Scholl Velvet Smooth nail tool review

I have these memories of being 15, sitting on the school bus with my girlfriends and buffing and polishing our nails to p-e-r-f-e-c-t-i-o-n. At school, nail polish was not allowed, so as blossoming young women (trying to express ourselves), this was the next best thing.

That was more than ten years ago and boy does it show – ridges have popped up with a vengeance and that all too satisfying shine is just well… a far-flung memory. So, when I had the opportunity to try Scholl’s new Velvet Smooth Electronic Nail Care System* ($59.99), I jumped at the chance. Who doesn’t want to feel 15 again?

Basically, the idea is that it takes all the legwork out of filing, buffing, and shining your nails – which to someone like me who is often too lazy to removed her chipped nail polish, couldn’t have sounded better. The nail tool comes with three heads, which are all numbered for convenience; 1 for filing, 2 for buffing, and 3 for polishing. And if you’re really wanting to give your nails a treat, there’s a nourishing oil you can use as a fourth step to soften your cuticles (and get rid of hang nails I’d assume!). The way this works is that once turned on, the nail head will move (very quickly) in a back and forward motion – so all you need to do is move this around your nail as desired.

Truthfully, I’ve got to say I have mixed feelings about this. The vibrating motion when filing your nails can become quite uncomfortable, although the process can be quite quick, and I’ve found that it’s been more suitable to fixing up any small snags that I’ve gotten on my nails from time to time.

But really, it’s the second step I have the most reservations about. Perhaps the ridges on my nails are too heavily pronounced, but even after buffing one nail for five minutes, I found that the ridges had not been evened out (just mildly buffed down). It might be better for someone who doesn’t have the same ridge problem I appear to have, as it’s such an easy step. Step three is by far my favorite. The satisfaction you get from looking down at a set of shiny looking nails makes it all worth it. My nails looked healthier than they have in years, and it doesn’t take long to build up a decent amount of shine. The final step, the nail care oil, really does make the whole process seem so luxurious – to the point that I’ve been tempted to ask Luke to massage the oil into my cuticles so it feels like a salon treatment!

It’s definitely a pretty penny to drop on a nail tool so it’s not one for those on a budget! However, one thing I do love about the glossy result is that my nail polish applies a lot more smoothly and appears much more even now than before I started using the tool.

As for any final thoughts… Like with anything, there’s definitely some pros and cons, and ultimately it’s up to what you’re looking for in a nail tool that will determine whether this is right for you. I’m convinced that had my ridges not been so prominent, I would have enjoyed using this more, but for now, I’m still firmly seated on the fence. The one thing that does have me hooked? The ultra glossy shine; there’s nothing like a good throwback to your teens!