and gave it a go.

    BuzzFeed/Laura Gallant

    The varnish comes in three different colours, and costs £10 a can.

    You get 50ml of nail varnish in each can (in contrast, a normal Nails Inc varnish contains 14ml and costs £14).

    From left to right: Hoxton Market is a bright pink, Shoreditch Lane is a glittery silver, and Mayfair Lane looks like a pale baby pink but actually comes out more like Essie's Ballet Slippers.

    The cans came with a directions card.

    Ailbhe Malone

    I would come to hate this card with such passion.

    You must use a base coat with the spray can nail varnish.

    Laura Gallant/BuzzFeed

    Seriously, there's a label attached to the can saying "MUST USE BASE COAT". So I also bought the recommended base coat and applied it.

    Then spray away!

    Laura Gallant/BuzzFeed

    I was unimpressed with the colour saturation in the cans. It took Hoxton Market (the bright pink) three goes to get full coverage, and it was the same for Mayfair Lane.

    Shoreditch Lane fared slightly better, but you need to really blast the can.

    The paint is REALLY, REALLY COLD.

    Laura Gallant/BuzzFeed

    As the varnish comes out of the can, it is freezing! I quickly learned to hold the can further away, but it was still cold.

    At this point, I was worried I was being a big baby, so I asked our photographer Laura to try it. "OH MY GOD, THAT'S FREEZING," she screeched.

    It's tricky to get even coverage.

    Laura Gallant/BuzzFeed

    When I tried the cans on my other hand, Mayfair Lane (the baby pink) cracked and pooled. Shoreditch Lane (the silver) still fared the best.

    Don't forget to put down some paper.

    Laura Gallant/BuzzFeed

    Using the paint turned out to be pretty messy – even though I did put down paper, there was still glitter on the table and on my skirt by the end of things.

    When you're ready, wash away the excess.

    Laura Gallant/BuzzFeed

    I was really excited about this – cleaning up excess is always the most pain-staking part of painting your nails – but it was a nightmare. I washed my hands for the best part of 10 minutes, and, well...

    This was the end result.

    Laura Gallant/BuzzFeed

    Do my fingers have special powers? Should you add fewer than three coats of this varnish? Whatever happened, the excess nail varnish on little finger didn't come off until later that night. And believe me – I tried!

    It chips quickly too.

    Ailbhe Malone

    For comparison, I took off the spray varnish on my left hand and painted it with two coats (no top coat) of Nails Inc's Bruton Lane (a normal coral polish). Here's how things looked the next day.

    The coral polish is holding up nicely – it's glossy and coverage is good. The spray polish is not faring so well – despite a base coat, three coats of polish, and a top coat, all but one nail is chipped. Again, the silver Shoreditch Lane is doing the best out of the lot.

    Conclusions:

    Laura Gallant/BuzzFeed

    If you're bad at painting your nails, and are pushed for time, then I can see why this might appeal. But it's messy and expensive – and the colours just aren't great.

    If you're super keen, then go with the silver (Shoreditch Lane), but make sure to wash your hands thoroughly after – and invest in a decent top coat.