Formula X System Review

Quite a while back I purchased the Formula X system along with a couple polishes, and I finally put it to a week-long test. Here are my findings...

First, a breakdown of the system. You get a nail cleanser, a base coat, a color of your choice, and a top coat. I got super excited about the cleanser, but when using it regularly, I found that it majorly dried out my nails, which was a bummer. However, the base coat is very nice. It has a slight pink tint so it helps to even out your nails, and color adheres well to it. I like the colors, but honestly, they aren't super special in their selection of plain colors. The effects are something else (a post will come soon on one...), and I think they are the true stars of the line. I found the top coat to be pretty average, but effective enough. This is what I've learned just by using the products in random combinations, sometimes with each other, but not as a system.

The photo above is from the first day I painted my nails with the system and using the color Nightingale, a deep dark purple that isn't so dark that you can't tell it's purple, but is just dark enough. I love a good dark purple polish.

I usually change my nail polish every couple days, not necessarily because it chips, but because I just like to play with different colors, so this became a test of my patience as well as the polish! After having it on for three days, there was very minimal tip wear and it still looked really good. Five days went by and still, minimal tip wear! At this point I was just so bored with the color, plus I had also slammed one of my fingers in a car door and wanted to make sure I hadn't bruised my nail. The photo on the left is Day 4 and the one on the right is Day 5.

As you can see, really the only difference between the first day and day 5 is the amount of cuticle you can see and a tiny bit of color loss on the tips of my nails.

Overall, I find this to be pretty impressive, but honestly I don't think the whole system is necessary. I personally find that if you use a good base coat and top coat, as well as take the time to apply your polish properly, you will have a manicure that lasts for a while. But, if you are a person who only likes to do their nails once a week (and doesn't want to use gel nails), this might be for you. I probably won't repurchase the whole system, but I still like the different colors and polishes from Formula X, so I'm sure I'll pick up some more of those.

Have you tried anything from Formula X?