I Bought This, Affiliate Links
Have you heard all the hoopla for Olive and June nail system? To be honest I hadn’t, even though it’s been around since 2013 when they started with nail salons. Justine G., my beauty blogger friend, mentioned it on Facebook a couple of weeks ago, asking what we thought about it. The majority said it was a game changer, so you know I couldn’t resist. I found a code for 20% off, and that sealed the deal. I think the Mani System including tax ended up costing me about $50.
I went to the Olive and June website to check it out and see if I could determine what makes it so terrific. I watched one of the intro videos starring the CEO, Sarah Gibson Tuttle, and though she sort of bugged me, I liked the fact that it looked like she actually does her own nails because they were not super long or perfectly shaped. Instead her nails looked normal and like she used the Olive and June nail system. The video also showed what was in the Mani System and how to use it.
Other bloggers on Facebook said how much they loved the Dry Drops, so as long as I was getting 20% off, I threw them in my cart too.
This is the first of two posts I will do about Olive and June’s Mani System and Dry Drops since today was the first time I used them. I’ll post a follow up in a few weeks.
The Core Olive and June Mani System
The Mani System comes with the core products to complete the Olive and June manicure:
- a green clear heavy plastic zip-lock style bag to store your tools
- an emery board
- a buffer
- a nail clipper
- a touch up brush
- Nail Polish Remover Pot
- one bottle of nail polish (your choice of shades)
- a device that you can put on the top of the polish bottle to make it easier to use when you’re using your non-dominant hand
- Super Glossy Top Coat
- Cuticle Serum.
The products are vegan and cruelty-free.
After just one use, my favorites so far are:
- the plastic zip-lock bag to store the tools because it’s clear and much bigger than the makeup bag I had been using
- the touch up brush because I didn’t have one and I love the rounded shape of the bristles that make it easier to use
- the nail polish with the perfect size, flat brush for my nails
- the super shiny Super Glossy Top Coat
- Cuticle Serum with the cool applicator.
Steps in the Olive and June Mani
- Remove old polish. Olive and June make a big deal about removing every last bit of old polish and having clean, oil-free nails to start with. I had a little bit of old polish that I missed so I dipped my nails into the small polish remover tub. Under the lid, there’s a small attached sponge that you can use on your toes. Since I didn’t have much polish on my nails, I can’t say how good a job it would do removing a difficult to remove polish. But it was gentle and it doesn’t contain acetone, yay.
- Shape nails. O&J says you should follow the professional manicurist rule to shape your nails: 90% with the nail clipper and 10% with the file. I didn’t have to do much to shape my nails this time, so I skipped the nail clipper and just used my beloved and bejeweled Mont Bleu glass nail file instead of their regular style emery board.
- Buff nails. Their small buffer was easy to use and worked well.
- Polish nails. I chose the LD polish, a pretty dusty pink cream. I have no idea what LD stands for. They have lots neutrals, nudes and pastels because O&J says that they are easier to apply than bold shades. Yet, they have several reds and a few less traditional shades. There are three metallics, and two glitter polishes. There are 79 polish shades in total. The polish is 7-free: formulated without Dibutyl phthalate (DBP), Toluene, Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde resin, Camphor, Ethyl tosylamide, Xylene. The polish is made in Korea. O&J recommend using two coats of polish, and it covered completely in two coats. The formula of the polish was very nice, and it wasn’t at all streaky. BTW, the polish has built-in basecoat, yay! O&J strongly recommends allowing 10 minutes of dry time between coats. Sorry, not gonna happen.
- The wand is terrific for my nails. It’s wide enough to almost cover my nails completely. It was easy to use especially with my dominant hand. The wide white bottle cap is removable, and it reveals a much smaller cap. A squeezable, round plastic device called The Poppy “pops” onto the small cap underneath the wide cap. Its role is to make it easier to polish your nails with your non-dominant hand. I’m not sure that it made a big difference for me, but it’s a creative idea and I will try it again next time.
- Apply Super Glossy Top Coat. The Super Glossy Top Coat has a wand that’s similar or maybe the same as the nail polish. Actually, the bottle is the same, but the wide cap doesn’t come off like the nail polish cap so you can’t use the plastic device when you apply the top coat with your non-dominant hand. It didn’t matter to me. The Glossy Top Coat that comes in the shiny, opaque mirrored bottle is super glossy. I love it.
- Drop on Dry Drops to help dry nails. As I mentioned above, everyone loved the Dry Drops, so I bought them as an add-on. I have used similar drying drops from Essence a few years ago. You apply the Dry Drops with the tube applicator. The Drops are oily, and when I tried to drop a single drop on my nails, it sort of rolled off several of my nails. But I guess enough stayed on because my nails did seem to dry quickly, within a few minutes.
- Clean up with the clean up brush. Before I got the O&J Mani System, I seldom cleaned up around my nails. I didn’t really have a dedicated nail clean up brush, and when I grabbed a random brush to use, it often wasn’t shaped correctly to use for nail clean up. I really like the shape of the bristle head.
- Apply Cuticle Serum. The creamy, lightweight cuticle serum is applied with a tube applicator with a soft, fluffy, cottony top. The white serum soaked in and dried quickly.
The Mani System that I bought also came with two sheets of stickers including letters, numbers and objects like sunglasses etc. in bright colors to use to “personalize” the box that the system comes in. The stickers would be fun if you were gifting the Mani System to a child or very young teen.
Results
The result was impressive. My nails looked very glossy like after a professional salon mani. And my cuticles looked healthier than usual. So far, so good!
Because I just did my mani today, I don’t know how well the mani will wear. O&J stresses the importance of applying another coat of Glossy Top Coat every day to keep the polish from chipping. I will try to remember to do it. I will report back about wear time in the future.
I only bought one bottle of nail polish, and I know I won’t want to wear the same color all the time. I imagine that I can use the Mani System with other brands of polish, probably even with the Super Glossy Top Coat. I’ll let you know when I try that.
Olive and June Products
You can buy a single polish with the Mani System or 6 shades. You can also buy a bundle of 6 bright summer shades called Summer Squeeze , an even larger Summer Set as well as The Spring Set with 3 pastel and 3 deep shades. They even have the Summer Minis Set that I considered buying, but then I decided I should try the System and especially the nail polish itself before I took a rather big plunge. Now I wish I had it. They also sell the Dry Drops, the Super Glossy Top Coat, and even a Nail Primer (that they said was built into the nail polish?), as well as a Serum Bundle separately.
In addition, there’s a Pedi System and the Complete System that includes everything for manis and pedis. There’s also a Weekender Mani System that I expected to be a pared down version of the Mani System, but instead it’s an expanded system that includes Dry Drops, Hand Serum, “white star” nail stickers, and a larger zipper pouch to store everything in.
Unfortunately for me, Olive and June charges for shipping for purchases under $40, and you know how that irritates me. So I will probably wait till I run out of Dry Drops, Super Glossy Top Coat, and Nail Serum so I can reach $40 for free shipping before I buy a couple of more shades at $8 each. They have an Olive and June membership program for $30/year that gives you free shipping, a 10% discount on everything, and “special surprises”. I don’t think I would buy enough for the membership to be worthwhile.
Finally, Olive and June has lots of videos that you can watch so you can hone your skills on your own as well as free Bootcamp and Masterclass online sessions that you can sign up for.
In sum, I think Olive and June is an interesting concept. I think the Mani System is great for gifting, for young people starting out, or even for those of us who have been polishing our nails for a long time because it’s never too late to improve! Check out the Olive and June website and see for yourself.
Have you tried the Olive and June Mani System yet? If so, what did you think?
Wow, your nails DO look fabulous! Love the color, too.
Thank you, Kim! I am a big fan of this shade, too. I have very similar versions from Zoya and others!
Allison looks like a great product line. Please update us on how it wears. Does it chip easily, does the shine last etc. Thanks so much. 🙋🏻♀️🤗
Will do, DiEtta. As far as the shine lasting, it probably should because Olive and June makes a big deal about adding a new coat of Super Glossy Top Coat everyday. I will be eager to see how the chipping goes since my nails chip by the second or third day with almost any polish, but my fingers are crossed that this will be better 😉
Your nails look amazing, Allison! I can’t wait to hear how well it wears!
Lola Seicento recently posted…Typology Antioxidant Face Moisturizer 5% Vitamin C + Lemon Water
Me, too!
Make sense that the shine will last, being that you are putting a clear coat on everyday.
I did my second coat of Super Glossy Top Coat today, and they still look great, DiEtta. I really hope this polish will last on my nails xo
I was doing a dip system for about a year but Ive been so busy the past few months that I had to stop. I prefer dipping because everything chips on me because of the chalk and weights. The color you chose is gorgeous, btw. And it looks very glossy
Thank you! I have never tried dipping but I just saw something about it yesterday. In the future, I’ll try that too!
Your nails look great – I need those dry drops!
Jennifer Mathews recently posted…Haus of Gloi Indie Perfumes, Hair and Body Products
Thank you, and you do need Dry Drops!
Your nails DO look professional and I love that shade on your skintone too! can’t wait until your next post!
Cindy Ingalls recently posted…Pixi Beauty Pixi Pretties Colection!
Thank you, Cindy xoxo
I’ve seen O&J around but never tried it. I prefer doing my own nails and have amassed quite a selection of tools and treatments. A glass nail file was a revelation and I’m looking up your Mont Bleu! Your nails look great and I love the color! I can’t wait to hear how well it holds up.
Thank you, Lynne! I got my Mount Bleu glass files on Amazon. They have a lot of different sizes, styles, colors. I agree that glass files are a revelation! I do my own nails, so I am always looking for something that will make them look better and help the mani last longer. I use my hands so much around the house, in the garden, hiking etc. that it’s a torture test for my nail polish, but I don’t like gel so I just take it off when it chips and start again. Today, I put a second coat of Super Glossy Top Coat on and they still look great. I’ll report back after a while!
This is probably the best mani I’ve seen on you. I’ve been curious about O&J and you’ve explained the system so well. I don’t do my own nails but if I did I’d go for this kit and the dry drops too.
MarciaF recently posted…Pixi Beauty Pixi Pretties Collection!
Thank you, Marcia. I appreciate it! The wand was easier for me to work with, and having a dedicated clean up brush made a difference. I also really like the formula of the polish and I love the Super Glossy Top Coat. Now I just hope it won’t chip right away!
This is such a great review and they sound like a wonderful product. I love the color of your nail polish, btw.
Thank you, Natalie. So far, I am very impressed with the Olive & June Mani System!