Give Your Nails & Hands the LOVE they Deserve Between Manicures !

Yes, I know ! ALL OPI products !!!!

We all LOVE getting manicures, the whole process is luxurious from the polishing to the massage ! And now you can bring that feeling home with these Hand & Nail Care products from OPI !

Starting at the back with Avoplex High Intensity hand & Nail Cream

Straight from OPI: Envelops severely overworked hands in protective butters, OPI's Advanced Avocado Lipid Complex, and a unique deep penetrating hydrolyzed protein that binds with skin and nails to lock moisture within. With repeated use the result is a dramatic increase in elasticity for softer, smoother hands and more flexible nails .

Directions: Use at least twice a day after handwashing and especially before exposure to harsh conditions.

My thoughts:

SMELL : The fragrance isn't over-bearing, it smells slightly perfume-y [yes, thats a word according to me] and is creamy and luxurious.

FEELING/TEXTURE : This cream glides on smoothly and isn't very thick. I think the consistency is perfect !

QUALITY: This is a high-end product, with a matching price. I feel that it delivers on all promises made and if you're looking for a luxury hand cream I would recommend this product 100%. It leaves your hands feeling supple and smooth :)

PERFORMANCE: Again, OPI delivers on their promises of increased hydration and flexibility.

WHY YOU NEED IT : If you are someone who goes for manicures or nail enhancements often. WHY? I bet you didn't know that the cheap lotion you've been using has been causing your manicures/enhancements to break down pre-maturely. Many cheaper lotions and creams are formulated using many different types of oils and other ingredients which negatively impact the life of your manicure/enhancement. Avoplex has been formulated for use as at-home-care with these services. If your nails are dehydrated and brittle your polish is more likely to chip or peel off, when you keep your nails hydrated they stay flexible so that you're manicure will live for a few extra days. EVEN if you aren't a frequent manicure/enhancement client your hands, nails and skin can still reap the benefits from Avoplex High Intensity Hand & Nail Cream with daily use.

PRICE : 

This product retails for 

50mL C$10.95

120 mL C$19.95

In front of the cream we find, Avoplex Exfoliating Cuticle Treatment
Before I get into product spefications I would like to talk about the cuticle, what it is and why we remove it.


The Cuticle is made up of dead skin cells from the folds of skin surrounding the nail unit. Cuticle is non-living. Cuticle is NOT pterygium (which is an over growth of skin cells). Cuticle is NOT the eponychium (which is living skin surrounding the base of the nail unit). Cuticle is NOT ‘true cuticle’ as opposed to false cuticle, it IS cuticle.If the cuticle is not regularly removed or rubbed off in some way, then it will build up and stick together until it almost looks like a membrane which is growing from under the eponychium … but it is not growing and it is not living, it is just building up until such time as it is removed...So, now that we cleared that up let's start talking about this wonderful product !

Straight from OPI: This unique blend of natural alpha hydroxy acids and OPI's revolutionary Avocado Lipid Complex eliminates dry, rough cuticles while replenishing essential moisture and lipids. Light cucumber-citrus scent. Massage onto cuticles several times weekly. For best results, leave on for 3-5 minutes.

SMELL: Exactly as described, a cucumber citrus scent!
FEELING/TEXTURE: It's a light cream that's slightly oily.
QUALITY: I use this on myself and for all manicures, I love it and it definitely works. If you have excessive cuticle build up you may want to apply a little more generously.

PERFORMANCE: It does the job that it's supposed to. Again, if you have excessive cuticle built up you may need to apply more liberally and possibly again after some cuticle has been removed.

WHY YOU NEED IT: As explained, the cuticle is made up of non-living tissue. Removing the cuticle is mostly for beautification and for longer wearing polish and enhancements it's best to start with a fresh nail bed with little to no cuticle left attached. If nail prep is done incorrectly enhancements may start lifting and breaking down, polish may not wear as smoothly or last as long. This is a great product for you to use in between manicures, NOT a frequent salon visiter? That's ok, you can still use this product to remove the dead tissue from your nail beds to make your DIY manicures last much longer and have nicer looking nails !

PRICE:
This product retails for
30 mL C$15.95

And in front of the exfoliater we have Avoplex Nail & Cuticle Replenishing Oil
Which now ALSO comes in this convenient pen applicator ! Perfect to throw in your purse!

Straight from OPI: Rich in therapeutic, skin-loving Avocado oil in combination with super antioxidant Tocotrienol--1000 times more powerful than regular Vitamin E -- plus feather-light Grape Seed, Sunflower, Sesame, Kukui Nut Oils amd Lecithin to restore essential moisture and lipids and nourish dry cuticles! Ideal for rough elbows and heels, too!
Directions: Massage into cuticles 1-3 times daily as needed.

SMELL: Out of all the products mentioned here, this one smells the BEST! In my opinion anyways, it smells delicious ! Like a high-end hair serum... Its a slightly fruity scent, a little sweet too !

FEELING/TEXTURE: It's an oil... Not much to say here, it's oily... Apply too much of the drops and it might take a while to rub in... 

QUALITY: Absolutely LUXURIOUS ! This is one product I cannot live without ! Another perfect product for in-between manicures !

PERFORMANCE: Ok so you put it on & rub it in, I'll put a picture at the bottom with the before & after of using all of these products on my boyfriend... Who let's face it , had some pretty nasty nails to start with...
WHY YOU NEED IT : Ok, so now I've probably got you all confused... Why should we be moisturizing our cuticles if it's non-living skin. Well bad product naming/labelling is the answer.. As I'm in school to become an Esthetician we learn the anatomy of the nail and the cuticle is MOST DEFINITLEY NON-LIVING tissue, so really this product should be called eponychium oil, but that doesn't really sound so great does it ? Again this product helps with the flexibility and hydration of the nail, it helps polish last longer and won't cause service break-down on your costly enhancements. It can also help prevent those unsightly hang-nails, and can be used ANYWHERE your skin is super dry and screaming for hydration!

PRICING:

Avoplex Nail & Cuticle Oil [glass dropper bottle]
7.5 mL C$10.95

15 mL C$22.50

Avoplex Cuticle Oil To GO [convenient pen format]

7.5mL C$9.95

And finally, the BE ALL END ALL of High Performance Shiner/Buffers and the product I've been asked about time and time again !! The OPI FLEX GREEN/WHITE 1000/4000 Shiner and NEW! The FLEX VIOLET/WHITE 1000/4000 Shiner XL !

First a little WARNING for my nail beginners <3 ONLY use this file on DRY product FREE nails ! If you are going to use this in conjunction with any of the products mentioned above be sure to use the SHINER FIRST !! Using this file on nails with oil will cause the SHINER's exterior to break down and you will have to replace it much sooner than with proper use.

So here is the OPI Description of the GREEN Shiner, Buffs nails and enhancements to a brilliant, glass-like shine. And for the VIOLET SHINER: Extra-thick, firm buffer for a high shine in record time.

Let me just say WOW do these things WORK !! Gone are the days wandering around the mall being POKED AND PRODDED by pushy sales people.. Oh give me your hand , I want to show you something.. Pushy sales person puts these 'so called FANCY' products on one nail, pulls out a 4-way buffer and shows you an amazing glass like finish, but only on one finger and says well now all of your nails can look like this if you buy such and such introductory offer of $69.95 for this amazing kit.. Sorry if you've been had by these sales people, but I'm here to tell you now that you can achieve the SAME result with this ONE product...

This file is washable [using a nail brush and antiseptic soap gently wash the nail dust off of the file and let it sit on a paper towel to dry ! They are obviously re-usable, but eventually will need to be replaced.

How to use this product, ALWAYS Start with Washed & Dried Hands.. If you've just gotten out of the shower you should wait before buffing your nails as they are porous and become thin and you may not get the desired result ! Make sure you are sitting properly where you can rest your elbow so that you can buff faster for better results... 

As with all files you always start with the lower number [higher grit] working your way to the higher number [lower grit] This is to say that a file with a 180 grit is VERY course and isn't used on natural nails very often due to the roughness, where as these files are a 1000/4000 grit very soft, never damaging.. So you would start with the coloured side of the file and the thinner portion of the file concentrating your strokes around the perimeter of the nail. The longer and faster your strokes the better and more area of the nail you're covering. 

Then you can use the wide side concentrating on the larger part of your nail, the area, if you will. Once you have completed all steps on all 10 fingers you can FLIP the file and do the exact same thing with the white side. And if done correctly you should have nails that look like they have a clear coat on !! If you haven't achieved the result you wanted you may want to spend a little more time with the first side of the file, don't beat yourself up, it can take a few times before you get your technique down ! Have fun trying and practice on your girlfriends !

PRICING !
Around C$7.50 for 1

AND AS PROMISED !! A before & after picture with all products mentioned here used !

If you have any questions about anything you've seen here, or any other OPI products, or you would like to purchase something mentioned here you can contact me on Facebook HERE [personal] or HERE [theglamlife on FB] Send me an E-Mail HERE [glamarissa@live.ca] or drop a comment below !
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