L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Last Nail Color in 917 Endless Sea
(retail: $9.99, 0.338 oz. total)
At first glance, I assumed that this polish was going to be like the Revlon Nail Art polishes (bottles that unscrew from a central core that houses two brushes). Like this:
But no:
Surprise!
You actually get two, self-contained mini bottles of polish held together by a central core (the bottles slide easily in and out of the core). And when I say mini bottles, I mean mini. Each bottle contains 0.169 oz. of polish so, in total, you get 0.338 oz. of polish for $9.99. A standard bottle of polish these days is pretty much 0.5 oz, (think Sinful Colors and OPI), but of course many polishes contain less product. Maybelline Color Show polishes only contain 0.23 oz., but those retail for $2.99.
These brushes are of the flat and wide variety, with a rounded tip (they remind of the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri brushes, but not quite as wide as those).
So let me remind you of L'Oreal's product claims (from the L'Oreal website):
High intensity color with up to 14 day pro-results.
Introducing Pro-Last Nailcolor intense color for a pro-finish that lasts. This unique two-step system offers highly pigmented color that glides on without streaking. The custom-tinted top coat amplifies the color and shine.
Chip resistant, fade resistant, damage-free.
In my photo above, you can see that the claim "glides on without streaking" is not so true in this case. The first nail swatch (one coat) illustrates that I encountered quite a few streaks. Also, the formula of Endless Sea doesn't quite "glide on" to the nail for me. This is a thick, goopy polish that leaves drag marks during application. Thankfully, this polish does self-level, but let's just say things don't look pretty during application.
Moving on to the second nail swatch above, you can see that two coats does build to a nice, opaque finish. I took this photo after all three swatches had fully dried, so you can see that things self-level nicely with no noticeable drag marks.
The third swatch was taken after I applied the accompanying top coat over two coats of Endless Sea. L'Oreal's claim that "the custom-tinted top coat amplifies the color and shine" is only partly true for me. I don't see any amplified color. Believe me, I looked at my nails in every type of lighting you can imagine and this blue-tinted top coat didn't amplify the color beyond making it just a touch cooler (really, the difference is so marginal that I can't say it shifted the blue from warm to cool--it just looks a teeny, tiny bit cooler after the top coat). But as for amplifying the shine, I did notice during my testing that the finish was indeed shinier after top coat.
But now let's talk about the claim that this polish will give you "a pro-finish that lasts," and "up to 14 day pro-results."
Two coats Endless Sea + one coat of the accompanying top coat
(no base coat)
That claim is most certainly true! I tested this polish for a full 14 days on my both my fingers and toes, and the photo you see above was taken on day 12 of my testing. Let me state for the record that no matter how hard I try, I can rarely make it past day five or six when it comes to my manicures. It's at that point that I get polish peeling off in sheets, or at least some huge chips. I honestly cannot remember the last time I could get 12 days of wear from a polish (especially without any type of base coat). As you can see, aside from some tip-wear and nail growth, there's really nothing wrong here. The shine is still great considering that this was 12 days in, and my dominant hand (my left hand) looked exactly the same as my right (the hand photographed above) on day 12. I do a lot of typing and my tips are usually a mess by day five of a typical manicure. I really cannot believe how well this 2-step system held up. And my toes still look great on day 14 as I write this. No chips, still plenty of shine, and no scuff marks.
One more thing I want to mention is dry-time. The nail color doesn't dry quickly for me (basically it dries at about the same rate as a thicker, older nail polish would), and the top coat is not a quick-dry top coat. In fact, this top coat took a longer-than-average time to dry for me (which I thought was kind of weird because it's not a thick, goopy top coat--it's on the thinner side, although not thin like water). I applied this manicure at about 6PM at night, and I remember touching it at 10PM and seeing that I could still leave a little dent if I pressed with the tip of my nail. But by the next morning, my nails did feel fully dry.
FINAL VERDICT: I'm really torn on this one. There's no denying that, for me personally, this polish truly delivered on the claim of "a pro-finish that lasts...up to 14 day[s]." However, the price of $9.99 for 0.338 oz. of polish, the slow dry-time, and the difficult application make it hard for me to recommend this polish with flying colors. Obviously I cannot tell you if all of the shades in this range will be thick/goopy (I'm guessing some will be better than others and pastel cremes ARE notoriously difficult) so here's what I'll say about it: if you're interested in the long-wearing aspect of this polish, get it while it's on sale (it's actually $7.99 this week at Rite Aid; sale ends 7/25/15). Give it a try and if you love it, great. If you don't, Rite Aid, CVS, and Walgreens all accept returns/exchanges on used beauty products. You won't be out any money, and you might find a polish system that wears like iron for you.
Do you already own any of the new L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Last Nail Colors? If so, you know I would LOVE to hear about your experiences! Please share with us in the comments below.
The products featured in this post were purchased with personal funds. For more information, click here.
For the price & amount of product i'd rather go for miracle gel.
ReplyDeleteGreat review. I was curious. These do not interest me at all and the slow dry time is a deal breaker for me so I'm glad I can skip these.
ReplyDeleteThe color is lovely, but for the price, there are a number of other brands I'd reach for first, that I know I can get slightly better wear out of.
ReplyDeleteI saw these at Meijer about three weeks ago and was tempted to pick one up. I just wasn't sure that it was worth the money. I wouldn't mind the smaller bottles - I'd actually prefer smaller bottles - but not at that price. I like to change my nail color at least once a week, so long wearing formulas really aren't important to me.
ReplyDeleteI do love the color you chose, though. Maybe if these go on clearance or turn up at Big Lots, I might try one.
I'm gonna pass. I have so much nail polish that buying minis of colors I probably already have in other brands doesn't interest me. (this looks like Sinful Colors "Nice Stems" to me) But for someone who doesn't polish their nails that often, small bottles and a truly long wear formula sounds ideal
ReplyDeleteThank you for the review. Definitely not worth it to me, when there are so many other good polishes out there that are reasonably priced. Plus, with all the fall collections coming out, that's where my polish pennies are going to go!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the thorough review G., I think the color is pretty but I am passing on these unless I see them turn up at Dollar Tree or Big Lots. I rarely wear the same color for more than 3 days and if I do I do a gel manicure. Polish always wears at least 3 weeks on my toes even with all the running I do! I wish my fingers were the same way! The slow drying time is what really swayed me against though...ain't no one got time for that!
ReplyDeleteFor some reason I have an aversion to the two conjoined bottles packaging. I guess because the majority of my polish doesn't look like that, so I can't store them all the same way. It is almost a bold way to try to encourage you to switch to exclusively buying that kind of packaging completely to appeal to your inner professional organizer. I think the fact that it lasts long makes up for the size (or is the reason for the size). A 0.5oz size bottle of that stuff would last a lifetime, so they'll give you an amount that you can probably get a year's worth of use just like you can with regular polish that chips more often.
ReplyDeleteI can see why your torn. The color is pretty (aside from the streaks) and wear is good, but I rarely can stick with the same color for more than a few days at most. For the price I'll be passing on these. Wallet says "thank you"!
ReplyDeleteWow, I'm impressed from the pic. Do you have your hands in water a lot?
ReplyDeleteI'm really hard on my nails (natural).. I have a farm with horses and other livestock, a lot of pets, and the typical "mom" duties as well. I'm constantly washing something and use my hands for heavy work pretty often. Orly bonder and the matching topcoat give me a full week of almost perfect nails (minus a bit of tip wear) with almost any polish I want.. I usually redo them at that point but can easily go longer with perhaps a fresh coat of topcoat for shine. I'm very picky about how they look, I'm one of those who either have to have them look really good or I'd rather leave them bare and short. Another tip is to wash them with soap after removing polish and wipe them down well with alcohol before polish (I keep a bottle of 90% specifically for this use and just dip them).. it makes a huge difference by removing all the residue and oil.. also disinfects. Don't get them wet or apply any lotion or oil for at least a few hours until they have fully cured.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I just saw this display and was curious but that price is not worth it for me and slow dry time just means I'll smudge it up. Pretty color but easily dupeable. Kinda gimmicky, IMHO :)
ReplyDeleteG, have you tried the new "Essie" topcoat that is made to go over any "essie" polish. I'm sure it will work with other brands. I used my 5.00 Kohls rewards $$ on that, so it brought it down to 5.00. I also saw a 2 pack of the new Orly "no light' gel polishes at Target on clearance for 7.48. It had the base/top coat and a bottle of a light greenish color.
ReplyDeleteI have 2 of these, and I love them!! I have a hard time keeping any polish on, no matter what base coat, top coat, or brand I use!! I just use the nicole drying drops and paint them before I go to bed!! I have tried the new Essie gel setter top coat, and I do like it, but it wears the same as essie good to go on me-2 days and I am touching up chips! I will sacrifice dry time for longer wear any day!!! I can't wait to get more. Two tips I have for nails is I wipe nails with white vinegar before polishing and it seems to help wear time!! Also, to strengthen nails I use decolorized iodine, I saw it on a guitar player website, then googled it. There is alot of info on decolorized iodine for nail strengthening, and it really works!! Also, Spring Valley at wallyworld has an argan oil serum that is not 100 percent argan oil, but with the other oils it makes an incredible cuticle oil!!! I put that on after I apply the iodine!!!! Sorry this was so long, but I have pretty nails that do not peel for the first time ever!!! I hope this helps someone else!!
ReplyDelete