French Manicure - Nailene Pen Review

I have never had the patience or the steady hand to take on a French manicure myself, but after spotting the Nailene Skinny French Tip Pen, I decided to give it a shot. There have been many interpretations of a French manicure popping up all over Pinterest lately, but I opted for the classic sheer pink - Essie Mademoiselle. I also used my new favorite top coat - Seche Vite. I highly recommend it!

This is Essie Mademoiselle on its own. 

The Nailene Pen is intended to help you draw on the white tips as opposed to painting them on with a brush as that can be quite finicky. The tip looks just like a felt tipped pen.

I have used a black design pen on my nails before with a very similar tip, so I thought this would be as easy to use as that one. (I'll have a post using the design pen soon!) To begin, just shake the pen (with the cap on) and then take a tissue or cotton pad and press down until the product saturates the pen tip. From there, paint on the white tips following the natural white of your nails.

This seems easy, right? Well, it's not as easy as it looks. The nail paint comes out quite fast and runs a bit if you use even light pressure when applying. Additionally, when you apply the color it is totally white and bright, but once dry, it fades to a dull looking off white, so you'll want to apply a second coat.  

After a bit of touching up and messing around with the pen, I ended up with a French manicure that looks pretty good from a distance, but not so much close up. I think that with practice, the pen can actually work quite well, but it's definitely not as easy as it seems initially.

As far as lasting power goes, I am more than unimpressed. I applied this on a Friday evening and by Saturday evening it needed a touch up. More than one of my white tips was chipped and a few were just looking worn off as if I'd had them done 4-5 days prior.

Overall - a great concept, but I wouldn't rush out to buy this. On the plus side - do rush out to buy Mademoiselle as it makes your nails look super healthy, glowing, and natural. Again, +1 to Essie!