Formula X Press Pods are a new and interesting way of using nail polish. They are tiny portable, one time use pods. You twist to reveal the brush and squeeze, and the nail polish dispenses out of the brush. Pictured here is the Formula X Paint Party; it is a limited edition canister filled with 24 press pods of Formula X's best creams and pearls. It also comes with 3 delete-to-go nail polish remover pads, and all the polishes are 3-free!
Polish Shades: 24 x 0.03 oz Press Pods in Ignite (smoking red), Pyrtotechnic (dynamite red), Push the Limits (tomato pink), A+ (raspberry), Frenetic (deep fuchsia), Intensity (powder pink), Potent (carnation pink), Enigma (lagoon blue), Prism (mermaid green pearl), Unmistakable (pastel jade), Omni (beach ball blue), Orbit (dark sky blue), Centigrade (arctic blue), Provocative (pastel sky), Indelible (rich violet), Outrageous (lavender mist), Invincible (warm vanilla), Thrilling (cloud gray), Impeccable (cocoa bisque), Perfection (smoky violet), Gray Matter (charcoal gray), Extraordinary (iceberg gray), Dark Matter (patent leather black), White Matter (paper white)
So I initially didn't have any idea about how these worked. Before opening the cap, I thought the brush was the other way around and you were able to dip the brush in the tiny pod. But it turns out the name is as it says; press pods! Which means when you press them (or squeeze), the nail polish will ooze out of the brush. Kind of like those click-pen concealers..ish.
First Attempt:
Ok so.. for my first try I used the colour 'Ignite' which is one of the dark reds. The brush was a bit curved and I had a hard time getting the polish out. The nail polish seemed to be oozing out of all different sides and not directly in the middle. It was quite hard to control and after doing the first coat on one hand, I needed to take a break and also wait a few minutes for the polish to dry to continue the second coat. I did need a second coat because the application was streaky and a bit uneven. By the time I was ready to do the second coat, the polish was barely squeezing out of the pod and I just gave up.
Second Attempt:
For my second try, I tried another colour called 'Prism' on the other hand and I had the same issue with this colour in terms of application. It was streaky and again uneven, definitely needed 2 or 3 coats which was just out of the question at this point because my thumb and index finger were sore from pressing so hard.
To do a second coat, you might be able to get away with using a needle to poke the opening a bit.. but I didn't try it. Just seemed too inconvenient.
I really didn't have any luck with these press pods. For one, there is no ball, meaning no ability to mix up the polish inside if it has separated. It will be difficult for your non-dominant hand to squeeze and apply at the same time. What I really didn't like, is that I used about 1/5 of the pod and now I have to wait a few minutes to be able to do a second coat. But once the first coat is moderately dry, the brush has already dried out.
The brush didn't seem of high quality and was a bit small. I didn't like that you can't control how much polish you want on the brush before placing it on the nail; you kind of need to press it on the nail while squeezing it out.
I also do not feel environmentally friendly throwing out unused nail polish in the garbage.. *hides*
Ok now for some good things! These are definitely a great idea for travel (tbh I still don't think I'd use them). But It is a fun idea! And Formula X was definitely on to something with these, but I do think they need major major tweaking. I think it would be better having to dip into the pod rather than having to squeeze it.
The can is so cute, the packaging is cute, but the pods just aren't ideal, not consistent, and annoying to use. It just feels like such a waste of good product because the colours are actually very pretty. If you are still interested in trying it out, they are on sale at
Sephora for $24 CAD, or you can find the smaller, $9 set of 7
here. But you are probably much better off purchasing Formula X's single nail polishes or mini polish sets like
Paint The Town (on sale for $48 CAD).
This product was received for consideration. All opinions stated are my own and are not influenced by any affiliates.
