Four products intended to democratize manicure were tested out.

Mani Marker - Ciaté

Product
The London-based brand has launched a nail varnish presented as a felt pen. As its name suggests, the product looks like a conventional marker with a bevelled tip. Mani Markers are available in five shades for $12, or €11.42.
The only trouble is that they have not been marketed in France yet. So, to get them, you need to buy them online and pay for delivery charges.
Promise
Ciaté holds out the promise of an easy application, and above all, extremely short application and drying times. According to the brand, you will need less than three minutes for a full manicure.
Application
The instructions for use are clear: ‘ shake the marker and delicately press the tip on your nail .’ Well, everything is alright when you shake it, but it all gets a bit awkward when it is time to take the nail varnish out… it does not go out at all. It is only after going right ahead, crushing the tip on the nail, that a sort of liquid paste finally appears. However, despite a calamitous start, Mani Markers prove to hold their promises. The application is more than easy, and it is pleasant to hold the felt pen in your hand: it would be really hard to go too wide, even for those that are not ambidextrous. The only thing to think about when applying the nail varnish is to have a firm hand and always keep the same pressure to get the same varnish flow.
As for the drying time, less than a minute is enough for your ten fingers to get dry.
Verdict
The final result is quite satisfactory. As the brand recommends, if you want a shiny finish, do not hesitate to apply a top coat, since the product itself is a little matte.
Given their ease of application and record drying time, Mani Markers are a good investment for those who want to save time.

Vernis en Spray - Nocibé

Product
This nail varnish is conditioned as an aerosol to spray the product on the nails. It is only available in the coral shade for €3.97.
Promise
This sprayable nail varnish guarantees a perfect manicure. After spraying the lacquer on your nail, obviously too wide, you will just need to wait for it to dry. What about the traces around the nails, then? Just wash your hands to make any undesirable dirty mark disappear.
Application
According to the brand, the nail varnish lasts longer with a top coat. Once the base has been applied and the aerosol vigorously shaken, it is time to ‘spray’ your nails. Lay your hands flat above a protected surface: it would be a shame to damage your furniture for a manicure.
At the first jet, there is a cold sensation on the finger, but nothing really disturbing. As for the opacity, the result is convincing right after the first layer has been applied. Then, wash your hands. Will the nail varnish disappear easily? Will strips of flesh be torn away during the battle? Well, nothing of the sort… Interestingly, the product goes away quite quickly, although you do need to use a lot of soap, and not just water.
Verdict
It is a victory for Nocibé: they have developed a successful answer to complicated nail varnish application issues.

Dip Powder - Kiara Sky Nails

Product
It is probably the first time a brand has marketed nail varnish in the form of powder. Sold in the United States and a few countries around the world (not France, at least for now), the Dip Powder nail varnish is available in 130 shades for $14.99, or €14.28. For them to end up in your hands, place your order online and add delivery charges.
Promise
This is a real revolution in the nail-art world: just apply a top coat, and then plunge your finger in the jar. Thanks to the base, the matter will get fixed onto your nail. To remove nail varnish dust from your finger, just gently tap it or flick off the dust with a brush.
Application
The brand has made tutorials available on social networks to explain how to deal with this product. Alternately apply a top coat and plunge your finger in the jar until you get the colour intensity you want. In the videos, it is disconcertingly easy to handle this, but in real life, it is a different story.
When your finger gets out of the jar, the nail varnish forms a sort of paste on the nail and around. Of course, once you have applied another base coat, the nail varnish gets smooth.
The other challenge is to get rid of the nail varnish particles on your skin. Besides, if the product you have chosen is a bit bright, when you sweep up the residues with a brush, you end up spreading them everywhere.
Verdict
We have mixed feelings as regards powder nail varnish. Of course, you are no longer scared of going too wide, since you go right ahead and plunge your finger in the jar. But at the end of the day, you do spend a lot of time trying to get rid of the residues.

Liquid Palisade - Kieske

Product
It is a peel-off base (which comes unstuck) to be applied around the nails before the manicure. This product is sold in France for €11.95.
Promise
This base is applied as a barrier on cuticles intended to protect the skin around the nails from any awkward brushstroke. Once the peel-off base has been removed, the varnish traces disappear altogether.
Application
White and a little thick, the matter is easy to spread on the cuticles. Still, a second coat is needed to obtain a homogeneous layer. Once dry, the product becomes colourless.
After applying the nail varnish, merrily going too wide with the base, it is time to remove it. As the brand promises, everything disappears and the final result is flawless.
Verdict
This product can bail out the clumsiest of us. On top of that, those of you who are used to going far too wide during manicures are free to smear more or less skin.

This is the end of failed manicures! Long live products for the less skilled!

JS