OK, so Nic’s Sticks have caused quite the buzz in the beauty world and beyond in the past few months. The convenient little tubes even made their way onto Oprah during her Favorite Things for Summer episode last month. Before Oprah, and before the buzz, I wanted to try them out because they claim to make it easier for those of us who are polish-impaired, to paint our nails. I am horrible at painting my own nails, and I always have been. If you had footage of me trying to do this when I was 12 and fast forwarded to me now, I would probably do just as badly. My hand shakes, my fingers can’t grasp the wand...and this is with my right hand (and I, of course, am right-handed), so you can only imagine the disaster I deal with when trying to paint with the left.
Nic’s Sticks have the polish inside the stick, so there’s no guesswork as to how much paint you’re putting on the brush. No goop running down the sides, and no crusty polish bottle to deal with in the months after. Nic’s Sticks are pretty brilliant because they do everything they promise to do, and come in a bevy of colors. I’d like to see a little more variety when it came to the colors (they’re all pretty flat), but more on that later.
I used Nic’s Sticks on my toes, as painting my own nails is still murky waters. Following the instructions, I shook the stick (while it’s closed, obviously), in the same manner one would shake a bottle of polish. I opened it, and with a slight squeeze, you could already see the color on the “brush,” so I started painting. Every time you give the tube a squeeze, the perfect amount of polish comes out, so you’re never left cleaning up tons of polish from the edge of your nail bed. One thing I noticed is because the tube is thick, it’s easier to maneuver than a tiny brush. You can get a good grip, making the process less shaky (at least for me), which results in even color that is smooth. I have a problem with streaking in my polish (how the manicurists cover an entire nail is three smooth strokes is beyond me), but because Nic’s Sticks distribute the color for you, this gets rid of that problem. The container makes it virtually impossible to make a mess, so if you travel a lot, it’s great for keeping with you for quick touch-ups. I was watching tv after I painted my toes, so I didn’t notice if they dried any faster than usual, but reports from a friend and a few beauty sites have agreed that the Nic’s Sticks polish formula dries faster than your standard nail polish.
It’s been about a week, but my at-home pedi is still going strong, which is good because, while you do need the occasional professional pedicure during the summer, I always feel like I’m wasting money since I’ll be back in the water or in strappy sandals within a day of getting it (both which wreck my feet). Between cushy socks, some mad foot cream, and Nic’s Sticks, I can do nearly as good of a job...and save some cash for a rainy day.
Try out the color possibilities on a virtual hand in your own skin tone at www.nicolebyopi.com/tryiton.html.
Visit www.nicolebyopi.com for more info.
Written by: Samantha Cabrera
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