When I first started blogging, I did a lot of nail polish swatches. My manicure technique improved and I really got into trying new things that I was seeing on the web. Fast-forward to 2016 as a mom and I haven’t painted my nails in almost a year. Call me crazy, but as a new mom, I was afraid of nail polish chipping if I needed to put my fingers in my baby’s mouth and I wasn’t willing to put her at risk for it. Now that she’s a little older, my paranoia has eased up (just a little) and I was ready to have pretty nails again.
When I found out about Sephora’s Formula X System ECEL, I was intrigued. A gel-like polish that could last 10 days? Really? I’ve heard of long-lasting polish, but never 10 days, and anytime I put them to the test, they usually still chipped within 48 hours of applying.
The Sephora ECEL system is a four step kit that cleanses, primes, colors and seals the nail with a plump, gel-like shine. Each bottle uses their new Xpert Strokes Brush that is wider and applies the formula with ease. It even has a curved brush tip so you paint near the cuticle with better precision. I absolutely loved the brush that these bottles use. I got no streaks and I managed to have a manicure that needed only a little bit of cleaning up around the cuticle area.
I was worried four steps would take a lot of time but it actually didn’t. The CLEANSE ECEL step removes any natural oils from the nail bed, leaving a dry canvas to start with. Oils prohibit nail polish from adhering to the nail properly. If you’ve ever had an entire “nail” off polish chip off, it’s usually because of this. This step goes really quickly. The PRIME ECEL is a keratin infused basecoat that helps the polish grip the nail better for a longer lasting manicure. This step also went on pretty quickly. You then follow with the Formula X nail polish of your choice which usually takes a bit more time because you don’t want to glop it on, and then seal the nail with SHINE ECEL that creates the ultra shiny, plump looking polish. I was sent TGIF which is a peachy color that looks fantastic for summer.
All steps are needed for best results and I’m pretty sure sticking to the Formula X polish from Sephora is a safe choice because I’m not sure this will work with other brand polishes.
Did the polish last me ten days? Unfortunately, no. But It did look pretty damn good for the first 4-5 days before I started seeing some cracks where my nails would flex a bit. Nothing chipped though! That was the crazy part!
I open packages with my nails, wash my hands about 20 times a day, type on a computer and do all sorts of things that would usually produce chipped polish within 24 hours. My nails look like I had a fresh mani for a week. A week folks! That’s pretty damn good! And I didn’t have to pay someone $25-30 to have it done. I got to do it at my home, and know that I can remove it easily when I want to.
I totally want to buy more polishes because this system works for new moms that don’t have a lot of time to keep redoing their nails. The entire system costs $32 and includes the first polish of your choice, and if you want add more colors they will run you $10.50 each. There are several colors and finishes to choose from and I’m totally going to have to grab some more so I can have pretty nails again.
