Treat Love & Color Strengthener – Laven-dearly

2 Reviews

1. 

   jealousSeagull7

   Reply

   Tried 2 coats vs 1 coat. 1 coat looks much nicer, letting some pink of the nail through without going too whitish. There is a subtle shimmer that you can see in direct sunlight. Used for a clean, natural mani with one coat essie TLC Laven-dearly as base, 1 coat Zoya Naked Manicure Lavender Perfector (a very clear/sheer lavender tint), Seche Vite topcoat.
   Can’t speak to treatment payoff as I haven’t used it consistently, but I like the idea of a double duty basecoat and like this sheer, clean look.

2. 

   outlyingOryx7

   Reply

   I had been curious about this product for a while, and when I found it marked down from it’s original $10 price tag, I figured I’d give it a go.

   It’s supposed to help dry, brittle nails in a week’s time. I’m not sure about that. Essie has never been a brand that performs like a champ for me. It’s okay, but I’ve always had better results from cheaper brands like Sinful Colors or comparable brands (price-wise) like Orly or OPI. Essie has come to be a brand that will get my attention, but I’ll be looking at Sinful Colors, Orly and OPI first, and then I’ll see what Essie has to offer.

   I like that this is a base coat that can be worn alone and it’s supposed to have brightening pigments, kind of like a BB cream, but for nails. As something akin to a BB cream, it’s pretty good. Just one coat and my nails look brighter and a bit healthier. Two coats, and even more so. With the second coat, the pearliness comes out and in some lighting my nails look a bit like the inside of a seashell, for what that’s worth. It’s subtle, though, so I like it for low-key polish.

   The contents are faintly lavender with a tiny hint of pearl to them, doing a nice job of concealing yellowing due to wearing nail polish most of the time. It actually makes a better difference on my nails than some other pale/sheer/pearl nail polishes, and it is a much nicer result than some other brands’ sheer tinted polishes which I’ve tried in years past. This is basically what I was hoping for in a sheer, tinted product, so I’m very pleased with it. I don’t even care if it strengthens my nails or makes them less brittle (it would be a nice occurrence, however, if it did) but I like that this makes my naked nails look nicer and I can easily apply one coat in a hurry for prettier nails on the fly. (Dry time is okay; it’s pretty speedy for a single coat, but a second coat stays a bit tacky for slightly longer than I’d like.)

   Since it’s a basecoat, I know it will at least make my nails somewhat less likely to chip. But for the prettier, brighter nails I get after applying this, I love it enough that I’d consider repurchasing. At full price, no less.