Olive & June Wild Orchid
Top pic: Fresh Mani
Bottom pic: After 7 full days of wear, fresh topcoat added on Day 4
So..... here are my thoughts: 7 days is a long time for me to wear a mani honestly. Day 6 was where it started to fall apart. It still looked good on Days 4 and 5 so I was happy with the wear since that's when my ADD kicks in and I need a fresh mani.
Value: If you don't have any nail supplies at all and are looking to get into nail painting, this is a fun set. Their starter set sells for $50 (note that this the price is not well stated on the product page and you don't see the price until you get closer to adding it to your cart) and includes the following:
However, I think it's missing a few supplies that I find super necessary:
- cuticle remover
- base coat
- dry drops since their topcoat is not a quick dry topcoat
- an AHA cuticle serum
Base Coat: First, I don't buy into the "no base coat needed" marketing, from any company. I have been an avid nail polish user/wearer for over 30 years and I can promise you, a rubberized base coat of some sort makes a world of difference if you have oily nails like I do. Olive & June's set does not come with a basecoat, since they say none is needed. I say my polish will peel off in sheets without one, so I used Orly Bonder as my base. Although they don't include a basecoat in their kit, they do offer a Primer for $10, a Strengthener for $14, or a Ridge Filler for $14.
Polish Thoughts: I did LOVE the Wild Orchid polish! I found it pigmented and easy to paint with. It covered well in 2 coats. I did not use their "Poppy" bottle handle because I am quite well-versed in holding a nail polish brush and felt like an addition would make it clumsy for me. I did see a review where an amputee used it to help hold the brush and it was amazing to see what a beautiful mani she could do on her non-amputee hand!
Top Coat: I did try their Super Glossy Top Coat, but I did note that it was not a quick dry top coat like I am used to using. I asked a popular influencer about their top coat, and she said she uses it paired with their Dry Drops to achieve a quick dry. Their Dry Drops are NOT included with the set and are an additional $10. I did try them and with their top coat, it seemed to work really well. I was impressed. But paired with the $8 Top Coat that's a total of $18..... and I honestly think there are more economical options out there.
The Cuticle Serum ($15.99 value) was nice but did not seem to have lasting effects for me- it soaked in very fast and didn't leave my cuticles looking much different. I typically use an AHA cuticle cream to keep cuticle growth and hangnails at bay.
The set also does not come with a cuticle remover, which I think is the secret to a longer lasting mani. You've got to be able to push the cuticles back and remove the excess to get a clean paint. They do sell one separately for $10.
And maybe I'm totally outing myself as a middle-aged woman, but I do feel a bit out of the loop on some of their polish names- CCT, EC, OJSM, CHM, BEB, OJBH etc. As a mom, I'm a bit worried these might mean something I don't know? Like I am using a color that's slang for something? Strange.
Final Thoughts: I will absolutely buy a shade of their polish if I see it at Target and it grabs my attention. I do feel like they are a high-quality product and $8 per shade is a good price. However, I feel like the products I typically use for base and top and cuticle care are superior and better priced.
Head over to this post, where I've detailed my favorite nail products.