Project Focus 10: Orly Nailtrition

~ stashy

It’s Two Two Two Day! (February 22nd; 2-22, heh) I totally just made that up. Maybe the world will end when it’s Feb 22, 2222.  None of us will live that long anyway, so no worries. 😉
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Today is the halfway point of Project Focus 10 series and I’ll be reviewing Orly Nailtrition Nail Strengthener & Growth Treatment:
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I’ve been using this as my nail treatment since mid-December, so I’ve had this on my nails continuously for about 2 months. I bought my bottle from Sally Beauty Supply (the only bricks and mortar store that sells Orly near me) for $17 for 18ml. (NailPolishCanada also stocks it)  It is made in the USA and has a recommended lifespan of 3 years from opening.

I’ve tested a host of different nail strengtheners / hardeners over the years including the famed OPI Nail Envy (which was just ok, didn’t see a significant improvement). What sold me on this is what Orly claims on this product:

Strengthen peeling nails and stimulate healthier, faster growth with this advanced formula containing collagen, Wheat Protein, Keratin and Bamboo Extract.

Peeling nails is what I suffer from! I have fairly strong nails that grow just fine, they don’t break or bend or split, but they do tend to peel off in sheets, like this:

Source.
My thumb, index and middle fingers are most prone to this phenomenon. 😦

I learned so much about nail treatments from one of my favourite nail blogs: loodie loodie loodie (she no longer updates but I’m happy to still have access to her knowledge base).  She did a series just on nail hardeners and treatments to breaks down key ingredients and what types of nail conditions are best treated by each.  Prior to Nailtrition, I was loyal to Witchcraft (original formula), which is a formaldehyde based hardener meant for thin, cracking nails. I don’t have thin cracking nails but I found it to work well for me so I just kept using it. But then the Witchcraft original formula was discontinued and made formaldehyde-free.  I decided to try something new and turned to Orly Nailtrition which had good reviews online.
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According to what I learned from loodie’s blog, Nailtrition is a protein based treatment, but with added moisturizers, as shown in the product’s ingredient list (items bolded to highlight the key ingredients):

ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, nitrocelluloseadipic acid / neopentyl glycol / trimellitic anhydride copolymer, isopropyl alcohol, propyl acetate, trimethyl pentanyl diisobutyrate, triphenyl phosphate, n-butyl alcohol, stearalkonium bentonite, CI 77163 (bismuth oxychloride), citric acid, dimethicone, CI77891 (titanium dioxide), water (aqua), hydrolized keratin, hydrolyzed wheat protein, hydrolyzed collagen, saccharomyces / calcium ferment, saccharomyces / iron ferment, carthamus tinctorius (safflower) seed oil, bambusa vulgaris extract, CI15850 (red 7)

Protein based nail treatments coupled with moisturizers are ideal for peeling nails.  What primarily causes peeling nails is the lack of moisture in the nails – my nails are especially prone to peeling during the cold bitter winter months. And I’m a frequent hand washer – it’s cold & flu season, and I take no chances! 😮
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Apologies for how dry my hand is! And I’d just removed Essie Starry Starry Night so there are hints of blue polish residue. 😳

I use Orly Nailtrition by applying it to my clean bare nails, letting it dry completely, then adding Orly Bonder on top as a my base coat. Then I do my manicure as normal: 2 coats of polish and then topcoat. I tried using just Nailtrition as my base coat but I found that my nail polish doesn’t last as well without Bonder.  I’ve also worn Nailtrition alone as my “manicure” when I was super lazy right after Christmas holidays. It’s lightly tinted and provides a pinky peach hue to the nails – my coworker actually complimented on me on my “nail polish” and asked what shade it was. 😛
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As with most nail treatments, I didn’t notice results right away, but I started seeing improvements by around the one month mark. I experienced zero peeling on my middle fingers, and then only slight peeling on my index and thumb. Last week, I noticed that I had no new peels.  Amazing!  I’ll keep using this and report back if anything changes.  This bottle will likely last me 10 months with continuous use and I plan on repurchasing this, as long as it keeps working for me. 🙂

Pros:
• It works!
• Dries quickly
• Slight tinted colour makes it suitable for wearing alone

Cons:
• Not good as a base coat
• Takes at least a month to yield results

Stash worthiness: 9/10

Do you use a nail strengthening treatment?  Which one?

Updates on other Project Focus 10 items:
• I used the Smashbox Double Exposure palette only once this week because I had to make time to test the newest palettes in my stash, the Lise Watier Simply Nudes Eyeshadow Palette – I’ll be reviewing it this week.
• I’d also been testing some new foundations from last month’s hauls and had a bit of a reaction so my skin was happy to return to the Guerlain Lingerie de Peau BB cream.
• I keep forgetting to mention, but I’ve been using Muji Cut Cotton Ecru nightly to remove my eye makeup

Please go check out my collab crew for their Project Focus 10 post:
♦ Ingrid of Curly.Spring.Blossom
♦ Jodi of A Brash Attitude
♦ Joy of Styled With Joy

35 thoughts on “Project Focus 10: Orly Nailtrition”

    1. Based on what I learned from the loodie blog, it’s recommended to give your nails a break from the strengthening type and rotate with the protein ones. Maybe you can get the Orly and do a month of that and see if it works.

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  7. Hmm, I’m gonna have to try this! My nails are thin and they are prone to peeling, but only if I keep them a little bit longer (which I usually don’t). And yeah, I hear you about washing hands a lot – I’m the same way, so I have dry hands all the damn time. I actually have a really old bottle of Witchcraft that I never used…lol. Wonder if it still works? I guess I shouldn’t try it now with the formaldehyde in it.

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    1. Yeah, toss the old bottle of Witchcraft – formaldehyde no go for you! I found that the Witchcraft made my nails REALLY hard, almost to the point of being a little brittle. I think the Nailtrition straddles the line between helping to strengthen but also moisturizing the nails. When I press down slightly on my nail free edge there’s a bit of flex but they don’t bend – I feel like that’s the idea versus when my nails were rigid like glass!

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  9. I’ll have to give this a try! I’ve been pretty loyal to nail envy for years as it worked for me (especially after switching to the maintenance formula) bit recently I’ve noticed it isn’t as effective. Maybe my nails became wise to its presence? Anyways now I peel all the time and it drives me crazy. I’m pretty much out of nail envy so it’s the perfect chance. Great review! I’m sold on it 🙂

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    1. I sometimes wonder if it’s in my head that some products stop working for me, or if it’s a real phenomenon? I hope this works for you! I read up a bunch of reviews online before I made the decision and it seems to work for a lot of other people too.

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  12. Very good to know since my nails are peeling off like crazy !!! I don’t want to put nail polish on my fingers for a while to let them grow a little bit & have more strength. I heard great things about this new Formula X nail treatment, the nicest thing is that it give a nice sheer pink color !!!
    http://www.sephora.com/the-fix-nail-treatment-P403720?skuId=1684125
    Thanks for reminding me that I should be moisturizing my hands more often !!!

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    1. That Formula X treatment looks decent! I’d need to read the full list of ingredients to see what it contains to make a judgement.
      Yes moisturizing makes a HUGE difference. I haven’t mentioned but I also used this product with every manicure:
      http://www.nailpolishcanada.com/products/nail-balsam-by-trind.html
      I bought it in Finland and I renewed my love affair with it back last year and I’m almost FINISHED my bottle! Thank goodness it’s available from NailPolishCanada – phew.

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  13. This sounds like something that I need, my nails peel like crazy. I noticed you said it’s not good as a base coat though 😦 So do you put your base coat over it? Or just not paint your nails while using it!?

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    1. I apply base coat over it. So one coat of Nailtrition, then base coat, then my polish (2 coats usually) and then my top coat. YUP, I apply 5 layers on my nails for my mani! But this is why a fast drying formula is important. This product, my base coat (Orly Bonder) and my top coat (Poshe) are all fast dry so my mani dries super fast (less than 15 mins).

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  14. I too suffer from peeling nails and those nails you mentioned as well! Currently my thumb is peeling -.- ughhhh! I hate it 😦 I used to use opi nail strengthener but it went bad super quick .. next time I’m at sallys I’ll pick this up! It looks good and I appreciate the pink tint lol looks pretty!😄

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      1. Tell me about it lol, I’m one of those people who paints their nails and 3 weeks later change it up lol I am just too lazy to do so! 😛

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