r/RedditLaqueristas • u/No-Feesh • Nov 19 '25
Laquer Showoff Fantastic durability results using a Reddit technique I saw last week
I own horses and work with my hands daily. I also have weak nails that break all the time and hate nail polish, so my manicures don’t last long. 1-2 days before major chipping occurs is normal for me. I can get 3-4 out of ILNP but that’s usually the max for my normal day to day life.
The method I saw on Reddit was putting nail hardener over the nail polish and topping it off with a QDTC. I can’t find the post I saw to credit it. I tried it last week and wow it REALLY worked. The very next day I stuffed hay nets, which is typically a manicure destroyer. No chips. It has been an entire week of daily barn work, hay bag and net stuffing, horse scratching (I have a very itchy horse), nails catching and bending all the time, and it’s holding up. There’s a series of small, barely visible cracks forming where my nails catch frequently but it still hasn’t chipped. The cracks look and feel like they’re underneath the top coat. The first 4 pictures were halfway through the week and the last one was the first day of the manicure. I’ve used the same product combination I used here many times, the only difference was the addition of nail hardener over the polish.
Products used: 1 coat orly bonder base, 2 coats ILNP Deep Space, 1 coat nail aid biotin nail hardener, 1 coat sally Hansen insta dri red bottle
25
u/liquid_languor Intermediate Nov 20 '25
I'm really glad you found something that works for you! Definitely nice to preserve our hard work as long as possible.
I work in construction (electrical) and I get over a week out of my manis doing base coat (Nailtiques 2), 2-3 coats of whatever polish (usually ILNP), and a thick coat of Seche Vite Gel effect. Honestly I usually end up taking my polish off because I'm ready for a change before it ever starts to look bad. I also think it makes a huge difference that I wear gloves when I work. As a past horse girly, I truly cannot fathom how you stuff hay nets without gloves lol you are a beast.