If you are anything like me, making time to go to the nail salon every two weeks is about as realistic as living on Mars. I’m not saying that it’s completely impossible, but the chances of it happening anytime in the near future are pretty slim. For me, the biggest issue is time (or lack thereof).
There is a salon in my town that offers appointments, but the times that are realistic for me are always booked. The next nearest town is 20 minutes from me in either direction, so by the time I drive to and from the salon plus the time I spend at the salon, I am easily looking at 1½-2 hours. I can barely commit to spending 2 hours at my mom’s house for Sunday suppers. There’s no way I can add in that much time every two weeks to get my nails done! That said, I have been trying out a few new nail products that promise salon-quality results from the comfort of your own home. I thought that I would share a few of my favorite at-home manicures that I have discovered as of late!
Essie Gel Couture
Rundown:
I will start here because I have been using and loving this one for a couple of years now. One of the first times that I ever used this stuff, my boss at the time saw my nails and asked if I had gone to the salon and gotten a manicure! It is easy to apply and looks great! (Pre-Show Jitters is my go-to color. If you check out my Leopard Cardigan for Three Seasons blog post, you will see it on my nails in all of the photos).
-Application: 2 coats of color + 1 layer of topcoat (usually takes me about 30-40 minutes total)
-Essie Gel Couture at-home manicures typically last 4-6 days without touch-ups
Pros:
-Product is widely available at most mass retailers (Walgreens, Target, and Wal-Mart included)
-Easy to apply
-Salon quality results at a fraction of the price ($11-12 per bottle)
Cons:
-Some colors come out better than others (dark and bold colors are usually great options)
-It’s easy to get polish on the skin/cuticles if you’re not careful
Olive & June
Rundown:
I only recently discovered Olive & June. They reached out to me about trying out their holiday collection and I had been toying with ideas for this post in my mind, so the timing couldn’t have been better! I would say that their product is comparable to Essie Gel but maybe slightly thinner. So far I am loving it though!
-Application: 2 coats of color + 1 layer of topcoat (took me about 35 minutes total)
-Olive & June at-home manicures last 4-6 days without touch-ups (for longer wear, add an additional layer of topcoat every 2-3 days)
Pros:
-Easy to apply
-Salon quality results at a fraction of the price ($8 per bottle)
-Option to purchase boxes that provide you with EVERYTHING you need for a salon-quality manicure at home (from clippers to buffer cube to cuticle oil)
Cons:
-From what I can tell, Olive & June is currently only available to purchase on their website. I can’t find any other retailers that carry their products.
-It’s easy to get polish on the skin/cuticles if you’re not careful
Color Street
I know that I am behind the times, but I only recently discovered Color Street as well! Color Street is not your everyday nail polish. They are actually nail polish strips. Think stickers that come in a bunch of fun colors and designs that you apply to your nails and voila! You are good to go! No waiting for your nails to dry or adding second and third coats. I have worn Color Street nail strips a few times now and have been very happy with the results each time!
Rundown:
-Application: peel, stick and file off the excess strip
-Color Street at-home manicures last 5-7 days (some say that they last up to two weeks – I have had no such luck)
Pros:
-Easy to apply
-No dry time
-Fun designs that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to get with regular polish
Cons:
-Color Street is a direct sales company. You must be in contact with an independent stylist to be able to place an order
-If you are inexperienced with applying the strips, it is easy to misjudge the size that you need and wind up with a gap of uncovered nail.
To fairly test each of these products, I have been wearing them each on their own. Going forward, I think that I will combine products though! I see 8 nails painted with Olive and June and 2 accent nails using Color Street in my future. OR perhaps I will do a full manicure with Essie Gel and add a transparent Color Street design a few days later to prolong the original manicure. The options are endless! I will continue to share as I come up with combinations that are winners!
As always, thank you so much for reading!
♥
*Please note, some Color Street and all of Olive and June products were gifted to me. All opinions are my own.
