$2 Drugstore Nail Polish Beats $27 Chanel Brand in Quality Test, Magazine Says

May 30, 2014 — -- intro: Does your nail polish last longer if it's more expensive?

Consumer Reports magazine says "no," at least according to a recent test of seven nail polishes. One of Revlon's brands, Sinful Colors, which is available at drugstores, lasted the longest according to the magazine's test, even though the price tag is only $2. Following close behind were two other brands under the Revlon umbrella, CND Vinylux Weekly Polish and Revlon Colorstay Longwear, which were $9.90 and $6.20, respectively.

Meanwhile, Chanel's No. 475 Dragon nail polish, which costs $27, ranked sixth.

If the product line had a base or top coat, that was used as well, the magazine said.

Read More: Salon Secrets You Need to Know Before You Go

The magazine hired a professional manicurist to apply nail polish to 10 volunteer panelists. Each panelist wore two products simultaneously, each on every other fingernail of both hands, Consumer Reports explained for its July issue.

Then, on the seventh, 10th, and 14th days after each manicure, two trained testers evaluated the panelists’ fingernails and scored how the nail polish looked. The magazine said it then recruited 10 additional volunteers to apply and remove the polishes at home and assess "ease of use."

The three Revlon products looked "very good" through day 7 and "good" on 10. With a base and top coat added, the total price of Sinful Colors came to $10. Testers said it took slightly longer to dry however, the magazine reported.

CND didn't require a base coat, and the top coat is about another $10, bringing the total to about $19.80.

Chanel's $27 product didn't fare so well. Four of 10 home-use panelists said it "chipped the day they applied it," the magazine said. The base and top coat cost an additional $52.

A spokeswoman for Chanel provided a statement to ABC News explaining that Le Vernis de Chanel is "designed to find the optimum balance between color, shine, lacquered effect, lasting hold, speed of drying and nail hydration and protection."

"These qualities are widely recognized and appreciated by our customers, as can be seen from the success of the Le Vernis range. There is therefore more to Le Vernis de Chanel than just lasting hold," Chanel said in the statement. "Also, we confirm that it is essential to properly follow the different steps of application to ensure the maximum shine and durability, by applying a protective base coat, then two thin coats of Le Vernis, and finishing with an application of top coat, allowing enough time for drying between each application."

Here are Consumer Reports' scores of the nail polishes, the color tested and price:

quicklist:title: Sinful Colors Professional: 70text: #852 GoGo Girl: $10 set; $2 polish

quicklist:title: CND Vinylux Weekly Polish: 67text: #158 Wildfire: $19.80 set; $9.90 polish

quicklist:title: Revlon Colorstay Longwear: 63text: #120 Red Carpet: $18.60 set; $6.20 polish

quicklist:title: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure: 50text: #470 Red My Lip: $7.10 polish

quicklist:title: Covergirl Outlast Stay Brilliant: 48text: #180 Lasting Love: $5.30 polish

quicklist:title: Chanel Le Vernis: 23text: #475 Dragon: $79 set; $27 polish

quicklist:title: Nutra Nail Gel Perfect: 10text: #12760 Passion: $12 polish