OPINail Envy, Nail Strengthening Treatment

I read many of the reviews prior to my purchase. So I was prepared. Yes, it comes out a bit on the thick side, but it dries fine. Also, AND THIS IS HUGE - each coat needs to dry completely before the next coat. I don’t have much patience in this day and age either, but you need to wait. This is only 2 coats, no top coat. Back story: I have had on acrylics for over 20+ years. I couldn’t live without my pink n whites, as I called them. Took them off recently and it was six weeks of peeling, splitting & thin nails. I felt naked and my nails were so sensitive, like nerves when exposed. I stuck it out though. I like some natural/pinkish color, on my nails. Hate them plain. This color is BEAUTIFUL! ...and with patience and my readers on, i did my toes and fingernails by myself. Looks almost like gel, but it’s not. So happy now!

Definitely strengthens nails.

As the daughter of a nail technician and soon-to-be-certified nail technician myself, I would definitely recommend this product to anyone whose nails have become brittle from constant acrylic nails, gel nails, and etc.In my case, I have noticed that my nails have improved thanks to this product; considering how the gel and acrylic nails I had torn off before finding this miracle nail strengthener ruined my nails to the point that they were yellow and extremely breakable.The only downside of this otherwise great product would be that after applying two coats you have to wait at least an hour or so before you can do any activities that may include your nails like washing the dishes because otherwise, the polish will mess up. But that's the usual wait time for any regular polish so it's not much of adownside.

Since this is a colored nail treatment, I'll review it both as a treatment and a polish.As a nail treatment, OPI Nail Envy is fine. I have one nail with a cracking/peeling tip. I've been using Sally Hansen Hard as Nails, which was doing a great job at keeping my nail stronger and therefore longer, though I still get minor wear in the weak point of the tip after about 3 days without re-application. OPI Nail Envy performs exactly the same, though the retail price is 3-4 times of the Sally Hansen. If all you're looking for is a nail strengthener, I would recommend trying the cheaper option first.Instead, I bought this product because I wanted a good sheer baby pink polish. I had a lot of trouble finding sheer pink polish that doesn't streak, and saw on a Youtube live swatch that this dries without streaks in one coat. The blogger also mentioned that it appears to be more colored and less streaky than the OPI Bubble Bath polish, and that's what convinced to me to shell out the extra dollars. It really worked. The color is a pale, milky pink, which is lighter than my skin tone but still sheer and clean-looking. When I first applied one coat, it looked streaky, but it quickly dried to an even color. One coat makes for a beautiful and super fast manicure.However, because this is not a normal nail polish, there are some defects. This stuff showed every ridge on my nails. The worst thing is that two coats take FOREVER to dry properly. On two separate nights, I painted my nails with two coats (resting for 10-30 min in between), then waited for another 30-60 min before going to bed, and still woke up with at least 3 badly smudged/dented nails. I didn't want to use a top coat with it, but I guess it would help.

My last mani I used 1 coat of Pink 2 Envy, as a base, 2 coats Bubble Bath and topcoat. It lasted over 2 weeks without chipping/cracking/lifting. I have been using Nail Envy products since removing my acrylics when the nail salons closed last year without any issues/damage/staining of my natural nails. As a former acrylic nail addict (pre-Covid), I can honestly say that the polish keeps my nails fairly close to the strength of acrylic which protects them from breakage and is definitely stronger than gel alone. You definitely do need the topcoat with that many layers of Nail Envy to seal it in. It takes the same amount of drying time or maybe a little less than regular nail polish. I just bought my 2nd bottle of Pink 2 Envy; the first bottle lasted over 6 months with 2 to 4 coats per application, and the product did not degrade with using nail polish thinner. The Pink 2 Envy is the same color as Opi natural nail base coat (just the tiniest hint of color). It is a little pricey, but definitely worth it.

I like plain Nail Envy so I’m trying Bubble Bath for color. This is a neutral blush pink, very understated and good for everyday. The down side is difficulty of application because it does not self-level, therefore one coat or three but not two. One coat streaked but low key, two coats streaked and ratty looking, and three coats full cover but slow to dry. By day two, barely any shine but at least my nail damage is hidden. Three stars because it does help nails albeit too expensive and laborious.

I stopped getting gel manicures because of Covid 19 closing nail salons. I was looking for a polish that might be a bit thicker than usual and might last at least a week without chipping. I work in healthcare and sanitize or wash my hands 12 times an hour on average. I stumbled onto this OPI product on Amazon by accident. THIS STUFF IS AMAZING. I wasn't looking to grow out my nails, just wanted a polish that didn't chip. However, my nails have grown like never before, and I haven't broken a nail or chipped my polish since I starting using this product over 3 weeks ago. I am stunned. I apply 2 coats the first day, then 1 coat on day two. I go 2 or 3 days before I apply another thin coat, and continue on every 2 or 3 days for seven to ten days. I even use regular polish in between layers of the clear pink strengthener and it still works! Highly recommend.