Here's the thing, if someone told me, say, a year ago I'll be doing nail art AND have long(ish) nails I might have had some sort of laughing fit. Then one day, by accident, I've heard of OPI Nail Envy and decided to try it even though I was convinced my nails were beyond any help. Well the rest is history!
I tried so many hardeners and strengtheners available on high street but honestly nothing worked. Yes, my nails were hard but still so thin. I also noticed one annoying thing. My nails became too hard if such thing even exists and started to be brittle and flaky. Obviously in this situation it was impossible to keep immaculate mani for more than half a day. Then this happened:
I tried a single bottle at first of course but after a week of using it I knew I needed Nail Envy in my life and found this bargain at qvc.uk. This is OPI Wardrobe Collection and it consists of Original Nail Envy, Pink Nail Envy, Nude Nail Envy and Avoplex Cuticle Oil (all full sizes). At the time I was buying it, it was a bargain at something like £28. It really is a great price when you compare it to high street prices at £18 a bottle! I am not even joking when I say that I noticed a difference in my nails in a few days! Here are some swatches and what's in the little wardrobe :
I love Pink Nail Envy. It's always with me when I travel and on those rare days when I don't feel like painting my nails. It's looking after your nails AND gives you colour at the same time so you don't have to apply that extra colour and wait for it to dry. It's a win win! The colour is very opaque and has this gorgeous muted pink shade that goes really nicely with my pale skin.
Nude Nail Envy is the one I find takes the longest to dry. However we're still talking less than maybe 5 minutes. I only use it as a base coat as I don't think this particular nude shade suits my skin tone very well. All of these varnishes have easy grip ridged handles and very long soft brushes that reach to the very bottom of a bottle so nothing is wasted. I'm wearing 2 coats in each picture.
The Original Nail Envy is clear/cloudy so l use it as a base coat. I'm not exaggerating when I say it dries in SECONDS. I paint my nails a few times a week so this bottle lasts me for about 2 months which I think it's pretty awesome. I like the fact that even if I just apply this strengthener on its own it has this cool shine. It's not glossy like a top coat but has this muted shine if such thing exists. It's gets a bit thick after a month or so but it's still fine to use.
I don't have much experience with cuticle oils but what I've noticed with Avoplex oil is that is not very greasy. Once I rub it in my cuticles it probably doesn't take longer than a minute for my skin to absorb it. It leaves it very smooth and looking hydrated. I have to say I'm not using it as often as I should especially now in winter months. It's silly really because it's got a brush like a normal polish so you just swipe it over your cuticles, massage it in and you're done! I've been doing a bit better recently, I put it next to my bed and use it every night before bedtime.
It's thanks to Nail Envy that I started this blog if I'm perfectly honest. The state of my nails before was awful but now my nails are not flaky at all and I haven't broken a nail in about 3 months. You may have very strong nails and think well, that's nothing unusual. However for someone who's nails were so weak and soft you could bend them outwards (if you manage to grow them at all), this is a huge improvement! My nails are hard as rocks now:D
As always if you have any questions feel free to email me or leave a comment. Thanks for reading to the end of this long post!
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