FABULOUS NAILS! DRUGSTORE MANICURE ITEMS AT MINI PRICES! NAIL TIPS GALORE!
Gigi here! I am "chipped off." I had the chance to return to my wonderful school for a special service and my excitement was akin to a child's on Christmas Eve. I wanted to look perfect and that justified shopping for new clothing and pulling out my big guns, my arsenal of most-loved cosmetics to glow, the ones I keep preserved under glass like a firehose, broken only for emergencies.
Repugnant is the best adjective to describe my nails. Medications, anesthesia, and dyes given to me have wrought devastation. They grow slowly, peel faster than an as-advertised-on-TV onion chopper, and aren't reacting to my dutiful intake of B vitamins. I was running late (nothing new for me) and my favorite nail products were not in the aforementioned treasure chest. I opted to apply an express-dry topcoat as a base, color, and then finished with another layer of speed dry. (Pigment applied to bare nails will tend to leave a hard-to-remove yellow stain behind.) I detest what I call "sheet marks," those free-style swirling designs and lumps resembling the work of Jackson Pollock, the ones you find if your polish doesn't dry thoroughly. None for me. I began to sing "I Feel Pretty," "Isn't She Lovely?" and an edited version of "Werewolves of London" with the line "I saw a werewolf at Trader Vic's; her nails were perfect."
Pride does go before a fall and this is what I deserved for my narcissism My nails were short but evenly shaped, done in a delicate pink/coral opalescent shade. My Cinderella hands never made it to midnight--they didn't make it for an hour! As we were leaving our home I felt something on my hand and went to brush it aside. All of the nail polish from one thumb was lying on the floor by me in one piece! I couldn't have removed polish that well if I tried. Well, no time for touch-up's--I decided to keep the offensive finger out of view. Before I entered the building, four more nails self-destructed and dropped like spring flower petals at my feet. Is there a word for nail suicide? Would it be digicide? Whatever it is called, it was happening to my horror. Okay, so I would hide my entire right hand. Deep breaths, Gigi, deep breaths.
Halfway into the service I lost the polish on my other hand, with just a few annoying glimmers that left me looking as though I chewed it off. So it came to sitting with my hands camouflaged by my clothing.
The Drugstore Deals Reviewer tells you this to spare you angst. I learned my lesson and have found a way back to beautiful hands. Avoid my beauty faux pas and invest in the following two products which work in tandem. They will be good to you and treat you right.
1) Begin with Sally Hansen's Nail Nutrition Daily Growth Treatment. It is not a polish, but a lightweight gel with a gentle plant fragrance. Eleven botanicals function to nourish your nails deep-down. For best results, wash your hands thoroughly and use a nail brush to remove any polish or other residue. Massage this gel into nails and ravaged cuticles at least once daily for ten days (I lean toward overkill and cannot stop applying). There is no oil, and it bonds with nails to provide a protective seal and prevent breakage, add flexibility and resilience, and repair any problems. Be sure to work the formula under tips. I expected it to leave me with tackiness, but it immediately seeps into nails and you cannot feel it. What you do feel are the benefits Sally promises. In ten days, there is a noticeable improvement for nail woes.
2) This gets even more green: Follow the ten-day program with their Green Tea and Bamboo Nail Strengthener. As a basecoat, nails are nourished, hardened, protected, and actually do grow. Results may vary, but I've had nearly immediate gratification when it comes to nail length. I can't promise the same for you, but it's worth a try. Vitamins, anti-oxidants, and protein act to stimulate new growth while withstanding daily wear and tear. Two coats give optimal benefits. When applied after polish, it becomes a long-wearing topcoat. I suggest continuing with the nourishment gel applying to ragged cuticles and continue under tips.
A few suggestions: Use an emery board to file nails and do not saw back and forth but in one direction only--this is not shop class in high school! Before you apply any colored polish, ensure that fingers are devoid of previous products or you will find yourself in a sea of blooms as I did. Last but never least--nails are not tools. That is why God made men! Even if you can tear through shrink-wrap, bat your eyelashes, smile sweetly, and have a man open objects for you. You may find yourself with a new love.
So it was a nail fiasco, but it was actually the best day I've had in more than a year. I was greeted by students, colleagues/friends, and administrators at Bishop Canevin, a place I have dubbed "Academic and Spiritual Utopia." I returned to "My Old School" (Steely Dan). Oh, the joy . . .
What nail products from the Drugstore deliver you the best manicure at a mini price?
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Comments
I haven't tried any nail treatments but the best drugstore nail polishes I've encountered are Revlon and E.L.F.! They dry amazingly fast and lasts for quite a while.
the clear nail hardener by Witchcraft and hard as nails by sally hansen those 2 have been the best polishes ive used. not only do they keep ur nails strong, they wrk as a good base coat. other than that i just stick to the nyc brand for colour....i like to change my nail colour often so nyc does me fine (with a good top coat of course)
My sister brought a bottle of Sally Hansen Nail Strengthener with her last time she visited. She is as much about nails as I am about books, and I am a literature major. Needless to say, she saw my nails that are all in all I think pretty nice nails. No flaking or anything. Just...you know, untended. To make a long story short, she managed to get me to try that nail strengthener and it made my nails look oh so nice with a bit of filing. You know the look, nude but somehow perfected.I had always sort of neglected my nails before she brought that little bottle into my life, cutting them short every now and then, because cheap nail polish just didn't do it for me.So, yay for Sally Hansen. :)
Okay, this sort of applies to the question.When I was a kid, buying fake glue-on nails was super fun for play!Now flash-forward! Kiss Everlasting glue-on toe nails are amazing. Seriously, glue-on toe nails. I could not afford an expensive pedi on top of other expenses as a bridesmaid, so I did a test with these nails. After that success, I bought a set for the big day. I spent $12 total. First, all fake nails are not created equal. Look very closely at all the other kinds, even other Kiss nails, and you'll notice the manicure part is printed on and you can see the pixels. Kiss Everlasting nails look far more real because the manicure part is applied on top of the nail. This sounds confusing but just do a quickie visual comparison and you'll understand. Anyway, none of the other girls could believe it when they saw how good they looked. Plus they stayed on in strappy shoes for several hours. They didn't come off until I took them off a week later. I even painted my own french manicure fingernails. That blew them away because they paid a lot more.I've never bought a nail hardener or treatment product, just polish. I'm always worried they won't work!
I also suffer from terrible weak, chipping, peeling nails. They're terrible. I have one nail that is slightly better but I suspect this is because I slammed my thumb in the car door and the nail ended up falling off and growing a new one.I have use two produts with success (and hundreds of others thrown out!). One is the Revitanail by Dr. Lewinns. Its amazing. Worth the money. You apply it like nailpolish once a day for a week. Then take it off and repeat again the next week. Also great as a top coat. My nails really lengthened and strengthened.I also have a huge soft spot for Avon's Nail Experts - Strong Results. I thought it was going to be like the Revitanail with a polish everyday but its more of an oil which you paint onto your nails. My nails are definately stronger and longer because of this.
For me the best nail products are in Yves Rocher its a french brand i don't know if you have this brand in Usa ?!
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I bit my nails my entire life, up til a couple of months ago. So, my nails are weak and bend and peel very easily. I've been using Sally Hansen's Miracle Nail Thickener (comes in a purple bottle) with really nice results. I also had good luck with their Green Tea Strengthener. Now, I actually have to cut my nails because they get a little on the long side. I also like S.H.'s fast-dry top coat--really helps avoid sheet marks!
im always disappointed with drugstore nail treatments. maybe im picking out the wrong things. my best results were these $2 biotin pills from target but i still had some brittleness and breakage. it was, however, lessened than normal. i just hate swallowing pills.
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Another great review Gigi. I have let my nails down. They wait patiently while I ignore them and pay attention to my toes. My nails are stained yellow due to my horror of not using a base coat for a very long time and smoking for x amount of years. (I've been smoke free for almost 2 years now.) Now I'm trying to get them to look healthy. I remember to take care of them for a couple of days and then forget for a couple of weeks. I've heard great things about the Sally brand treatments. Now I have one more thing to add to my shopping list this weekend. You have motivated me Gigi to make an effort.I am also glad to hear that you had a wonderful time back at your school! (Even with the mishap.)
My nails are my personal thumbed nose at all those people who shook fingers in my face as a child and said, your nails will never grow! Yes, my friends, I bit my nails well into high school, a disgusting habit that may have been extended so long because my mother was famous for her long, LONG, extra strong nails. Seriously, they were like eagle's talons. Once I became a big-city career girl, however, I decided the fly in the face of all those dire predictions and grow my nails. And you know what? Just like Topsy, they grew. Perhaps it was genetic, but I had no trouble growing them, but alas! I had no trouble breaking them, as well. Until I discovered the silk-wrap technique, which I do in a salon, but which can be done, with patience, at home. Unlike acrylics, which require destroying the nail surface as part of the process, wrapping is just that: a thin layer of silk (or linen, but I am silk all the way) is applied to the nail surface, covered with a coat of gel, and after the resulting surface is smoothed, the normal base coat-polish-top coat routine can be done. I use China Glaze polish, which is relatively cheap but chip-resistant and glossy, and my nails Do. Not. Break. Well, if I shut a drawer on one of them, then sure, it breaks. But otherwise, if I break 4 nails a YEAR, it's a lot. And it's worth it -- my nails are one of the first things about me people notice, and I love them!
If I am obsessed with anything, it's my nails. They always all have to be about the same length, and they have to have that perfect shape. The advice you gave is great, and I think the products you have described sound perfect for me and my obsession with my nails. Even now, as I type this, I grow bothered my index finger whose nail was chipped and had to be filed down a little shorter than the others. I'm waiting for a good time until I can clip and file my other nails down to around the same length. I am a college student, and I don't often paint my nails. Painting and taking care of them though is the easiest and cheapest way of giving me a more polished look.
I love Sally Hansen treatment products! Their (sadly discontinued and getting hard to find in stores) Nail Quencher basecoat is amazing; I'll have to try the Green Tea & Bamboo stuff sometime as a possible replacement.And the best topcoat ever is SH Insta Dri in the red bottle - I love it more than any other quick-dry topcoat in existence. Their other products are decent, but these are my favorite-favorites. I used to like their apricot cuticle cream, but have since switched to California Mango Mango Mend from Sally Beauty Supply - it's sort of a gel, but it wipes dry cuticles out of existence, and is good for dry skin on your toes and heels, too.
Thanks for this tip on the Mango Mango Mend...I'll have to get some of that because my cuticles are ridiculously dry.
"I am chipped off"...... Too funny Gigi!I can have on a great outfit, nice shoes, with super hair and makeup but if my nails are 'ehhhhhhh', than I feel so unfinished. Kind of like I just did all that work for nothing. It never fails either, you will always catch someone checking out your tacky looking nubs on a night like this. Icky feeling.Great review Gigi, looks like my drugstore list has another item on it. (Stylepapa, thanks you......) ;)
Gigi, I'm thrilled for you that your day went well! They must have been so happy to see you. I am at a crossroads with my nails right now. I don't have medication to blame, but mine sound much like your nails; very thin, brittle, peeling and likely to break below the quick. I haven't used any artificial nail products, acrylics, gels, glue-on in over four years and I faithfully take GNC's hair nails and skin supplement. I was a faithful user of Nailtique, but after a six month period of using the number two formula my nails are now brittle and have all broken below the quick. Just last night I place an emergency call to my best friend. She returned the call and said "Oh my God, what's wrong?". I responded in all seriousness " I hate my nails!" After her peels of laughter died away I told her how I was two seconds away from getting gel nails again, perhaps Light Concept. I said to her, "Please talk me out of doing this". So she did. I settled on a two pronged attack, two of the only strengthening methods I have not tried yet. The first one I am trying is Rejuvacote. This is similar to the Nailtique method, a clear coat as base coat and an additional coat everyday. I have actually been using this for about a week with no luck, but I'll give it a couple more weeks before I write it off. My next step will be from a website I found for natural healthy nails called fingernailcare.com. This is a cream that you rub in for ten minutes at a time, twice a day. We'll see what happens, but I am not going to tolerate unappealing nails. I would much prefer natural nails, but if after all this work and money, they don't look nice I will be getting Light Concept Gels.
Indi
Oh Gigi, you make me laugh! I am going to try these two nail treatments and hope for good results. I had a funny nail story. Years ago I went out on a date and one of my nails ended up literally flicking off and flying across the table. I was so embarrassed. I have never forgot it...and always recall what happened when I start to think of getting acrylic nails put on. Artcandy
♥Robyn♥
Love the review and hope you'll be having those nails you covet VERY soon girl! I tried...I really did...for two fippin' years after taking off acrylics I tried everything out there at no small expense in hopes of having "nice natural nails..." It was NOT to be: asthma meds and just the ravages of "age" resulted in only brittle,peeling,spotted-nubs that I was constantly picking at and trying to polish/get to look like something.I gave up a couple of months ago,found a terrific nail salon and am very happy to have someone else worry about how they look now.Sometimes "natural" just doesn't cooperate...sigh.
This is perfect for going into the winter. Usually my nails look pretty good, but not in the cold weather! Breaks, chips, peels, etc. it's annoying. I'll try this as soon as it gets really cold!
Hmmm I doubt I would take supplements just for nails ya know but definitely that nail nutrition daily growing treatment! The bottle actually reminds me of the color I am wearing on my nails right now - NYC Big Mony Frost layered over OPI Green-which village!!I don't know of anything that you can get from the drugstore, but if you start polishing your nails regularly get a good remover (Cutex, Zoya Remove) & CND Solar Oil :D.
Gigi, you had me giggling in spite of myself about your nail polish disappearing act! Why does this stuff happen when we're trying so hard to look great? I have icky nails too, and it is hard to hide them. They refuse to grow - and when they accidentally DO manage to grow a little bit, they start peeling. Or breaking. I hate them! So, needless to say, I'm going to buy the 2 SH products you wrote about. If they can help me, I will be eternally grateful. Also, let me say how envious I am of TJ's nails! If I can get my natural nails to grow a little, I'm thinking of doing silk wraps too. It would be so nice to look down at my hands and have them look elegant.
Carole
I havent seen these, maybe they arent out in the uk yet-i really like sally hansen diamond strength, i have the weakest nails but when i use this they are rock hard (like i have had a layer of acrylic put on!)
Carly xxx
I love Sally Hansen products... especially when they're on sale at the drugstore! Two great manicure tips I've recently stumbled upon is to swipe your nails with a polish remover-soaked cotton ball to ensure that all oil is removed from your nail. I've noticed my polish lasts longer since I have tried this. You can also soak your nails in fizzy denture cleaner to remove stains. :)
ive never had chipping nail problem with essie nail polishes. but i think i will try one of those oils for nails
Awesome review Gigi. I have really weak nails too and they are more often than not I have acrylics on because I so hate my nails. During a period of meager funding I had bare nails and used something by Sally Hansen that sounds really similar to this. It was a green bottle and I'm at a loss for what it was called, but it went with the same principle: rubbing into the nail bed, under the nail tip and cuticle area. It really did help. I didn't use the polish that was also from the same line because I thought it was either or but if you tried with both and had success it may just mean I should shed these acrylics and give it another go. Thanks for a hilarious review loved it :)
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great review! i have to say i have never used any nail treatments yet. i don't really use nail polish all that often except for my toe nails. i usually use rimmel, revlon, e.l.f., and n.y.c. rimmel i have to say is very good. it dries fast and it stays on longer than any other nail polish brands i've used.
Used to bite my nails till they bled, finally when i graduated college i decided it was pretty disgusting, biting my nails and smoking at the same time. Of course, i stopped biting my nails. I tried acrylics but they took too much out of my thin nails. The only ting that sort of works is being religious and doing my nails every week. The key is clean, clean nails, a friend told me to wipe them down with vinegar let it dry then polish. The vinegar takes all the oils that make the polish slide, off. The hardest thing is waiting long enough between coats. You can go from 99 cents to way beyond 10.00 for nail polish but i think the good old Revlon polish is about the best. I tried OPI and besides leaving my wallet a bit lighter, it did not adhere any beter than Sally Hansen or Revlon. The Nick's sticks are a cool portable idea but spending that much on polish is insane. As for strenghteners, nothing works, as my Biologist nephews tells me, "it dead, Jim" he is a Star Trek fan. But he is right, Your nails are dead by the time they pass your finger tips, so nothing much will change them substantially. I take meds that make my nails awful and have thorassic outlest syndrome, which cuts down the amount of blood that gets to my hands so... I am waging a losing battle. but i keep trying. I have tried every thing on the market with no sucess. I hate chipped nails, it looks as my mother would say trashy, so i make sure i have my nail polish with me in case.Is this not one more of the conspiracies laid upon women to be beautiful, yeah, probably, but i can live with it i like pretty nails.
dotti, old but not dead yet, polymath still in training, makeup junkie and general overspender.
Thanks for the great tips. My nails always yellowed, but now I know the put a base coat on first. I usually use a buffer bar that I bought at shoppers drug mart (it was the life brand I believe). It leaves my nails really smooth and nice even if I don't paint them. Plus it was not that expensive either.
Gigi I adore your articles! You have such a great way with words, I almost felt like I was right there with you as your nails came floating down off your hands!I love these tips, and I already follow them religiously but with different products. I consider my nails to be one of my best assets. ;]
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Darling Gigi, I am fairly certain that "digicide" will have me giggling for days. And I'm so glad you had such a great night! My nails are terribly, horribly vertically ridged. I used to use those three pack 1,2,3 Trim boards on them to buff out the ridges, but I think they quit making them cause I can't find them anywhere anymore. :( My nails are also weak and they split super easily. But I have a lovely, natural white tip. I actually just painted my nails for like the first time in years last night. (Essie E! Live from the Red Carpet) and they're already a little chipped at the tip. I couldn't do the little trick where you swipe polish under the tip cause I cut mine almost as far down as I could. I may have to check out these products. If only I could get them to no longer be ridged... Oh, another nail tip (ha! get it?): keep them out of water as much as possible. The nails absorb water and then when it evaporates, they are left weakened. So wear gloves. And if you are doing a manicure and you get polish on your cuticle, don't sweat it. After the polish dries completely, dunk your mistake in some water and scrape off the polish on the cuticle.
Great article Gigi. I really should pay more attention to my nails, but they get ruined so easily at work that I don't bother as often as I should. One brand that I have had a lot of success with is the Jessica Range, in particular the brillance top coat, which dries and sets the polish so I don't smudge it!
Ever since I got my first french tip mani in high school my nails have never been the same. weak and easy breakage. i am definitely going to try this out/
Every nail treatment I have try I have hated. My nails aren't too bad now but they often peel and every once and a while a nail will tear. This sounds like a good option to try and prevent those problems from happening. Maybe I will give this a try! I hate when I finally get all my nails to be the length and shape I want and then one will break off.
i have extremely brittle nails that hardly qrow!!.... the only druqstore brand that i can use that: won't chip off, will qive me a boost of streqnth, and has a wide ranqe of colors to choose from is the sally hansen line!.
»smilε :)
Ugh I have the most brittle nails ever and have tried everything. Maybe I should try the Biotin?? I do love SH though!
This is a product that I would def like to try, especially during summer when I'm always doing the dishes or washing the BBQ grills, which I find always makes my nails weak and prone to chipping.
And your nailpaint falling off is unfortunate but funny at the same time :p
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wow you've lost polish in record timimg.... Mine usually makes it...through one day... and thats it.My hands take a beating everyday.And I definittally need a strenghthener... My nails seperate and chip off in flakes????? probably because of my lack of eating any vegetables.... :(*busts out the broccoli*I dont think I can handle another supplement but the brush on coat seems pretty ok! I should give it a try
Tan is Love
I used to have great nails...until I had a job in the food service industry. Even though that was years ago, my nails never fuly recovered. I love Sally Hansen's products. I can't wait to try this one. I am glad for the tip on filing in one direction only...I had no idea.
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i'm completely lazy when it comes to nails, i don't really take much care of them and i can't stand the smell of nail polish! i guess i just.. trim them..getting my nails done professionally looks extremely painful! :(but i want to buy a hansen serum for my bf's nails.. so he'd stop chewing on them!
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I loved your post, I saw this product in CVS a few weeks ago. I even picked it up, but alas I put it back on the shelf. My nails grow in spurts but my problem is nail polish "never" stays on my nails. even if I use a top coat and sit for 30 min. waiting for the polish to dry/harden as soon as I get back to doing things I have chips, dents and smears, yuck. So I just go bare naked in the nail dept. I will go back and use this product for the strengthening qualities. Thanks for a great review
Lisa
Great review, Gigi. I ran right to my local Walgreens and bought both. I needed them in the worst way. Will report back on my success, but so far, I'm liking the Nail Nutrition a lot!
Carole
I love sally hansen nail products! I just recently discovered the Sally Hansen Double Duty Strengthening Base and Top Coat, and it works so well! It acts as both a base and a top coat, so I only have to buy one bottle of product that serves two uses. It really keeps even my cheapest nail polishes in tact. My nails can look flawless for up to 14 days, and most of the time my nails outgrow my polish and I never experience chips. :)This stuff looks awesome, and the packaging looks so cool.
i love nailstuff! mine are chipping right now cos im in cold vermont on a painting trip for the month.. it seems that as an artist, whenever i am painting and washing my hands a lot my nails get wrecked, i could really do with this right now.
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I use OPI nail envy on my nails once a week and my nails stay long and strong. I also make sure to keep polish on them. If I don't polish my nails, I end up picking at them. This has helped me for about a year or so now.
love the article. love wearing nail polish.
I don't think this is considered drug store but I love O.P.I. nail strengthener, it really works! And it makes my nails look nice and glossy and groomed. For a top coat I love N.Y.X. and Revlon nail polish but that is about it.
I'm going to count myself a good source on nails because I own a nail blog. That being said, ouch Gigi! Try using Seche for a top-coat and Creative Sticky for a base. I think that as long as you keep SOMETHING on your nails, they are protected so it's best to have either a treatment or a color on them always.
I swear by OPI products. And Sally Hanson's Cuticle Cream.
OMG Gigi!!! I swear your name should be Giggles because I laugh and giggle when I read your reviews! :) You definitely have a gift when it comes to writing and telling a story!These products sound great! But unfortunately for me, I simply can't leave my nails natural...they will peal all the way down to where the nail bed is exposed (gross i know)(and painful!) and this is due to medications which I have to take everyday for years now. So I get my nails done in the salon...usually a french mani gel w/extensions. It works for me...but my mom is how you described your mom...she has the LONGEST natural nails...like talons! And man they are strong! I asked her what she uses on her nails and she uses Sally H products. She has had then long like that ever since I can remember. If I could stand to have my nails natural, i would definitely give these products a try! ♥
"Never take someone for granted. Hold every person close to your heart because you might wake up one day and realize that you've lost a diamond while you were too busy collecting stones..."
I have pretty strong nails and I used to grow them out but now with my new job I have to keep them short and nail polish wouldn't make it through the day. oh well.
I got diagnosed with Osteopenia (pre-warning signs of Osteoporsis) back in 2007. I started taking Citracal Calcium with Vitamin D Plus Magnesium supplements. Since then my nails have been super hard and long.Tip: For longer and stronger nails eat Jello it works fabulous and it's yummy!!! Tip: There is no need to buy cuticle oil or cream. You can use baby oil, cocoa butter, vaseline, Vitamin E Ointment, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, etc. Really any lotion, cream or oil will work for your cuticles. Trust me I was a nail tech.My favorite topcoat with a beautiful glossy shine that lasts is "Poshe". It has many other benefits. To find out more go here. http://www.discountbeautycenter.com/Nail-Care/Nail-Care/Poshe-Topcoat-26208.htm
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