A great French manicure set (L'Oreal French Manicure Kit)

Member Name: dippykitty

Product:	L'Oreal French Manicure Kit
Date:	29/04/09 (88 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Looks natural, easy applications, lasts for a good few days

Disadvantages: Doesn't last for the claimed 7 days

have never had much luck on the French manicure front as most of the sets that I have used have made it difficult to paint the tips of my nails properly. I was swayed by this particular kit, as the white polish promised an angled tip, which should make it easier to get a professional looking application. As with most kits, there are two nail polishes included, so I am going to discuss them both separately to weigh up their plus and minus points.

*** The White Nail Polish***
This needs to be applied first, unlike in other kits. The brush is indeed a precision angle one, which I find a lot easier to use. I usually use the tip of the brush to help me draw a line across the tip of my nail and then fill in the rest of the tip after this. Doing it this way can take quite a while but after trial and error it is the best way for me personally to paint the nail tips. Shake well before opening the bottle as the colour does seem to have a tendency to separate and then looks uneven and unnatural when it goes onto your nail tips. It dries fairly quickly, so you should be able to go to the second stage of the French manicure within a few minutes unless you have applied a thick layer of polish.

***The Pastel Pink Nail Polish***
This needs to be applied after the white polish on the tips, and you can paint it over the white tips without it affecting their appearance (assuming that you have allowed the white polish to draw properly first). It is a natural looking pale pink polish and does not look at all unnatural when it is on your nails. This does not have an angled brush and is just your regular nail polish brush. Once applied, it gives a nice glossy finish to your nails.

***The Price***
Mine was a gift, but looking at the Boots website, you can expect to pay around £5.86 for the kit.

***Overall Thoughts***
I really like how my nails look after using this. My nails look great even though my application skills are not the best. Despite this, I do have one gripe. The box claims that the pink polish should last for up to seven days, and this is not the case for me. After three days, it is starting to chip. The tips of my nails started to chip before this, and I had to retouch them after a day and a half. This is probably because I spend a lot of typing for my work (DooYoo reviews don't help in that respect either!) and my nails are likely to be catching on the computer keys a lot in any given day. Even without this, I don't think that this would last for more than a few days before starting to look a mess as it comes off so I am sceptical on those claims. That aside, this is the best French manicure set that I have used.

Summary: There are cheaper options but this is my favourite