Olive and June Review: Is It Worth The Hype?
Is O&J nail polish worth the hype? This Olive and June review will tell you!
I’m branching out from my usual book reviews and recommendations to share my thoughts on the product I use….probably the most after books!? I have done my nails at home since I was in middle school so I have literal decades of experience. I’m hoping this Olive and June review will help you decide if it’s right for you!
Olive and June nail polish first popped up on my radar thanks to their flashy, engaging Instagram ads (that you’ve probably seen)! OPI was my go-to but it was pretty pricey at $10+, so I wanted to see if this new company could live up to their claims.
Spoiler Alert – It’s now the ONLY nail polish I use and even has me regularly adding press-ons into my mix!
However, I’ll admit that I don’t wholeheartedly love every single Olive & June product. So I’m sharing which items I absolutely recommend and which products you can skip.
Let’s get into my Olive and June review to find out why!
*Disclosure – As an Olive & June affiliate I earn a small commission for any products purchased using the links in the post. I truly appreciate your support!
Olive & June Review Contents
- The Basics – What is so special about this nail polish and why I adore it
- The Systems – O&J’s signature mani and pedi systems that are the key to a perfect at home manicure or pedicure
- Feature – The New Fall 2022 Café Collection!
- The Extras – Press ons, nail stickers, balms, oh my!
- Q&As – Your most pressing questions answered
*Disclosure – I earn a small commission if you purchase any products from the links in this post. I truly love this nail polish and would not recommend anything I don’t use myself! Thank you for supporting this blog!
Olive & June Review: Discount Code
Olive And June Review: The Basics
Olive & June is known for their flashy seasonal colors, promises of perfect at-home manis,, and NO CHIPS FOR A WEEK claims. I honestly thought it was too good to be true. I was wrong.
Let’s deal with that outrageous “no chipping” claim first. As I mentioned, I always do my nails at home and it was frustrating to spend 2 nights a week or more redoing my nails or touching up the tips. So I was mostly interested in whether this nail polish would truly stay in place.
I bought one color and the top coat to start and discovered after a few days there was no B.S. in their statement! The key to this nail polish seems to be in the way it wears down. After 3-4 days, I noticed it would slightly fade away from the tips of my nails. But, it didn’t chip.
Thus, it was unnoticeable unless you were holding a nail right up to your face! The problem with chips is that they are bigger chunks of nail polish that come off, making them easily noticeable. With the slight fading instead, it just looks like the natural edge of my nail.
Plus, their detailed instructions and tips for a perfect mani were new to me! I learned a lot of important strategies to keep my nails looking flawless longer. Their step-by-step process included with every purchase taught me to use nail polish remover right before applying, drag the polish over the tips of my nails, and reapply top coat every few days!
Let’s talk price – At $9 a bottle, the price of Olive & June nail polish is either similar or LESS THAN other quality nail polish brands. You can find some varieties at Target, so head there if you just want to try one or two colors.
Your best bet is ordering one of the seasonal collections or kits if you want any sort of discount, though! Often, you can save a lot when you bundle!
Olive and June Review: The System
If you want to go all in, O&J offers a full mani or pedi system to help you create salon quality nails at home. I’d recommend this for beginners so you truly have all the tools you need. Plus, you can get 20% off any mani or pedi system with my code: RACHELK20!
The mani system costs $55 if you include 1 nail polish and $85 if you include 6 nail polishes. Those prices go down to $44 and $68 if you use my code! Since 6 nail polishes would cost $54 by themselves at regular price, there is some serious value when you get the larger kit!
*However, if you’re already used to doing your nails at home, I’d just stick with buying the nail polish individually!
Since I want this Olive & June review to be comprehensive, let’s go through the kit in detail! Each manicure system includes:
- Polish Of Your Choice
- The Poppy
- The Studio Box
- Cuticle Serum
- Super Glossy Top Coat
- Clean Up Brush
- Nail Polish Remover Pot
- Nail Clipper
- Nail File
- Buffer Bar
Admittedly, some of these items like the clippers, file, buffer bar and clean up brush are basic, cheap staples. So, the unique value comes from the other items. Let’s go through the Olive and June review of each of those in more detail so you know what you’re getting!
The Poppy – This patented tool is part of Olive and June’s promise that you can create salon quality nails at home! It’s designed to give you more control for smooth, consistent, strokes, especially for your non dominant hand!
The Studio Box – A convenient and cute storage solution! Plus, you’ll find a smaller pouch within to keep all your tools together! The Spring 2022 box was ADORABLE and I can’t wait to see what other designs they showcase.
Cuticle Serum – I didn’t give my cuticles a second thought before I came across this cuticle serum. Olive and June stressed the importance of taking care of your whole hand, not just your nails. So, this serum is designed to hydrate your cuticles to ensure they look healthy and moisturized. Twist the cap and apply 1-2 times a day for the best cuticles you’ve ever seen!
Super Glossy Top Coat – This top coat truly brings your mani to life. It adds both shine and protection, to fulfill the promise of a gorgeous AND long lasting manicure.
Nail Polish Remover Pot – Is it weird that this may be my all-time favorite Olive and June product!? I friggen love this concept for removing nail polish. It’s SO EASY and mess free. Pop your nails inside the pot, swirl it around, and the previous polish disappears. I’ve also been using the same one for close to a YEAR and it’s still going strong!
Overall, you undeniably get a great value if you want to go all in and purchase the full mani system. Each of the components would be MUCH more expensive if they were purchased separately. It’s definitely a one time purchase, though. Since the items last so long, go for it once and then treat yourself with just new nail polish from then on!
I’ll quickly note that there is also a perfect pedicure system available! Since this focuses on your feet, you’ll find the Posey (a foot stand to make the process SO much easier), a foot file, cuticle removers, toe separators, and hydrating foot serum!
Since there’s even more included, the cost of the pedi system with one nail polish is $75 and with six polishes costs $104. As a reminder – you can still use my code: RACHELK20 to get 20% off these prices for an even better deal!
If you want to go all in on Olive & June or are completely new to doing your own nails, you have to check out the brand new Bootcamp Box!
This comprehensive kit includes both nail polish and one set of press-ons, all structured around a 7 day experience that will teach you how to use everything and create the perfect at-home mani!
Olive and June Review: Fall Café O&J Collection
I couldn’t let this Olive and June review continue without showcasing their newest release – the Cafe O&J Set!
There are 6 new nail colors, 9 press on designs, and a MATTE TOP COAT inspired by your café experience. Plus, there’s a new set (that qualifies for 20% off!) that even includes a reusable coffee mug! The cost of everything below is only $70 when you use RACHELK20!
What’s Included in the Set:
- Straight Edge Nail Clipper
- Dual Grit Nail File
- Nail Buffer
- Polish Remover Pot
- Clean Up Brush
- Rose Poppy
- Cuticle Serum
- Super Glossy Top Coat
- Olive You A Latte Mug
- 6 New Fall Colors + Matte Top Coat
Let’s take a closer look at the new colors!
Lipstick Stain – A deep berry for a classic red mani just won’t quit
Tip Your Barista – A bold espresso brown that packs a serious style punch
Coffee Milk – A creamy neutral tan that’s equal parts sophisticated and chic
The Usual – A neutral lavender grey that’s sure to be your everyday must-paint
Yogurt Parfait – A dusty rose pink for effortlessly romantic manis and pedis
Blueberry Muffin – A pop of cobalt blue for a super sweet bold mani
Save this Olive and June review for later!
Olive and June Review: The Extras
While most well known for their regular nail polish, I want to cover their other products in my Olive and June review as well!
I’ve personally tried each of these products, so I’m hoping to help you decide whether or not they’re worth your money.
Launched in 2021, press on nails became the next big thing from Olive & June! I admittedly was ridiculously skeptical. Press on nails always seemed tacky, obnoxious and hard to manage.
However, at the point I’m willing to try literally anything they have to offer, so I paid $10 for my first set. Thankfully, the set comes with everything you need to apply them – a huge variety of nail sizes, glue, prep pads, and importantly – instructions!
It took a bit of time to find the right sizes for my nails, but once that was done the application was ridiculously easy. It’s so much faster than painting your nails!!
While there are options for rather long and rather pointy press ons, I much prefer the short or extra short varieties!
But now let’s review the negatives. I want to share both the good and the bad in my Olive and June review. First, these things are HARD to get off. I wanted the option to reuse them, so I soaked my fingers in super hot water for 15-20 min and then had to peel them off. It’s not great and it’s a huge waste of time. I haven’t tried the acetone method, but hopefully that would be easier if you don’t plan to reuse them!
Second, there was some damage to my nails when I took them off. I’m not sure if soaking them longer might have helped, but little pieces of the top layer of my nails came off when I took the press ons off. It made my nails uneven and I just had to wait until they grew out for it to go away.
Despite these negatives, I’ll definitely use press ons in the future for their unique designs and easy application. It was SO nice not worrying about the paint chipping or needing to reapply top coat. They might be my go-to option for vacations or special occasions!
Nail Stickers
I’m always looking for easy ways to spice up my nails and these nail stickers have been the perfect product! There are a variety of themed sets to choose from on the website and you can find new designs fairly regularly. I pop on a few after my final coat of nail polish and then cover it all with the top coat! It’s extremely easy and they’ve lasted as long as my nail polish whenever I wear them.
My personal favorites are the stars for use throughout the year and seasonal sets for specific periods.
Lotions / Balms / Etc
When you’re taking care of your nails, it’s just as important to pamper your hands and feet as well! That’s why Olive & June also has hand lotion, cuticle serum, heel balm and more to ensure your mani or pedi truly looks flawless.
The heel balm is my go-to item. This is the best moisturizer I’ve found to keep my heels and ball of my feet soft and smooth. It’s very thick and creamy, so I always throw on a pair of socks after I apply it to make sure it soaks in (and doesn’t get on my floors)
The hand lotion is fine, but with so many similar products on the market there’s nothing specifically to recommend about Olive & June’s version.
Olive and June Review: Q&As
Do you really need the whole mani / pedi system or is the nail polish enough?
I personally only use the nail polish and top coat. You definitely want to use those together, rather than mixing in a different brand of top coat because they are formulated to work together. I’d only recommend the mani system if you want to take advantage of the 20% off the first time and you don’t have any of these tools currently at home to use.
How long does it take to do a basic manicure start to finish?
Once you get the hang of it, it should take about 20-25 minutes to do your nails from start to finish. I strictly follow the recommended drying time of 5 min in between coats, so half of that time is just waiting for your nails to dry. The rest is the upfront prep work to buff and shape plus a few minutes spent actually painting.
What are my favorite colors to wear?
In the fall / winter, I use LD and Into the Woods the most! In the spring / summer, I jump around a lot between pastels and bright, fun colors.
What are the nitty-gritty details about the nail polish?
All of their nail polish is vegan, cruelty-free and 7-free (excludes 7 potentially harmful ingredients commonly found in nail polish including dibutyl phthalate (DBP), toluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor, TPHP or xylene)
Did this Olive and June review convince you to try this nail polish?
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