So, in case you aren't in the loop (and I wasn't until earlier today), there have been some issues with people experiencing tingling, burning, or even nail lifting after using polish from Mentality Nail Polish. If you want to learn more, there is some great information from Manicured & Marvelous and Betty's Beauty Bombs. Please read those before reading what I have to say about the issues.
Ok, I can totally understand how this is a huge problem for a small business like Mentality. And no, it's not their fault that the suspension supplier they were using from April-June of 2015 had some sort of formula issue that can cause a sensitivity to some. If you bought polish from them during this time, please e-mail Mentality ASAP for replacements (they have a new supplier for the base). So you may be wondering why the heck I am throwing my 2 cents out there for everyone to see. Well, I bought some Mentality polishes last month during their sale. I have never ordered from them previously so I should be fine, right? Right. Being a blogger you'd think that I knew something about this going on. Well, you'd be wrong unfortunately. I follow so many brands and people on Facebook and Instagram that about 95% of what is on my feed get lost in the shuffle. I never heard any of this until today. I think this is a problem because how many bottles are out there that could cause health issues? What percentage of people get reactions?
The main reason why I wanted to post this today is because this has happened to me earlier this year, but I just didn't know why. And no, this had nothing to do with Mentality; like I said, I just ordered from them last month. I had every nail on both hands start to lift from the ends. I didn't want anyone to know about it so I only told my husband and my parents because I was embarrassed. I thought I had done something to my hands or there was something wrong with me so I hid it. My nails just ached all day and I didn't know why. You may be asking yourself, "AUDREY, WHO CAUSED THIS?! WHY AREN'T YOU TELLING US?!" Well, it's because I have no idea. I didn't think that a sensitivity could cause this nail lifting. I change my polish every day so to pin point this today would be a needle in a haystack. I didn't have any other health issues or did any heavy lifting that would have caused this to happen. On the bright side, my nails are finally back to normal *knocks on wood.*
To sum up, I've had a sensitivity before, but it was not because of Mentality Nail Polish. Do I think they handled the incident well? No. Will I try out the polishes I bought last month? Yes, because I trust that they changed their supplier. Will I be buying more from them? No, at least not in the near future because the ones I bought didn't blow me away, not because of what happened. Will this stop me from buying indie brands? Of course not! Some of my favorite brands are indie companies due to their wonderful CS and unique products.
*UPDATED 8/23/15*
Based on further developments from how Mentality Nail polish has been dealing with this issue, I will not be ordering from them again. Ever. I recommend you read what they have to say about refunds and replacements on their Facebook page. To paraphrase, they will not be giving any more out. I am not amused by their tone, and it doesn't seem like they are taking things seriously enough. Apparently people have had to seek medical attention, so they are lucky nobody has sued yet. I am still sticking by my other favorite indie nail brands, and I hope their business is not affected by how Mentality has chosen to deal with the situation.
One of my favorite blogs, The Mercurial Magpie, who swatches for tons of indie brands, has information about how Mentality filed to be a corporation after all of this went down (but before it really blew up the last couple days). Questionable at best.
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7 comments:
Thanks for this post! I had painful nail lifting on my right ring finger (my most commonly accented nail) earlier this year, though not from Mentality. I avoided the scary blackened nail beds I've seen in photos, but I did have white thickening where it lifted and any pressure on the nail at all felt like my nail was going to rip off the bed. I thought it was because my nails were at their longest and typing was causing the one to lift (which sounds dumb in hindsight, but I was completely baffled! Like you, I have no idea which polish caused it, and I'm going back through my old swatch photos on IG trying to narrow it down, but I know that's futile.
-elizabeth, @splendiferousfingers
I have had an awful time with my hands since April, entirely unrelated to Mentality. Last year the same thing happened too, last year the cause was unknown. This year it was a lot worse, my finger tips were swollen, tender and very painful. I didn't see a doctor as I felt like the NHS has more important things to use it's resources on. I did pinpoint what triggered this years bout though.... Gel polish. I didn't use gel for ages as my hands were too sore to soak off polish and everything started to improve, then I did one mani with neon polish and needed a white base on two accent nails, as I was planning to use vinyls i opted for gel. That evening those fingers flared up instantly, then slowly the others went too. Within three days we were back to square one. At this point I realised the trigger and threw out my gel polishes.
I had a similar problem last year. It turned out the culprit was Mundo de Unas stamping polish.I stopped using them and my nails grew back fine in a couple of months.
Hi everyone, thank you so much for telling your stories with nail lifting or onycholysis! It's good to see that I'm not alone, but sad that you had to go through the ordeal as well. Let's hope it doesn't happen again!
I've experienced onycholysis on my toes after wearing Sally Hansen's Miracle Gel. The first time, I had painted my toes just prior to spinal surgery. I remember, distinctly, afew weeks after surgery (I was in a neck brace), my big toe hurting, as though I'd stubbed my toe. I thought that I must've... Either that or something had happened in the hospital. My nail actually crumbled and and there was a new nail, underneath! Now, after wearing the polish 2-3 weeks, the nail separation has started on the other big toe. I'm bummed, loved the polish, no chipping, goes on smooth, great coverage, but clearly not good for my nails.
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