Of all the beauty treatments I’ve tried in the name of this job, never have I ever gotten a gel manicure. The longer-lasting manicure every other week, though my nails are usually completely chipped that second week in between appointments. Back in July, I went to a Tweezerman event at Majesty’s Pleasure, which, though it sounded like a sex-toy shop, was actually a nail salon in the heart of Flatiron. When I got there, I discovered that the salon used only a single brand of regular polish: Dazzle Dry.
I wasn’t really impressed by the packaging or the quick-dry claims, both of which reminded me of something I’d see watching QVC with my grandmother. Still, I was impressed by the shade range and selected a bottle of Red Hot Chili, an orangey-red that was a dead ringer for Essie’s discontinued Clambake. As the nail tech applied five coats to my nails — two base, two color, one top coat — I noticed each layer dried completely matte. When she was done, my nails looked great, but as I walked out of the salon, I was sure they were going to peel after my first shower.
Two weeks later — which I had spent going to the beach and swimming in my parents’ pool — miraculously, my manicure was still perfectly intact. I immediately called in the Dazzle Dry system to see if it was a fluke or if I could actually replicate the results at home. There are over 150 shades to choose from, but I stuck with Red Hot Chili (for science). Sitting at the kitchen table, I could really appreciate the quick-dry formula more than I did in the salon. I needed only three to five minutes for each coat and finished the entire manicure in under 30 minutes. I immediately launched into my skin-care routine without having to worry about my nails smudging — a miracle by at-home-manicure standards.
Again, the manicure lasted two weeks. In fact, one of my nails broke before the polish chipped. I removed the polish easily with my trusty pot of Olive & June remover and reapplied this time with a pink-blue shimmer shade called School Spirit. The next day, I immediately got two compliments on my manicure, and nobody could believe I had done it myself at home.
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There are a few tips the brand recommends that I followed very closely: If the base coat is cloudy, place the bottle in hot water until it changes to clear; make sure each coat is completely matte before applying the next one; and to prevent lifting, don’t let the polish touch your cuticles.
To further our testing of the Dazzle Dry system, I tapped two other at-home manicurists on our staff, Ambar Pardilla and Crystal Martin, to give it a go. Below, their thoughts.
It took an at-home manicurist just 15 minutes start to finish …
“I do my own manicure and have for years. And I’ve tried nearly every drugstore nail polish (OPI, Sally Hansen, Revlon, etc.). That made me especially interested in Dazzle Dry’s Build Your System Kit. Not only were there easy instructions, but every step is fast-drying and the brand promises that your nails won’t chip for at least a week. It took me about 15 to 20 minutes to get through the entire manicure (for comparison’s sake, I take around 45 minutes or up to an hour normally). I started on my left hand, and before I even began applying a coat of the base to my right hand, the left had already dried completely. The same thing happened when I applied a few coats of nail polish and then the top coat (which gives a nice gloss). The worst part of getting a manicure is the waiting, and there’s really no waiting with Dazzle Dry. I tried the Butter London’s Jelly Preserve Strengthening Treatment (which itself is a dupe of Dior’s Nail Glow). It’s very sheer, and you need at least three coats (more than the recommended two) for something toffeelike. If you like Essie’s Ballet Slippers, try Chiffon Moment. It’s half of a French tip, a very natural effect. Rum Raisin has the most coverage, meaning not see-through in the slightest. I’m rather handsy, between hand-washing laundry and dishes, and my manicures usually start chipping around the three-day mark. I started seeing some chipping around the corners of my nails around the seven-day mark with Dazzle Dry. It lasted more than any manicure I’ve done myself. I even tried the base coat and top coat with other nail polishes (from J.Hannah and Essie), and they helped the manicures last an entire week rather than just a few days.” —Ambar Pardilla, Strategist writer
… And converted a light-cured-manicure loyalist.
“I’m a big fan of the long-lasting not-gel manicure. I can’t figure out why, but I’m apparently harder on my nails than your average person. All the polish longevity estimates end up being about half-right on me. So I wasn’t super-optimistic about Dazzle Dry despite Dominique’s enthusiastic endorsement and photographic evidence.
I did two Dazzle Dry manicures, and for both my results were middle of the road. My nails were chip free for four days and in decent shape for six — not close to Dominique’s two-week run but actually pretty good for me. Application was easy and quick. I was impressed by how fast each layer of polish dried. I tested out a light-green shade, Honeydew, to get an idea of how many coats one might need for a pastel to look opaque; three thin coats is ideal. After a few days of regular wear — gloveless cleaning, washing my hair, doing laundry — I got a chip on day four. To compare, I also use Manucurist, an easy-to-remove LED-light-cured polish (not gel). I typically get about the same amount of chip-free days with Manucurist as I did with Dazzle Dry. But those four days are much better than the results I usually get with regular polish, which will chip the next or maybe even same day. So my three whole days of no chips with Dazzle Dry is actually a great run for me. As far as application time goes, the total time for the Dazzle Dry and Manucurist applications is about the same. But Dazzle Dry has a slight edge in ease of use because there’s no light you have to use to cure.” —Crystal Martin, Strategist senior editor
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