Boots Expert Conditioning Nail Polish Remover

...carefully. I picked up the Boots Expert range in an attempt to save myself a bit of money, whilst still having a decent product.

=== Packaging ===
The nail varnish comes in a recyclable plastic bottle with labels on the front and back containing all the relevant product information.

The lid screws on tightly so there's little chance of this leaking if you need to transport it.

The 150ml bottle is ...
...a drying effect on nails. Boots Expert claim that this product will not leave your nails dry and brittle, as it also contains '''apricot kernel oil''' and '''pro-vitamin B5''' to condition the nails.

The product also contains '''Bitrex''', a chemical substance which is used to help reduce the likelihood of accidental poisonings, and also used in products designed to prevent nail-biting as it has an incredibly bitter taste.

more

If putting nail varnish on isn't good for your nails, taking it off isn't exactly much better. For this reason, I also try and choose nail varnish removing products carefully. I picked up the Boots Expert range in an attempt to save myself a bit of money, whilst still having a decent product.

Packaging

The nail varnish comes in a recyclable plastic bottle with labels on the front and back containing all the relevant product information.

The lid screws on tightly so there's little chance of this leaking if you need to transport it.

The 150ml bottle is also translucent, allowing you to see how much of the remover is left.

On the label, you'll find a full list of ingredients, should you have any concerns. There are also several warnings - this product is flammable, should be kept out of the reach of children and away from synthetic materials. As this product is a solvent, there is a warning about solvent abuse.

This product contains acetone, an ingredient which can have a drying effect on nails. Boots Expert claim that this product will not leave your nails dry and brittle, as it also contains apricot kernel oil and pro-vitamin B5 to condition the nails.

The product also contains Bitrex, a chemical substance which is used to help reduce the likelihood of accidental poisonings, and also used in products designed to prevent nail-biting as it has an incredibly bitter taste.

Ease of Use

I've used the product in a variety of ways, each time with good results. The first time I used it, I didn't buy any cotton wool pads, so I had to use tissue to remove the varnish. I got the best results by pouring some nail varnish remover into the cap, soaking my nails in it for 2 or 3 seconds, and wiping the nail with tissue that has also some nail varnish remover on it. However, with cotton wool pads, I've found I don't need to soak my nails at all and I actually only use around two or three spots of nail varnish in total.

When using this, I have noticed that it is actually has a very pleasant smell. I often find nail varnish removers to have an overpowering smell, and while you can't get away from the fact that this product does have a chemically-smell, there's a definite hint of apricot, most likely from that apricot kernel oil and it's very pleasant. It's also a nice change to have a nail product that doesn't smell of Pear Drops!

I'm afraid I can vouch for the effectiveness of the Bitrex. If you get the slightest drop of this near your mouth, which is obviously NOT recommended, you'll get an unpleasant surprise. It's the kind of bitter which will make you pull a face. So, if you're trying to quit biting your nails, you've got yourself 2 products for the price of 1. If you don't want a bitter taste on your nails, for example if you plan to be handling food, then a thorough hand wash will get rid of it.

Results

First things first, I found that this takes off bolder colours with relative ease. I don't wear many pale colours, but this will get rid of the blues, reds, purples, blacks that I regularly coat my nails in without me needing to break into a sweat.

Inevitably, particularly with bolder colours, some of the colour is wiped onto the skin surrounding the nails, making staining a bit of an issue. However, a quick wipe over the skin with a nail varnish soaked cotton wool pad will sort that out in a flash.

So, does it condition my nails? Well, the first time I used this I decided to continue my normal routine on my left hand only. So I removed my nail varnish, washed my hands (yes, both) and then buffed and filed the nails on my left hand. I didn't apply a base coat, which I normally would, but already I could see a difference. The nail varnish remover wouldn't give you shiny looking nails. However, they do look healthy and strong. I actually found that nails on my right, unbuffed nails looked stronger than those on my left hand. Buffing my nails had simply got rid of the ridges and made my nails shiny and soft.

Overall, I could probably about get away with not doing anything to my nails after using this nail varnish remover. If you're lucky enough to have nails that don't have noticeable ridges, then your nails will look strong and healthy with this product alone. If you want that extra shine, then you'll definitely need to give them a buff.

It doesn't dry your skin out either, which is particularly important at this time of year. It's not drying on my hand or my cuticles. The only thing that I can say is that if you had a paper cut, I can imagine that it wouldn't be very pleasant to get this (or any) nail varnish remover in the cut.

Price and Availability

This product is only available from Boots stores and the website. The Expert range of nail varnishes includes an acetone-free nail varnish remover, as well as a product called 'Expert Clean Off nail polish remover'.

All of the products in the range come in 150ml bottles and cost £1.25.

Recommendation

Overall, I would recommend this product. I tend to use well known brands as I am wary of drying my nails out, but this product has helped keep my nails looking strong and healthy. It would be easy to expect miracles from this product and that would lead to disappointment for sure. For me, I feel that it does a great job in removing what could otherwise be very stubborn nail varnishes. Now I know that cotton wool pads are worth the investment, I think that this nail varnish remover will last me a good while, and I'm confident that I'll get a good 3-4 months use out of it (and that's being conservative).

So, yes, a hearty recommendation from me. It definitely does what it says on the tin, and I have strong, healthy nails, all at the fraction of the price of a brand. 

...less