Drying drops are one of those “of course” beauty items – as in “of course I need/own this”. If you paint your nails all the time, often, or even rarely then you’ll want to have a bottle of this on hand. One of the biggest problems I find with polishing my nails is that within five minutes of applying my polish I’ve gone and found a way to smudge them – I’m fairly certain that most of us can relate. Nicole by OPI Drying Drops cuts drying time down to as little as half a minute (for 1 heavy coat of polish) to 2 minutes (for multiple coats).
I was actually clued in to the magic of drying drops when I was getting a manicure at an event. I saw the manicurist applying it to my nails and was instantly curious. Since then I’ve used both these Nicole by OPI Drying Drops and Essie Quick-E Drying Drops. With this one, you simply apply your polish as normal and drop 1-2 coats of this to dry – it takes anywhere from 1-2 minutes (depending on the amount of polish you’ve used) to dry to the touch and by five minutes your nails will be completely dry and ready for whatever!
The ingredients are Disiloxane, Dimethicone, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, and Tocopherol. The Jojoba Seed Oil acts as a moisturizer for your cuticles and adds a little shine to your finished nail. The Essie Quick-E Drying Drops also lists Dimethicone as its main ingredient, along with Methyl Ethyl Ketone and Cyclomethicone. Basically, you’ll get the same results with both of them – except the OPI gives your cuticles a little boost, which is why I prefer it. Also, I’ve found the OPI version to be more affordable, on sale for as little at $5, while the Essie version tends to be more pricey in the $10 and up range.
The verdict: Get it, you’ll thank me later! 😉
Available in ULTA, most drugstores, and online.