Olive & June Review
PREFACE: This all happened pre COVID-19 wrecking havoc on our world/country.
At the beginning of 2020, I made a promise to myself that this would be the year I learn how to DIY a manicure. The promise originally started as an effort to pad my savings a bit more. However, in light of the current world events, I couldn’t have picked a better time to learn this skill as we all do our part to stay home.
Now before you think “there is no way I could paint my own nails”, let me say I was right there with you. I was a regular at the nail salon. I went every two weeks to get a gel mani, and never thought I could give myself a salon-worthy mani.
I was skeptical when I purchased The Everything Box, but it comes with everything (hence the name) you need to learn how to master a DIY mani. The box includes your choice of six polishes, topcoat, polish remover pot, clean up brush, file, buffer, nail clippers, the poppy, and the most amazing cuticle oil you will ever use.
Plus, you can find so many resources on the O&J website and social media for how to perfect your skills. Sarah Gibson Tuttle, the CEO, is also incredibly accessible for quick questions regarding your mani. She truly cares and is invested in everyone loving their DIY mani. O&J regularly hosts Mani Masterclasses, and they are so fun. It kind of reminds me of going to the nail salon with a girlfriend to catch up.
Three things drew me to O&J over other polish companies, the polish is free of seven bad for you ingredients - dibutyl phthalate (DBP), toluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor, ethyl tosylamide, and xylene -, the long-lasting polish, and the poppy. This little device makes it possible for me to paint my non-dominant hand. There is no better way to describe the poppy than to say it is amazing and you need it if you want to master a DIY mani on both hands.
Plus, you can find so many resources on the O&J website and social media for how to perfect your skills. Sarah Gibson Tuttle, the CEO, is also incredibly accessible for quick questions regarding your mani. She truly cares and is invested in everyone loving their DIY mani. O&J regularly hosts Mani Masterclasses, and they are so fun. It kind of reminds me of going to the nail salon with a girlfriend to catch up.
Three things drew me to O&J over other polish companies, the polish is free of seven bad for you ingredients - dibutyl phthalate (DBP), toluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor, ethyl tosylamide, and xylene -, the long-lasting polish, and the poppy. This little device makes it possible for me to paint my non-dominant hand. There is no better way to describe the poppy than to say it is amazing and you need it if you want to master a DIY mani on both hands.
No kidding, I was sold after my first mani. The polish goes on so smoothly, the poppy makes it easy to stay within the lines, the cleanup brush helps remove any evidence you went a bit outside of the lines, and the how-to videos walk you through every step of prepping your nails for the best application. With minor maintenance, I can have a beautiful manicure for way less than what the salon charges.
But the thing I wasn’t expecting from using Olive & June is achieving healthy natural nails. When I go a couple of days sans polish, my hands don’t look as troll-like as they did when I skipped a few days of gel polish. You know the scrapped-up-I-just-peeled-my-gel-nails-off look. My nails are stronger than they have been in years which keeps me from wishing for a salon mani and helps me know I am doing the right thing for my nails.
Yes, there is a bit more upkeep than a salon mani. I paint mine about every 7-10 days. But, I have found painting my nails has become relaxing. And in a time when my regular beauty routine appointments have slowed down, it feels really nice to treat myself.
Now that I have the tools to do it right and do it well, I enjoy the time spent pampering myself. I’ve worked the cuticle serum into my daily routine (I keep one in my desk pen cup, so I can use it between meetings), and doing so has done wonders for my nails. I highly recommend grabbing the duo set on top of your mani kit box, so you can have one for your mani kit, one in your bag, and one at your desk.
If I was buying the Everything Box again, I’d pick CV, TT, BP, CNH, LD, and E+M as my six polishes. But since January, I have added to my collection not once, not twice, but three times.
Happy Manicures!
xx,
Linds
