Thursday, April 01, 2010

polish removers: The Face Shop vs Etude House

I have been doing my nails ever since i was a teenager so polish removers are a part of my nail kit. I used to use Acetone in removing it & it always leaves a whitish mark on my nails. It dries my nails horribly. My nails are soft & i can even bend it without it breaking off, it also chips very easily. That's the effect of using acetone as a nail polish remover.

I still use a product that got acetone on it, but this time im wiser in choosing products. I don't go for pure acetone anymore, but use a milder version. Mind you, i have tried using a non-acetone product but i don't think it ever works. One experience that i had in using it was, I finish 1 bottle in removing polish from my 4 nails... 4 nails! What a complete waste!

I am still trying out other nail polish removers. I have tried Etude House & The Face Shop's polish remover & i thought that it would be nice to make a comparison between the two.


They are both korean brand. Same quantity but different formula (100 ml per bottle), of course. At first i thought that they would be almost the same, but nope. That's the only common things that they share.

This is the back of the bottle, feel free to read it if you want to.

Let's break it down 1 by 1...

The Face Shop's Nail Enamel Remover


True to its claims that it strengthens, hydrates & cleans nails...period!

It doesn't dry my nails, i don't need to use a lot to completely remove the polishes, plus it smells nice. This is great when i'm actually trying out some nail designs & is practicing. There would be times when i have to apply polish on my nails, add the design, then remove it again. This product keeps my nails 'moisturized' unlike other removers. It doesn't leave a whitish mark on your nails.

When i'm just donning a simple, 1 coat of nail polish, 1 cotton pad with this product is enough for my 10 finger nails. If you have a 3 coater polish, it would take a while in removing it, but comparing to others this tops my all-time fave removers. Removing polish is a breeze!

As for the scent, I prefer the pink one over the blue one. Pink is strawberry while the blue is Bubblegum. If you use this in an air-conditioned room, the scent could be overwhelming. It's the type of scent that lingers even after you finish using it already. As what i keep on saying, im pretty partial to products that has scent so i always use this in an open room.

One disadvantage that i could think of is its availability. For those who don't have access to The Face Shop store they would need to stock up on some back-ups. This is the reason why i have to buying backups every time i go to the mall. It had easily became my favored product.

As for the price, depending on your budget it could either be expensive or cheap for you. Priced for Php99, this product might seem a bit steep, but with the quality that you are getting i think it's really well worth your money. So i'm leaving the price to you if you classify it as pros or cons.

Pros:
  • smells nice
  • true to its claims
  • doesn't dry nails
  • has a child-resistant cap
  • available in 2 variants
Cons:
  • aside from the availability of store, nothing much
Will i be buying it?
Definitely! It's worth your money.

Etude House Fresh Nailwash Safe


I purchased 2 bottles when i went to Etude House immediately thinking of doing a comparison between the 2. I finished the first bottle & is already halfway on my 2nd bottle. Compare to The Face Shop's product, i find this to be of lesser quality. I have to use a lot of product to remove my polish. If in TFS (the face shop), 1 cotton pad is enough for all, for EH (etude house) 1 pad is enough for 5 nails.

It also evaporates faster than TFS so you don't get to fully 'use' everything.

The only thing that i like about it is the scent. I like the Fresh Floral (blue). Compare to TFS, the scent is somewhat sweet & not overwhelming. I can use this on my room & not worry about me suffocating from the smell, unlike TFS. Gomen, i forgot the scent of the pink bottle.

Priced for Php79 (or Php 69..i'm not sure), this is way cheaper compare to TFS.

Pros:
  • smells nice
  • has a child-resistant cap
  • available in 2 variants
  • cheaper than TFS
Cons:
  • availability of the store (EH has very limited store/s)
  • dries faster
Will i buy it?
No, thanks...I'll just save my money to buy TFS.

I'll be trying out other nail polish removers from time to time. Once i have fully tested them, i'll make a review.

How about you?
Do have a favorite polish remover?

Hope you find this helpful.
Have a great day!

Jaa ne~!
^_~

15 comments:

AskMeWhats said...

wonderful comparison! i have used the Face Shop's one and you're right, I like the pink one better too! but they work really well! Haven't tried the Etude one :)

-AnGiEpInK- said...

Thanks for the review hun..It's help me alot to choose which nail remover to buy..I'm sure gonna buy this one.. Plus I'm a big fan of The Face Shop.. ^_^..

maki said...

thanks for the review girl.. dont wanna waste even a penny for mediocre stuff.

Badet said...

I'm using the one from Elianto, and it also smells nice and didn't leave my nails dry.

xoladiihoneyxo said...

Thanks for the reviews!!! =] I hate non-acetone nail polish remover. I'm used to the pure acetone that nail professions use at the nail salons. hehe. My mom kept her store clean and always have the air filter so the smell doesn't bother me as much compare to it when at other stores.

Sherry said...

nice review hehe.. not try them yet.

notjustminerals said...

Same here! I am currently using my Etude House in blue coz I just finished my TFS pink one 2 weeks ago. I also like TFS better coz EH dries faster. I also use 2-3 cotton pads with EH and have to get more remover for each nail.

Pammy said...

I use TFS too and removing nail polish is so easy. I like the blue one better though. This is a good comparison. Better to add just a few more bucks and get better quality. :)

Crystal said...

thanks for reviewing. i've never tried any midly expensive nail polish removers. my sister keeps buying bobbi so that's what i use instead.

Anastacia said...

I like The Face Shop nail polish remover too! Gonna grab some bottles again.

DICTASHION. said...

Hey, can you get the face shop one online? Are there any stores in Sydney? Thanks - love your blog!

jehan said...

hi thiamere! nice review here. i am using a nail polish remover infused with ginseng extracts (would you believe that?) my mom in law bought from her suking "hwa jang pom" (cosmetics store)... it's non-drying, smells nice and easily removes the polish too.

Elsa said...

Oh I love Etude Nail Polish Remover...no white marks at all and love the scent too!

I thought of it as a cologne (*wink*)

never tried Faceshop's though...

ThRiSzHa said...

I just like to ask.. are these 2 polish remover are ACETONE FREE?? coz its the most important thing in a remover...

ValerieDeoferio said...

great review!! :) I've tried the pink one from Etude before and my oh my I just hate the smell! :( And yeah, I like The Face Shop Remover more! :D It's the one I'm using now :D

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