Mani & Lola September 2019 // Nail Subscription Box

They kept spoilers for this months under lock and key with only Rubble being shown and when I eagerly opened the box I'm happy to say I wasn't disappointed but the overall value is quite low this month. I'm really torn over whether or not I should continue as I wish there was a little more variety and theme to the box. But, lets talk about the polishes.

Paradise Found // Cuccio

13ml Full Size - RRP £4.95

Collection: Heatwave

Release Date: Summer 2019

Before we dive into the autumn months, Mani & Lola gave us one last swan song with this beautiful bright coral shade. I'm in love with this entire collection though and I only need 6 more now. I'm wearing two coats and it goes perfectly with my mustard jumpers.

Chita // Zoya

15ml Full Size - RRP £13

Collection: Pixiedust

Release Date: Fall 2013

Another shade that goes flawlessly with my mustard jumpers; even more than the last. Not only is this a perfect autumn shade, it's also a perfect christmas shade (I know...it's far too early to be thinking about that). I think this is my favourite shade in the box though. Like all the pixiedust's, it's a matte textured glitter and ready in one quick coat. I can't stop staring at my hand whilst this is on; I never want it to come off.

Ernie Your Stripes // China Glaze

14ml Full Size - RRP £5.95

Collection: You Do Hue x Sesame Street

Release Date: Spring 2019

If the last shade was from the Pixiedust collection, then this one is from the cheeto dust collection. All jokes aside, I do like the polish but it doesn't seem to match my skintone and it doesn't look great all by itself. I used some negative space leaf designs with it which looks nice; if you can find some negative pumpkin designs you'd get a really nice halloween mani. I think I may have to buy a few more from this collection though because damn it has some nice shades.

I'm wearing 3 coats in this swatch which helps build up the colour and sparkles but it could also be used as a glittery topper on just about anything.

Rubble // CND Vinylux

15ml Full Size - RRP £6.95

Collection: ??

Release Date: ??

I thought this would be a fantastic stamping polish due to how opaque it is but it's quite weak, that doesn't mean it isn't a lovely soft brown shade ready in two coats. I don't have many brown polishes so this is a welcome addition. Like most Vinylux though it does take an age to dry.

150/150 Nail File // Mani & Lola
RRP ??

M&L say this is retails at £4.95 however it isn't actually for sale anywhere so who knows. All I know is that I no longer use cardboard files anymore. This one is very sturdy and has a nice strong grit to it however cardboard files don't last long. Ever since I started using metal files, I haven't gone back. This one is also quite thick as well so it's difficult to really get in the corners if you like a rounder/almond look.

// Box Totals //

5 Items - All Full Size

Estimated Value - £30.85 (not including the nail file)

// Verdict

This box looks fantastic and is great for fall however it's getting to the point where I'm considering just buying myself 5 polishes each month for £22.95. It's not that I don't like this subscription but it feels like an awful lot of money for 4/5 polishes. I tend to buy collections now and focus more on decals/stamping so I may give this box up or start curating my own each month as a treat to myself.

Mani & Lola

Monthly - £20

3 Months - £62.85

6 Months - £113.70

12 Months - £203.40

£2.95 p&p every month

Mani & Lola August 2019 // Nail Subscription Box

We round out the last of the Mani & lola summer months with an edit containing 2 neons, a soft taupe, top coat and an interesting remover. When I saw the spoiler for the box though I knew I would love it just for the fluorescent Orly shade. There's something about those green/yellow polishes that just do it for me. Both the neon shades this month feel every 80's and I'm cooking up a neon/white look.

Flip Flop Fantasy V2 // China Glaze

14ml Full Size - RRP £5.95

Collection: Poolside
Release Date: 2015

This is not the original version of FFF as I found out when googling this shade. Apparently the Poolside collection was first released in 2010 and the original was a beautiful bright coral whereas this is more of a neon orange/peach. Swatch and Learn has fantastic photos of the original if your interested. I love how tan this shade makes you look and it's hella bright but that's where the good points end for me. I wanted to love this but it has the same application as the god awful Paradise range from last summer (I swatched them here). They were all matte finishes and streaky and this no exception. The first coat looks awful, you need a minimum of two but even then it's still a little patchy in places and because it's so bright you can really tell. I think I would've preferred the original coral shade over this neon cheeto offering. Adding a nice glossy top coat helps though (the second photo), I really hate these built in matte finishes that CG keep doing.

Glowstick // Orly
18ml Full Size - RRP £9.95

Collection: Feel The Vibe
Release: 2012

I have so many emotions about this shade; I love it. I also appreciate that this is a newer version of the shade because it has the more recent brush that NailsInc use and it perfectly hugs the nail. Application was a breeze with this compared to the China Glaze polish. It does take at least 3 coats to cover streaks and reach full neon but it dries quite quickly between coats for a slight satin finish. Also, apparently this was the exact nail polish used by Queen Kim herself on one of her numerous vacations during summer 2018...I'm so late to this hot summer trend.

Rose Dust // Mavala

5ml Full Size - RRP £5.20

Collection: Grace Trio (??)
Release: 2012 ( I think)

Rounding out the nail polish is this beautiful transition into fall shades. Rose Dust is a soft rose/taupe with some slight shimmer mixed in. I'm not the biggest mavala fan however this shade is my nude. Everyone has a different 'nude' that is 'their nude'. This one is mine. It's so close to my actual skin tone. It also makes a great base for duochromes that need a base shade.

Lacquer Lock // Nails Inc

14ml Full Size - RRP £15

God damn man, this thing takes about 17 years to dry. It's always the same with these "daylight curing" top coats. They think they're being clever because gel polish is a thing. I really don't know why gel is popular, UV light causes skin cancer, they should be applying sunscreen onto someones hand every time they stick it under a lamp. Side note, I once had a conversation with a nail technician who told me their lamps were fine and didn't give out UV radiation because they were LED bulbs...I was like

But anyway, these types of top coat are all garbage unless like Kim K and Ko, you are on holiday every week in the sun where, you know, actual UV light can 'cure' the top coat. I don't know about you but we don't get much sun here in the UK and I always do my nails at night so these products are pretty much useless to me. 

Rapid Remover Pot // Nails Inc

60ml Full Size - RRP £9

I've never actually used one of these 'dipping' pots before to remove your polish but I'm intrigued by them. This one has been formulated though specifically for your toes! So you can either use this as a dip in or use the sponge built into the lid. I tried this with the Mavala shade; just 2 coats on top of my peel off base coat and it removed the the polish rapidly but struggled with the base coat. It did leave my fingers feeling dry and sticky; the strangest combination. It does smell quite nice though with the peppermint coming through strong. I'm worried about how hygenic this thing is though. After several uses all I'd be thinking about is the nasty acetone pooling at the bottom. Not my cup of tea for £9. I can buy about 4 of my 250ml Cutex bottles for that.

Also, I have to add this because I'm secretly 9 years old; removing polish from your fingers with this thing looks... suspiciously adult... 😂 

// Box Totals //

5 Items - All Full Size

Estimated Value - £45.10

// Verdict

A great box to round out the summer with and I'm hoping next month we get some burnt oranges and clay red. I'd say the only dud for me this month is the top coat as I enjoyed using everything else, even if the China Glaze shade applies like a nightmare. A part of me is toying with perhaps cancelling this sub though and seeing if I can buy similar items for £22.95...maybe I'll make a video about trying to curate my own autumn box for the same price.

Mani & Lola

Monthly - £20

3 Months - £62.85

6 Months - £113.70

12 Months - £203.40

£2.95 p&p every month

Mani & Lola July 2019 // Nail Subscription Box

I am soooo late with this one. This came in the post the day after I left home last month and I had forgotten to change my address because I thought it would arrive whilst I was back so I only just got it last week when I went home. Suffice to say I've now changed my address so everything should start to be on time again. It was so hard as well seeing all the beautiful bright shades that came in July's box and it was just sat there all lonely. Let's start off with the neon shade.

Love at First Skate // Artistic Colour Revolution

15ml Full Size - RRP £8.95

Collection: A New Skate of Mind

Release Date: Summer 2017

This surprised me as I was expecting a gloopy thick polish but it's actually quite sheer (but not streaky) and very bright. You could use this to layer designs while still having a neon mani; I'm impressed. This is a hot pink Barbie shade though and will be perfect for summer flamingo nails. It also dries spectaularly fast. I'd say that this needs between 2/3 coats depending on how thick you apply your layers; I'm wearing two layers.

Flirt // Cuccio

13ml Full Size - RRP £4.95

Collection: Coquette

Release Date: Spring 2019

Yes a Cuccio shade, and a white! It's hard to do a good white and Cuccio tried but this isn't the greatest white shade I have. I'm still yet to come across the perfect white that doesn't have any streaks but Essie Blanc is pretty close. The first coat of this is super streaky and the formula is quite thick as well. The second coat is ultra gloopy and I've not had to do this much clean up in a while. It was just not nice to apply. I think this is the first time I've been disappointed with a Cuccio polish.

Dance Party 'Teal Dawn // OPI

15ml Full Size - RRP £8.95

Collection: The Neon Collection

Release Date: Summer 2019

This is a fantastic blue shade and it goes so well with the white. I really love another shade in this collection called "Pump up the Volume" and it's this super bright neon yellow/green. In fact I love the whole collection. It's also nice to see it's the regular formula as I'm not a big fan of the Infinite Shine (and I don't use gel). This shade is stunning though and quite possibly my new favourite blue shade I own. It has a silk finish, so not quite matte but not glossy. It also dries incredibly fast. I'm wearing two coats as 1 is still sheer but I love this shade. It's my favourite in the box.

Believe or Leave // Nails Inc

14ml Full Size - RRP £10

Collection: I Believe In Unicorns

Release Date: Summer 2017

Nails Inc briefly brought back this set for £30 for a while but now it's gone. I already have quite a few shades from it now and we just got another shade a few boxes back. I feel like this shade would've been nicer in a spring box though and we received another bright shade. That said it is a nice pale lavender shade and I don't actually have a shade quite like this in my collection. The closest is H&M Wild Lilac but that's a bit warmer. This needs at least two coats but applies like a dream. Not a bad shade at all.

Cuticle Oil + // Orly

9ml Full Size - RRP £7.85

Apparently this has won the Beauty Bible Anti Age award? The scent is bloody awful though. It could just be me as it's this chemical orange and cherry but it reminds me of this orange medicine I used to take as a kid and that stuff was revolting and always made me feel sick...yeah this stuff smells exactly like that. Great memories. I do like that this isn't as oily as some pure cuticle oils and it absorbs rather quickly. I eventually added up adding some of my own essential oils to it to try and mask the orange smell but to no avail. I'm not sure if I will use this up.

// Box Totals //

5 Items - All Full Size

Estimated Value - £40.70

// Verdict

Finally, a pretty perfect summer box. Even though the white wasn't the best formula it will definitely be useful for smooshing and drag marble. Oooo maybe that should be my first look with all the polishes; a drag marble with all the shades. I'm very excited for next month though, I'm hoping there are some burnt orange/green shades for autumn. I can finally do some looks using my new Uberchic lovely leaves plates!

Mani & Lola

Monthly - £20

3 Months - £62.85

6 Months - £113.70

12 Months - £203.40

£2.95 p&p every month

Mani & Lola June 2019 // Nail Subscription Box

Ah June's box is here! And it's like they heard my request for some brighter summery colours after last month as some beautiful bright hues were included. The Zoya shade is particularly stunning. This months box is a great all-rounder with even some new ranges included! Lets get straight into it. 

If you prefer to watch unboxings, check out the video below, it even includes swatches. Or you can keep on reading for the text version :)

Wipe Off! Acetone Free Wipes // OPI

10 Wipes Full Size - RRP £10.25

Great for those on the go, these wipes are formulated without acetone. And whereas I've not had a great experience with acetone free remover these wipes definitely changed my mind: clearly I've just not tried actually good acetone free remover. These wipes have actually shocked me. I loaded up my other hand with a basecoat, all the colours from this box plus an A-England & an all glitter polish and it removed everything in under 5 minutes. I'd watch the video for the results. Plus there was no scent apart from subtle lavender every now and then. My fingers were left moisturised (although the tell-tale remove white marks appeared once the liquid from the wipe evaporated but it was no where near as bad as pure acetone). I wish they did this formula in a bottle but they only have normal acetone free remover which doesn't appear to be the same. I'd highly recommend these if you need to remove your polish on the go and don't want to lug a nail bag around with you.

River // Zoya

15ml Full Size - RRP £11.70

Collection: Wanderlust

Release Date: Summer 2017

Described by Zoya as a "shimmering cobalt blue", I think this is a great polish to include in a summer box. When I first saw the sneak peak I instantly thought of what Cody Ko refers to as "blue-ass water" and I now want to do some pool/ocean mani's with it. This is a seriously sparkly shade that needs at least 2 coats for added depth. I don't know if I'd wear it by itself but I think it would go perfectly with white and some palm leaves. Unfortunately you don't get that purple shift you see in the bottle but the shade is still stunning by itself. I think I like it even more with the Cuccio matte top coat though as it gives it a silk finish and feels more tropical; I love it.

Water You Doing? // Cuccio

13ml Full Size - RRP £6.95

Collection: Heatwave

Release Date: Summer 2019

Oh man I'm so happy to see a shade from this collection. I would've preferred Seriously Celsius which is this beautiful olive/yellow green shade but I love anything Cuccio so this is very welcome. This is a bright bold dark purple that needs at least two coats. I'm not sure what I would use it with yet but it does match my skintone quite nicely and it mattes well.

Coral Bay // Mavala

5ml Full Size - RRP £5.20

Collection: Colour Inspiration

Release Date: Summer 2017

This is a super bright one coat wonder. This is a beautiful deep coral and looks even better matte. It annoys me that Mavala only sell in 5ml sizes as I think they cost a bit too much for the size; especially considering you can pick up 13ml Cuccio for £5.95. Even Barry M and H&M are 8ml/10ml sizes and they cost £3.99 or less and are just as good formula wise. I do like the shade though and it applies nicely so I'll let them off.

Matte Top Coat // Cuccio

13ml Full Size - RRP £8.95

OK, I am seriously impressed by this matte top coat. I've been collecting various brands in the hopes of doing a comparison video and the best one I had found so far is the Barry M one however, it takes a while to dry and sometimes causes the polish to bubble. This one dries almost instantly leaving the polish smooth. However, if it weren't for the fact that I read an amazon review stating that it left white spots in their mani, I would've just thought it was a fluke. I used this with each polish in this box and at least one had a white spot that developed after a few minutes. For me it's not such a big problem but if you're using this for clients it's a big no-no.

// Box Totals //

5 Items - All Full Size

Estimated Value - £43.05

// Verdict

Last month I found the two shades included to be too similar and frankly a little boring for spring and hoped that this months would include some bright tropical summery shades; I got exactly what I wanted. Whereas there are no greens or yellows, we did get three super bright polishes that all apply beautifully and a matte top coat to create those essential matte summer looks. I think River by Zoya and the OPI wipes are by far my favourite products this month.

Next month I hope we get some brushes or tools as I haven't really seen any in the box, like a good angular brush for clean-up or to practice the one-stroke technique with (i'm getting better...very slowly) along with a a vibrant leaf green. It'd be nice to see a stamping plate however, I have so many I feel I'd already have anything they include...maybe I should stop buying stamping plates...lol that will never happen.

Mani & Lola

Monthly - £20

3 Months - £62.85

6 Months - £113.70

12 Months - £203.40

£2.95 p&p every month

Mani & Lola May 2019 Review // Nail Subscription Box

Well this month was well and truly a surprise for me as M&L only gave out one spoiler leading up to this months release which was the Nails Inc shade. So, when I opened it I went through a range of emotions. This month there is only 2 polishes which is kind of disappointing for a nail subscription box however, then I used the hand cream and now I don't care about any other complaints I had. For me, this box is an amazing hand cream that came with 4 freebies.

Rescue RXX Treatment // CND (15ml)
RRP - £14.95

When I saw this I side-eyed it a little because strengthening products aren't actually good for your nails. There is a fine balance between hydration and protein that you need to hit for optimum nail condition. Too much moisture and your nails will become too soft and malleable and will snap off when bent too far. However, too much protein will cause the nail to become hard and brittle and will snap off because it has no bend. The same thing happens with hair. This is advertised as for daily use however I would restrict usage of this to once a week. It is a nice formula though and contains Jojoba oil which is the best oil for your nails and cuticles. It's not too oily and is absorbed quickly. I'll be keeping this next to my mani kit to be used once a week as a treat.

Retinol Hand Mask // Skin Republic (18g)

RRP - £6.99 

I'm not sure where their RRP of £6.99 has come from as Skin Republic sell it for £5.99 on their own website. I've used a hand mask before and it was ok. I do like Skin Republic though so I'm expecting a little more than the last random brand that I used. I'll be saving this for when my hands are sore and dry though or a day spent out in the sun. My only issue with these is that they're not reusable and you'd need to use them at least twice a week to start seeing results and that's an expensive habit when you can buy some normal gloves and just slather on some hand cream.

Enchanted Heels // Nails Inc (14ml)

RRP - £15

Collection: Rainbow Hooves / I Believe In Unicorns

Release Date: 2017

Ok, I'm getting confused now. We had a polish from this set in the last box (mermaid playsuit) and that's quite an old shade but Nails Inc are shipping this 6-piece set which is actually called the Rainbow Hooves collection for £30 that includes both of them?? Either way if you like this shade I recommend buying the entire set from Nails Inc as you get 6 polishes for £30. Anyway, as there are only two nail polish shades in the box I would've preferred something a little different. This a sheer pink shimmer that will never truly achieve full opacity but fortunately it isn't a shifting polish. I've seen a lot of these pink shades that either have the blue or green shift so it's different in that respect.

The problem with these Nails Inc shimmers though is that they always dry with brush strokes and that's a pet peeve of mine. The shade is also super light and almost looks off-white on my skintone. Given that the other shade is also an off-white pink shade, it's a little boring.

Avojuice Lotion // OPI (250ml)

RRP - £19.95

Sweet baby Jesus and the orphans, I've found it; the holy grail of hand creams. As I'm writing this I've already purchased another one and 2 more in 30ml sizes. I have no idea where Mani & Lola got their RRP price from as OPI UK sell the 250ml sizes for £9.95 but you can get them cheaper at NPD. This hand cream though; it's like walking around the desert for hours and then dipping your hands in cool refreshing water. It's beautiful. I normally hate ginger scents but this one is super sweet and tropical and the scent really lingers as well. I can't get enough of it. It comes in a variety of different scents from coconut & melon to vanilla & lavender as well as many more. They also do 30ml travel size versions for £2.25 which I think is very reasonable. Finding out I could buy this for £7.95 has made my year though.

Pink Nude // ORLY (18ml)
RRP £11.75

And the final product this month is what appears to be the exact same shade as Enchanted Heels but a creme formula. It is underwhelming to say the least. I've never really been a french manicure kind of person; I find them really boring. I'm not sure if you would use this shade for the tip though as it's too pigmented to be the sheer base but not pigmented enough to cover my actual tips. I'm trying to come up with something that I could use this for; a pink lace mani? If you're looking for a nice sheer off-white creme I guess this is it but I would've preferred an actual white polish. 

// Box Totals //

5 Items - All Full Size

Main & Lola RRP - £68.64

Actual Value - £43.95

// Verdict

I think at this point M&L are definitely inflating the RRP of items to make the box worth higher. I think it's a bit disingenuous. I pay £22.95 a month for my box and so I got an extra £20 worth of products this month. I still think it is a good box for that price; especially because I loved the hand cream this month but I found the sheer off-white shades to be too similar and frankly boring for spring. I would've preferred a nice pastel yellow and baby blue.

Overall, I'm not mad because this box did what it was supposed to; it introduced me to some new products and I've gone out and purchased those new products. It wasn't my favourite box though. Next month I hope they include some bright tropical looking shades like a pink, green, yellow and blue otherwise I'll be a little upset.