I am notoriously bad at doing my own nails. Whether the nail polish bubbles or it wrinkles overnight or ends up chipping within 24 hours, I have never been able to achieve an at-home manicure that I’m not embarrassed to have on. And it’s not for a lack of trying: I do all the prep work, I’ve tried the at-home gel kits, I’ve even attempted the cold water quick-dry hack—nothing seems to remedy how truly terrible I am at doing my own nails. I’d come to the conclusion that I’m just the type that’ll need to dish out $50 every few weeks when I wanted my nails painted.
I came across Dazzle Dry a couple of months ago and was intrigued. I’ve spent my fair share on impulse buys trying to avoid yet another trip to the nail salon, though, so I held off a few more weeks before purchasing. But when I saw none other than the Duchess of Sussex herself, Meghan Markle, post about Dazzle Dry, I knew I had to give it a try.
I’ll cut to the chase here: this stuff actually works. I followed the instructions implicitly (which, quite frankly, didn’t involve doing a whole lot of anything I wasn’t already doing) and ended up with a perfect manicure in just 30 minutes. And, for the true test of longevity, I went to bed not long after, fearing I’d wake up with the ubiquitous wrinkly nails that happen after not letting your nail polish dry enough or applying it in too thick a layer. But, to my amazement, my nails still looked pristine—and they continued to do so for the next week.
Dazzle Dry comes in a five-part system (you can buy nail polish colors separately, but it’s recommended for best results to use the entire system) that consists of a prepping liquid, base coat, lacquer, top coat, and a bottle of their revive formula that brings goopy nail polish back to life. Like I said, there’s not much here that I wasn’t already doing. I previously washed my nails thoroughly before painting and applied a base coat and top coat in addition to my nail color. The biggest difference in the system itself was the addition of the nail prep, which seems like a rubbing alcohol mixture that’s designed to clear all oil off the nail.
I followed this video tutorial from the Dazzle Dry website. I scrubbed my nails with a brush, warm water, and gentle soap, then gave them a swipe with the nail prep solution on a cotton pad. After that, I applied the first layer of the Dazzle Dry base coat, which dried pretty instantaneously. After I’d gotten done with all ten fingers I gave them maybe one-two more minutes to dry to apply the second layer.
The base coat did have a bit of a learning curve, not because it was difficult to apply, but because the polish was pretty cloudy right out of the box, and the tutorial is explicit in that the base coat polish needs to be 100% clear before applying. To do this, I submerged the bottle partially in a small bowl of warm water. Low and behold, within a few minutes the base coat was totally clear and ready to go.
The Prima Ballerina color I used is very light, marketed as a great base coat for a French manicure. This is after one coat. After two coats, it gives the perfect barely-there nail that was exactly what I was going for. Featuring my rescue dog because maybe I am slowly becoming Meghan?
The second layer of the base coat dried as quickly as the first, but I gave it an extra five minutes just to be 100% sure both layers had completely dried (can you tell I’m a bit scarred from waking up with bubbly/wrinkly nails in the past?). Applying the nail lacquer was just as easy as any other polish. I scraped the excess polish off the brush and applied easily, with the brush gliding over my nail effortlessly. The finish immediately looked smooth, free of any bubbles. I was worried it might dry too fast and make it difficult to correct any errors after seeing how quickly the base coat dried, but I didn’t have any issues with that. I gave my first coat of nail lacquer a full five minutes before moving on to the second coat, and they were fully dry by that time. The second coat of polish was just as easy to apply as the first.
After just a few (and by a few I really do mean like 2-3) minutes of drying time following the second coat of lacquer, I applied a single layer of the top coat. It didn’t pick up any residue of the lacquer, so I was pretty sure the nails had completely dried and I didn’t need to worry about sleeping on them after the top coat dried. Still, though, I was pretty amazed when I woke up the next morning to see my nails in perfect condition.
My one caveat with the Dazzle Dry system is that it only claims to last a week—which it did live up to—but that doesn’t match the two weeks I could previously get out of a gel or dip manicure. However, I’ve become concerned with exposing my hands to UV consistently without protection, so in addition to the price of a traditional manicure, I was transitioning away from gel anyways. The entire Dazzle Dry system costs as much as one manicure would, and with as quick as the whole process is, it’s not a deal breaker that I have to do my nails every week instead of every two weeks. While my fingernails did start chipping at the one week mark, my toenails are still in perfect condition nearly three weeks in.
With all of that being said, I’m ready to toss my plethora of old nail polishes in the trash. I started out with a handful of Dazzle Dry shades that are a bit too bold for me, and I’ve already purchased two more that I think will become my go-to colors year-round. Just call me Megs.
Hannah Jones is the Commerce Editor for Country Living. Her eye is always on the next up-and-coming products to include in gift guides and she’s ready to test everything from dog beds to garden tools for product reviews. When she’s not scoping out the latest and greatest items on the market, you can find her hanging with her two rescue dogs.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
