Best of Three, Review

Best of Three: Budget Peel Off Base Coats

6th December 2014

22 Comments

Peel off base coat has really taken off this year and you kind of have to wonder why the revolution didn’t happen sooner! Bloggers and nail polish fanatics found this DIY solution for hard-to-remove glitter nail polish quite a while before manufacturers twigged on and started marketing similar products. As we come to the end of 2014 it’s great to see more brands producing affordable versions, but what is the best peel off base coat you can get on the UK high street?

Miss Sporty Peel Off Base Coat

Superdrug / Boots £2.29
This polish goes on white and dries to a clear matte finish so you know exactly when it’s ready to lay on your nail polish over the top. I’m very impressed by how quickly this dries – by the time I’ve finished the 10th finger, the first one is already dry.

The brush in this one is round and firm which is great for getting a perfect curve around your cuticles. It’s also great fun for peeling – I can normally get all nails off in one piece!

I know wear time is a concern with peel off base coats and some are known to chip quite quickly. While I haven’t been able to run a proper endurance test with this one, I have successfully worn it for 24 hours without chipping

MUA Peel Off Polish Base Coat

Superdrug £2
I’m just gonna come out with it – this is my least favourite of the three. As you can see, this is the only one of the group that’s clear which makes application really tricky because you can’t always tell where you’ve got coverage without twisting your hand to the light at funny angles. It shrinks before it’s dry if there’s even a trace of oil on your nails and you can’t tell whether it’s dry without touching it which obviously messes things up if it’s not yet dry.

If you can get past the bad application, the peel off function works okay but I haven’t gotten more than 15 hours of wear without my polish chipping at the tips.

NYC Strip Me Off Base Coat

Superdrug £2.99
NYC are one of my favourite brands on the high street because the polishes are always great quality for the price point. I was very excited when I saw that they had a peel off base coat on the way. It performs very similarly to the Miss Sporty. Again, it goes on white and quickly dries to a clear matte. It’s also nice and easy to peel off with long wear. I wouldn’t actually be surprised if the products are pretty much (if not exactly) the same since NYC and Miss Sporty are both Coty brands.

Although the price runs a little higher on this one, you get a little bit more product for your money (9.7ml vs. 8ml) and I prefer the brush in the NYC. It’s a little longer, somewhat flat and I’m just very used to using the NYC brushes.

I got a full 48 hours wear out of this one with no chipping and it may have lasted longer if I didn’t have to peel it off.

Best of Three

For me, NYC’s Strip Me Off takes the crown. The application is easy, it gives long-lasting wear, it’s easy to peel off and it all comes at a perfectly pocket-friendly price.

If you’re currently using the MUA peel off base coat, you should throw it in the bin and buy this one. Your life will be so much easier!

Best of Three, Nail Care, Review, Uncategorised

Best of Three: Cuticle Butters

1st November 2014

23 Comments

Cuticle Butter Review // The Nailasaurus

When it comes to cuticle care, there are only a few products that I use consistently and a butter is one of them. Well, actually it’s 3 of them! There are 3 cuticle butters which contribute to my cuticle care routine and each of them serves a slightly different purpose. I know it sounds slightly ludicrous to have three seemingly identical products all for different things, but with any beauty product you always find those little differences that only you notice. Whether it’s shampoo, foundation or top coat! The cuticle butters in the running are Burt’s Bees Cuticle Cream, Lush Lemony Flutter and Nail Butter.

Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream

15g RRP £5.99. Available from Boots, Feel Unique and more.
I use it: On-the-go
As you can see, my tin of Burt’s Bees is very well worn! I carry this around everywhere with me because it’s such a convenient size and the tin is super light-weight. It has a very strong lemony scent which I think is delicious and the consistency is fairly thick but still creamy. You can definitely feel the oil in this one. I’ve found that the surface can harden up over time, which makes it difficult to pick up any of the product, so I occasionally have to stick a q-tip in there and work the product to soften it up. It’s the perfect product if your cuticles need a pick me up during the day.

Lush Lemony Flutter

50g RRP £6.75. Available from Lush online and in-store.
I use it: Sparingly before taking nail pictures
I’ve reviewed Lemony Flutter in the past and my opinion still stands – I’m definitely a casual user. I like having it around but I don’t rely on it too heavily for my cuticle health. This one lives on my desk where I do all my swatching and photographing. When used sparingly, it doesn’t leave a shiny finish so I can get away with using it around my nails just before taking pictures so that my cuticles look trim and fresh!
The scent on this one is lemony but muted with just a hint of hospital floors. The consistency is less oily than the Burt’s Bees but still nice and creamy. Like with the Burt’s Bees, this one sometimes gets a hard layer on the top but a good mix will revive it.

Nail Butter

28.35g/1oz RRP $24.00 (~£15.00). Available from Nail Butter.
I use it: In abundance just before bed
Nail Butter has had a complete makeover since I last spoke about it at the end of last year. There’s a new formula with new packaging but it’s better than ever and still the reigning champion of cuticle butters for me because it is just so moisturising.
I keep it next to my bed and use it every night before falling asleep. By that time, I’m normally too tired to spend 5 minutes massaging it in, so I just slather it on all over my nail beds and let it get to work overnight.
The new formula is absolutely incredible. It’s very silky and never gets that hard layer on the surface. It’s fairly greasy but absorbs quickly – although not as quickly as the other two. It doesn’t have the lemon scent either, the scent is almost impossible for me to describe because it’s not really like anything else. It’s not nice, not nasty, but just kinda funky! Although subtle enough that you aren’t going to smell it unless your hands are very close to your face.
Nail Butter used to come in a tin but the new packaging is a glass pot. While this is easier to keep clean and I appreciate the air-tight seal, it’s a bit too heavy to be carrying around in my bag – otherwise I would!

Best of Three

Nail Butter takes the title because it’s the one that has the most impact on the overall health of my nails and cuticles. If I could only use one cuticle butter for the rest of forever, it would be Nail Butter! While I could live without Lush Lemony Flutter, I think I’ll always keep the Burt’s Bees around because of the amazing smell and convenient size.