Fair warning: this post is a little different from most of my others. This is primarily for my FB friends – and anyone who appreciates pretty poIished nails, LOL.

I was a nail biter for the first twenty or so years of my life. I realized a few months after I moved into the college dorm that I had stopped biting my nails. (Who knew that college life would be less stressful than home?) I also discovered that I loved the look of polished nails but traditional nail polish and I just don’t get along so I rarely went to the trouble. Then, about four years ago, I discovered Color Street nail polish strips. The strips are 95% dry so you just apply them and go – no dry time required. In roughly twenty minutes I could have fully polished nails on both hands with no smudging or peeling. I was in heaven and had “fancy” nails most of the time.

Hypothyroidism made my fingernails brittle; they would break if I looked at them sideways. In spite of trying numerous products to strengthen my nails I was having more and more problems with them so, in 2022, I took a break from polish for several months in an effort to get them in better shape. While the break helped, my nails still weren’t as healthy as I wanted them to be so even though I started wearing polish again, I limited it to once every few months. Then, earlier this year, I accidentally found the product that worked miracles on my nail health – Vaseline Intensive Care Healthy Hands lotion with keratin. I grabbed a small tube to keep at work and after using it 2-4 times a week for 3-4 months, I suddenly realized that my nails are healthy: they’re strong, their color is good, and – most amazing of all – the ridges on my nails are starting to fade. Mind. Blown.🤯

Say what you will about FB (and believe me, I have opinions), their algorithms work well (except when I’m the one running the ad) so I frequently see ads for nail polish strips. The ads for Lily and Fox piqued my interest and I took the plunge and ordered a few sets. The main thing going for Lily and Fox is price. I ordered three sets for a total of $12 dollars including shipping and handling. With Color Street, $12 will get you one set (maybe). Lily and Fox also included an extra set as a “tester” for those who aren’t familiar with the process and an adorable origami fox.

Lily and Fox has a lot of cute sets but I’m a glitter girl and they have very few full glitter sets. Most Lily and Fox sets are a gloss with glitter accents. I have now used 2 of the sets I purchased and the verdict is in… Color Street works better.

Both Lily and Fox sets went on easily but they are much thicker than Color Street strips so they don’t have that little bit of stretch that comes in handy if you chose the wrong size strip or accidentally apply it off-centered. The extra thickness means that I also need scissors and a nail file to remove the excess portion of the strip instead of just my fingernails. Also, the Lily and Fox sets lose their gloss quickly. I don’t want to have to apply a top coat to keep my nail strips shiny. The biggest problem with the Lily and Fox sets is how well they adhere. Even though I prepped my nails by washing my hands and cleaning my nails and finger tips with an alcohol prep pad there were issues with both sets. The first set formed bubbles under a few of the strips and the number of bubbles increased each day. The second set was fine – until the next day; the strip on my left ring finger started peeling off. I could push it back down, but the next time I checked, it would be peeling again. I have no patience for this. However, due to the fact that Lily and Fox strips don’t adhere like actual polish, I was able to simply peel both sets off with no damage to my nails.

CAUTION: Do NOT attempt to chip/peel off traditional polish or Color Street nail polish strips. Use nail polish remover. Attempting to chip the polish off will damage your nails.

I’m glad I tried Lily and Fox but, going forward, I’m going to be sticking with Color Street. I’ll pay the extra money to have an easier application and a longer lasting product.

Any other nail strip users out there? If so, which brand(s) do you use?