AAAARGH my apologies for this...I have just realised that I posted this review under the Sainsburys nail polish remover! I can't read! I'm talking about the Superdrug nail polish remover...I'm an idiot!


INTRODUCTION

I am officially a nail polish addict. I have over 40 colours (I attempted to count them today and gave up at 40!) and they clog up my fridge as I desperately attempt to keep them at their best.

Until recently I went to a school which didn't allow nail varnish (punishable by detention and being made to take it off with some horrible propanone from the science labs which burned your fingers) and now in my part time job I work with food and so nail varnish isnt allowed. These circumstances unfortunately don't go very well with my addiction and so I find myself constantly applying nail varnish and then having to take it off quickly the next morning for work!

I go through around 3 bottles of remover a month, and for a year now I have been buying this one, Superdrug nail polish remover with conditioner. So why have I settled on this brand?

WHAT IS IT?

Its a nail polish remover! Use it to take off nail polish! Or as it says on the back of the bottle:

'Quickly and easily removes all traces of nail varnish. Specially formulated with Glycerin, known for its condtionng qualities'.

Basically, what I want from a remover is something that isn't going to struggle to get my polish off, a difficult job seeing as I regularly wear bright reds and dark reds and blacks, known for being tough to get off! I also want it to last a while and be super super cheap seeing as I'm going to be going through so much of the stuff. Lastly, i want it to leave my nails in decent condition. I find that this stuff is the business! So why?

FIRST OF ALL, THE SAFETY ADVICE

Standard stuff, first of all, ITS FLAMMABLE! So don't throw it on a fire or anything and you should be alright.

Don't apply it on a cut or broken skin or anything, because it will sting. A lot.

Don't let it get in your eyes, that can't be good. And don't drink it (sorry if I ruined your plans there!). Keep it away from your kids in case they are tempted to do either of these things.

Its no good to be used on false nails apparently, maybe is dissolves them or something, I don't know I've never tested it!

Lastly, avoid contact with anything polished or painted and synthetic materials, it will stain and possibly remove some colour a bit like a weak bleach. I personally haven't spilt it on anything material but I guess it wouldn't be good.

I did however discover a new use for this stuff. It quite nicely removes permanent marker from wooden doors (don't ask, very long story...)

Also, if you have a fake tan disaster, a little nail varnish remover can neaten streaks up lovely, although it stings (a lot).

AND NOW THE INGREDIENTS

Acetone, aqua, glycerin, methylparaben, BHT, DMD hydantoin, benzophenone-1, PEG 75, lanolin, Cl 42090, Cl 17200.

I don't know what half of this stuff is, except that acetone and lanolin are always in nail varnish remover, aqua is obvious, and glycerin is what they said before gives the conditioning properties.

PACKAGING

Plain and simple. Its a clear 250ml plastic bottle which contains the lilac solution. On the front in black font it says 'superdrug nail polish remover with conditioner' and on the back there are directions for use, and care and safety advice, plus the ingredients. The lid screws off loosely and easily.

I personally quite like thr packaging even though it's quite plain. The lilac solution that you can see through the transparent bottle is really quite a pretty colour and I find the simplicity of it quite appealing, at least you know you aren't paying purely for gaudy packaging. No idea how good it is to recycle though!

DIRECTIONS FOR USE

The way that I find works best is if you put a little of the solution on some cotton wool, and hold it on the nail for about ten seconds before wiping it gently over the nail. Holding it on seems to soften the polish quickly and saves you rubbing away for ages to get stubborn polish off. You should probably wash your hands afterwards as this stuff isnt pleasant smelling (or tasting, if you accidently stuck your fingers in your mouth after!).

DOES IT WORK?

Pretty much yeah, it gets rid of my polish quickly and with minimal effort, most removers tend to struggle with red colours and leave your nails a weird pink colour, but this one doesn't. It does struggle a bit with stubborn bits on the side of the nail though.

I don't know about the 'conditioning' claims, as my nails don't feel any different than if I hadn't used it really, but I suppose if it didn't contain the conditioner it would dry out the nails. It dries quickly on the nails but if you get any on your skin it can feel a bit sticky and nasty!

WHATS IT LIKE TO USE?

It smells horrible, like, well, remover! Its that nasty acetone smell that stinks out the room, but this is the same for every brand really. I don't get spillage all over the floor like with other ones (maybe I'm just a bit more coordinated these days!) and generally I like it a lot!

WOULD I RECOMMEND IT?

I would, because for a super cheap price it last for ages and gets the job done without drying out my nails, which is what I'm looking for!

PRICE

A bottle is just 99p from superdrug and last for quite a long time, longer than the cutex bottles or remover pads, Great value for money then, considering I resent paying for stupid things like nail varnish remover when i could be buying more fun things like clothes...

AVAILABILITY

Limited unfortunately as it is a superdrug own brand product, so it can only be found there! Unfortunately this also means I can't get any Boots advantage points for it, what a shame. It will be sitting next to all of the other removers and is easy to find, its the lilac one!

MY OVERALL RATING

8/10 for a great price, it does a decent job and I consider it to be value for money. I would highly recommend it over a more expensive brand.