I broke a couple of nails on both of my hands, so I figured I'd do a follow-up review post for OPI Nail Envy as well as show you some other nail products I use. (Original OPI post found here.)
First, I'm gonna start with a before shot. Inside the small circle on my right-hand middle finger is what I can only describe as a hard extension of my cuticle. This picture was taken in December 2012.
The next photo is that same finger just a couple days ago. Also circled is my ring finger, which was experiencing the same problem off and on. This most recent picture doesn't show too much of a change with that ring finger, although I do not have a before shot of that finger. My middle finger shows a pretty decent change after only a month or two. I find that my fingers are not snagging on things as often as before and the cuticle/skin surrounding the sidewall is much softer. My nail beds have even grown a little bit!
Now, how did this happen?, you must be wondering. It's all thanks to these little beauties. I'm going to talk about these in the order I began using them in.
Sally Hansen Maximum Growth Cuticle & Nail Treatment I've been using for forever. It really does help my nails to grow faster, but doesn't provide much strength. I just click the end of the pen a few times, wipe the oil on my cuticles one hand at a time, and massage it in. The oil and massaging both help the nails to grow more quickly.
Sometimes, I'll use the gold bottle in the picture, which is actually Sally Hansen Nail Growth Miracle Nail Serum (the name has rubbed off the label). It comes with an eye-dropper type applicator, but I usually just stick it in the bottle, swirl it around, and do the same as with the SH Cuticle and Nail Treatment mentioned above. I don't use this as often, but it does seem to help my nails grow.
Because my trusty Cuticle and Nail Treatment pen doesn't give me the strength I want in my nails, I use (well, used to, and need to start using again) Sally Hansen VitaSurge Strength Gel. [I've also used the growth gel, and it works well also.] This gel comes with a doe-foot applicator, commonly seen in lipgloss, to massage the product into the cuticles. But again, I choose to swirl the wand around in the bottle, apply the gel to my cuticles, and massage the gel in with my fingers. I've seen good results with this product, as well. My nails were noticeably stronger in no-time!
For general cuticle health, I use Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream. I love this stuff! I was never really a Burt's Bees fan, but this is the exception. I use this stuff at least twice a day. Just take a dab on my finger and massage it into my cuticles. I started using this product in December 2012, after the "before" photo was taken, and my cuticles have never been healthier! I don't get any ragged edges on my cuticles, even with being so hard on my hands at work. Although I wouldn't classify this as a "cream," but as more of a smooth wax, it definitely moisturizes and heals dry cuticles! It's a must-have for sure!
Last, but not least, is my latest investment in nail strength, OPI Nail Envy Original Matte. I purchased a bottle of this online on Amazon.com for around $6. I'll admit I'm not too OPI savvy, so I'm not entirely sure how good of a deal I got, mostly because OPI isn't sold in many stores around where I live. I was actually recommended this product by Kayla of Nails by Kayla Shevonne, and I do see some strength building up in my nails after using it mainly as a base coat for less than a month. The directions say to apply two coats the first day and one fresh coat on top every other day. If I didn't change my nail polish so often, I could do that. But, even with using it as I do, I see a small change in strength. I'll definitely continue using this!
Phew! That was a long one! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope this helps with any issues you might've been having! :)
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