Disclaimer: Product featured was provided for review.
For Summer 2014, Formula X, the Sephora exclusive nail polish brand releases an innovative set of single-use nail polishes called the Press Pods. The Formula X Press Pods ($47 CAD) come with 24 nail colors in single-use capsules that contain enough polish for full two-coat manicures.Curious? I sure was when I first heard about these! Yesterday I gave them a try, so if you want to see some swatches and my review, click.......
-24 individual single-use manicure capsules, each actually contains way more than enough (1 ml) polish for one full manicure (I had about half of the polish left over after doing both hands)
-Variety of shades including creams, metallics, frosts, and shimmers
-Each capsule comes with built-in-brush
-The capsule is made with a squeezable plastic material and the bottom is sealed with a piece of packaging foil
Simply snap off the cap of the capsules, revealing the built-in-brush. To dispense the polish, simply squeeze the bottle to release the product from the pod.
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| Formula X Nail Polish in "Prism" |
The cap of the capsule pops of very easily and the brush it comes with is decent. The two issues I had with the design is that one, the capsule material is quite stiff. It takes some pressure to release the polish from the pod; this isn't a big issue when I use my right (dominant) hand to paint my left hand, but when I am using my left hand, it was somewhat challenging to dispense the polish from the capsule. Secondly the way the polish comes out of the capsule doesn't always end up on the tip of the brush (the brush itself is not a problem though). I constantly end up with a huge drop of polish in the middle of the brush. This wasn't much of an issues for me but for those who struggle with cuticle flooding and achieving nice clean lines around the cuticle, this may be an challenge.
Formulation:
So far I have tried one color, "Prism", a gorgeous bright aquamarine frost (I know I said I don't like frosts but I kind of love this one). The polish was quite easy to work with but I did flood my cuticle a couple times due to the design of the brush/capsule. The color was opaque in two coats and the finish was very glossy.
Further Comments on Packaging Design:
As I noted earlier, there was quite a bit of polish in the pod, way more than you would need for one complete, two-coat manicure. After I painted both my hands with "Prism", I still had about half-capsule of the polish left. It kind of felt like a waste to just throw away the rest, so I really wish that the caps can be put back on, which brings me to my next point.
Another packaging improvement can be made on the cap. The cap cannot be replaced back onto the brush as the opening is too small, so as you can imagine, the brush will dry out very quickly if you do not use it for a small period of time. As a result, you really don't have time to wait for the polish on one hand to dry before moving to the other hand, which may cause some smudges and dents on your freshly painted mani. I recommend doing one coat on one hand and doing one coat on the other, then going back to do the second coat.
Finally, the capsules are really quite small. I can hold it and paint with my right hand no problem, but when using it with my left hand, I had a really hard time because the small size really doesn't give any leverage or control. |
| Formula X Nail Polish in "Prism", two coats with no top coat. |
Pros:
-Perfect for travel
-A variety of 24 shades to try out
-Contains a lot of polish, more than enough for one manicure
Cons:
-Small size of capsule makes it hard to paint the nails with precision and control
-The cap cannot be put back on, which means the brush cannot be protected from drying in between manicures
-The polish doesn't dispense very evenly, usually concentrates at the root and the middle of the brush, as opposed to the tip
Overall:
I have seen a lot of mixed reviews on this set and now having used it myself and bumped into a few challenges, I still have to say that I quite like these. Being a polish fanatic, getting to try 24 polishes in one set is an absolute dream! I love the color variety and I like that they are super travel-friendly. I can simply pop a handful of these in my makeup bag if I decide to go somewhere and still want to do my nails. In my opinion, though, these are really made for girly get-togethers or sleepovers where everyone can do each other's nails and everyone can sport a different color!
Availability:
The Formula X Press Pods are available online at in stores at Sephora.
Have you spotted these in Sephora? What are your thoughts, is this set something you would invest it? Let me know in the comments below!
