After succumbing to the influence of social media, BuzzFeed editorial VP Peggy Wang stated that, since purchasing a few months ago, “I’ve only gone a day without having [Manucurist] on my nails because I liked how my nails looked so much more with it on.”
After Wang’s strong words of endorsement, I became thoroughly intrigued and reached out to the brand to try the goods out for myself. Spoiler alert: I can definitely confirm the appeal.
The full Active line features five polishes, each one aimed at providing a specific look to nails. I’ll break it down: There are two Glow polishes, which are essentially ultra-sheer, yet buildable nail tints in punchy berry hues. Then there is a brightening polish for adding a luminous and light-reflecting sheen, and the CC polish, a coat that essentially functions like a nail concealer, camouflaging things like white marks or nail bed imperfections. Finally, there’s the Shine, a shimmery champagne-toned polish that adds a touch of glimmering highlight to nails and makes an excellent top coat that actually stays shiny and never goes matte, unlike the gel polishes I get at the salon.
“I don’t need to apply a ridge filler, and it covers up the texture of my nails sufficiently,” said Wang, who uses one coat of Active Bright with two coats of the Active Shine.
We found a second fan in our office, HuffPost breaking news reporter Lydia O’Connor. “I usually do two coats of the Active Glow in blueberry for a sheer but juicy berry hue, then add a layer of Active Shine for a little shimmer,” O’Connor said. “It’s the perfect amount of color and sparkle to feel like you’ve gotten a manicure without the hassle of trying to paint your nails perfectly with a regular opaque polish.”
