Olive and June’s Mani System: Worth the Hype?
I have written about my love for Olive and June nail polish, a budget-savvy product that provides salon-quality results at home.
So when I went to their website, I was lured by their call to “Join the millions of people who have changed their nail life” by purchasing the Olive and June Mani System. (I didn’t know my nails had a life or that they needed an intervention, but I digress.) This system is a $55 set that includes all of the accessories you need to do a salon-style manicure at home, along with one polish to get you started.
Purchasing the Mani System may save you money compared to buying the products individually, since the set is a $69 value, but this set still lands in the swanky category for me. And sadly, it just isn’t worth it.
In the spirit of saving money with at-home mani’s, here’s my take on each item in Olive and June’s Mani System, along with alternatives to help you build your own SavvySwanky Mani SetTM. Enjoy!
The Poppy is a rubber bubble (think squeezable top of a turkey baster) that attaches to the cap of any of their polishes to give you a better grip and more control as you apply the polish. I found that the caps are easy to grip on their own, and only ended up using the Poppy once or twice. I would only recommend buying this if you really struggle with keeping your hand steady.
This was just a pink zip pouch when I got the system. I’m not sure if they have upgraded to a box. Either way, any simple zip pouch will do just as well for storage. (In fact, if you buy any Thrive Causemetics products, such as their amazing Brilliant Eye Brightener which I reviewed here, you could use the FREE makeup bag they send you with any order to store your mani stuff!)
Oh, I am torn on this product. I love that the serum comes in a tube, and twists up through a soft puff for simple, no-drip application. It also made my cuticles look instantly smoother and glowy. BUT I was shocked when my first tube ran out after about 3 weeks. In fact, one tube—which costs $15.99 (ack!)—contains only 0.14 oz of product. This product also requires frequent applications to keep cuticles hydrated. It’s just not worth the cost.
My favorite alternative is Sally Hansen’s Cuticle Rehab. This one is a gel/serum that comes in a squeeze tube, and dispenses through a brush, so it also provides drip-free application. It requires a quick rub-in, but then settles into cuticles with minimal residual oil. It makes my cuticles look dewy and keeps them smooth and repaired for longer than Olive and June’s serum. AND it is only about $7 for 0.29 oz of product. Twice the product for half the price. That’s my kind of math.
We have a winner! The clean up brush is a narrow paintbrush that is dipped into polish remover and then used to tidy up any polish that gets onto your cuticles. Of everything in the Mani System, this item may be the key to achieving the fresh-from-the-salon look you see in pictures on the website. I hadn’t used a clean up brush before purchasing this kit, and it has been a game-changer, allowing me to tidy up slips very close to the sides of the nail and along the cuticle without smudging my mani.
Price-wise, this product is $8 when bought on its own, but I haven’t found another one for significantly less yet. This brush is nice and stiff, so it is easy to control when cleaning up polish slips, and it keeps its shape and quality for a long time, so no frequent re-purchases are necessary.
Y’all this polish remover pot (when purchased on its own) is $10. It is a small tub that contains a sponge soaked in nail polish remover, not a magical fluid that erases my worries and does my taxes.
While the sponge in the remover pot makes for easy removal at first, it gets saturated with polish after a short while, requiring repurchase. Save your money, people. Just buy some basic non-acetone polish remover, like Up and Up’s Nail Polish Remover Solution for $1.99, and some cotton pads, like Basic Cotton Rounds Nail Polish and Makeup Remover Pads for $1.99. Easy-peasy.
The nail clipper they send with their mani system didn’t wow me at all. It is a clipper with a flat edge, which they claim is “best for trimming and shaping the nail tip with a clean finish.” While this may be the case, I like clippers that I can use to tidy up my cuticles as well, and my absolute favorite pair is Safety 1ˢᵗ Baby’s 1ˢᵗ Nail Care Clipper for $1.98.
I know—baby clippers—weird, right? I discovered these when my son was a baby and bought a pair for myself soon after. They have a wide handle for grip and control, and since they’re very sharp and precise, they can be used to trim nails and clean up my cuticles in a snap. They’re just the best!
Olive and June’s system comes now comes with a nail buffer, which was not a part of the set I received, so I’m not able to rate it. However, I am very happy with the Tropical Shine 4-Way Large Nail Buffer from Sally Beauty for $5.49. This budget-friendly buffer has 4 different surfaces (filing, smoothing, buffing, and shining), so it gives great control over the amount of buffing you want to do.
I’m not a fan of the 2-sided nail file that came with the set. Although the grit is very effective, the cushioned design was tricky since I keep my nails pretty short, and I couldn’t always get under the edges as well as I would like due to the thickness of the file. I prefer Revlon Compact Emery Boards (which come in a pack of 24!) from Ulta Beauty for $2.49. These are traditional board-style nail files that don’t shed grit and last me a long time.
Let’s Do the Math!
There you have it. My mani system comes out to about $38 (including one Olive and June nail polish). Not bad, eh? That saves you $17 from the website, which you can use to buy TWO extra Olive and June polishes–nailed it! (Check out my faves, ECC and BP.)
Shine on, lovelies!
