The Ground Rules

We provided each of our testers with a newly released, gel-inspired nail lacquer along with its accompanying top or basecoat. The polishes used were all DIY-friendly and required no special light or removal process, but to keep things fair, we sent our three testers for the same salon manicure, each priced at $25.

Since we already know the longevity of professional gels, we decided to pit these lacquers against regular polishes. We painted one hand with the gel-inspired polish in question, according to the directions, and the other hand got our "control lacquer" — the same leading salon brand for each tester.

Then we asked our testers to go about their lives and report back any and every observation they found. We weren't wearing lab coats, but the many check-ins did get intense: "So, how exactly would you describe the chip? Is it peeling? Do you think it will grow? Can you email me another picture?"