Beauty Beat - Manicure In An Instant?

Believe it or not, I read Consumer Reports. The reasons are too many to explore here since my goal is to talk about instant manicures and to focus on one in particular by Avon.

My point in mentioning Consumer Reports is that I read a review of the Avon Instant Manicure Dry Nail Enamel Strips in the October 2006 issue of their esteemed magazine. Consumer Reports did not give the Avon Instant Manicure a "hands down winner" score. As always, they pointed out any challenges consumers might have with the product.

After I read the CR review I talked to several of my friends who were into manicures. One of my friends had actually tried the product and agreed that it had pros and cons. The concept behind the Avon Instant Manicures is that there is no application of polish which cuts the application of the nails down quite a bit.

Anyone who loves fingernail polish like I do, understands the irritation of waiting for them to dry either naturally or with the help of the little dryers. There is nothing more horrifying than to walk out with a brand new mani/pedi to get an instant scratch, scrape or goof. I've had it happen and there are no other words but it sucks.

The Avon Instant Manicures come with polish already applied and the nails are applied to real or acrylic fingernails. The challenges, according to my friend, are getting them positioned properly and trying to realign the nails after they are applied. Also, sometimes the Avon nails are not the same width as the base fingernails which can be a challenge as well.

How long do these instant manicures last? It depends. CR made a point of saying that some wearers got up to 2 weeks out of them but others only 3-4 days before they chipped. My friend got 5 days the first time and 8 days the second. Overall she liked the product for what it did. If you love going to the salon, the Avon product costs in the range of $8-10 plus any shipping and handling. Compare that to what you pay for your own time, nail polish or a visit to the nail salon and make your own evaluation of the value of the Avon manicure.

Other nail companies are getting into the In-An-Instant act. Of course the 1 Minute Manicure has been around for quite some time and was created by a nail tech.

Recently the Nicole nail polish company announced their polish pens which can be used to instantly paint on nail polish which is said to also dry instantly. I can't wait to get my hands on those nail pens. If nothing else, they sound like lots of fun. I am also addicted to my 1 Minute Manicure in the new chocolate aroma.

So what's next? A pill you take that grows painted finger nails overnight. Hmmmm...what a concept.