At work, I have to wash my hands a lot. At home, since I have a cat, I wash my hands a lot more. And I am a busy woman. So in short, I need a nail polish that dries quickly - I don't have time to sit and do nothing - and stays on.
First, traditional nail polish: I have tried many nail polish brands, all the quick dry's, all the no chip's. I found that the OPI ones are the worst.
WORST NAIL POLISH EVER: OPI Nail Lacquer - any regular OPI nail polish, in good condition, does not last more than a few days. Now I have to mention I have only tried matte colors, and they also take forever to dry.
* Sally Hansen's No Chip 10 Day Nail Color: Starts chipping on the second day right away.
* Maybelline Express Finish Advanced Wear - This one actually is not that bad, it wears average, but does not dry fast as it is advertised.
(Non) Honorable Mention goes to another Sally Hansen product: Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear for separating and going stale way sooner than an average nail polish.
I have tried Shellac as well, which is a dream come true when it comes down to drying time. However, there are some drawbacks - First, if it wants to chip, it will. Chipping may not be the right word, maybe peeling in small patches is a better way of putting it. And, some places treat your nails with some kind of hard buffing to make it stick better, which breaks the top layer of your nail, which will be exposed in the chipped areas. In addition, since it "peels" off, to remove any damaged area of shellac you will have to peel it out and you will likely damage your nail quite badly. Another thing is, although it lasts more than a traditional nail polish, it cracks quite soon, possibly because it is applied very thick, and different layers end up expanding/contracting differently. Last but not least, it is a pain in the neck to remove it. Impatient people will end up peeling it off hence damaging their nails, or if you are like me, you will spend hours to try to take it off at home with acetone (and I tried the same trick they use in salons). The best case scenario you go to your mani/pedi place and they will do the same and it will take a while chunk of your time.
So my solution to all this trouble is a really awesome product called Incoco Dry Nail Applique. These are real nail polish strips that come in different sizes to match your nail shape, and they have a base coat, the color polish, and the top coat all integrated in an "almost" ready, peel and apply format. It takes me less than 10 minutes to apply all and voila! all dry. I have tried every type of it and they all work perfectly, including the French Mani types. They are not "stickers", it is real nail polish. All the layers are the same color or clear, so no "layering"*. It is very flexible, stretches over your nail when you apply. It stays on my nails, without chipping, for at least 10 days, most often more than that. When it starts chipping, it only chips if your nail underneath chips (basically, it doesn't chip, it just comes off with your nail). So for those who have healthier nails than I do, you won't have any problems. It does crack like Shellac does after a while though, but it happens way later (it happens after a week for me) and it is very thin and hardly noticeable. When you wish, you remove them with regular nail polish remover, you may just end up using more cotton balls than normal but not more than a few.
Oh, and most importantly, they protect my nails like no other product and let my nails underneath strengthen and grow. No other method ever helped me accomplish that, not even a little.
Here is a video explaining what they are and how they are used:
Wallgreens used to sell them in few colors, but unfortunately it is available only online now at
Incoco's own website. Good news is they have an incredible variety. They are also a bit expensive, however, it works like a total mani/pedi for me, stays longer than a regular mani/pedi, and I always am able to use one set of stripes for both my fingers and toes. So in my opinion, it is totally worth it.
I have always been complemented on my nails when I use Incoco products, and decided that I should promote it to increase demand so they may in the future sell the product in more convenient ways and they don't go out of business (and, who knows, maybe it will become cheaper!) They come in many colors and designs, here is how one shimmery design looks after 4 days on my nails:
*Beware of Sally Hansen's similar products! They are applied as easily but they chip and break way too soon, and what really annoys me is, in some of their shades, they use a white base coat instead of a clear one, and the color layer chips away and you are left with white patches on your nails - looks very cheap and ugly. Their are also very low quality, which you will understand when you first put them on - they are not as flexible and are very brittle. Overall - quality and experience does not match at all!
Which makes me wonder, at the end of this review, how did OPI and Sally Hansen become what they are in nail products industry. ? We women are gullible in ways, I suppose. :)
