Hello! This is going to be the first review for
today, the Essence 4in1 Profi File.
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I had a nail buffer block that was really, really good, but
as all good things, it too had come to an end. So I felt like I needed to find
a suitable replacement, and after doing some research, this nail file by
Essence looked to be a good alternative. It’s really cheap too! So, let's see if it's as good as it seems!
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Packaging: it comes in a clear plastic sleeve that is relatively
hygienic. I say relatively because it is not protected against tampering,
anyone can take the file out and touch it. There’s all the info you need about
this file on the front of the sleeve.
This nail file has 4 different uses, so its surface has been
divided into 4 equal parts: black, white, pastel pink, and gray. It’s pretty
flexible. I think it’s pretty well-made, but I have had it fray after a while
on the higher grit sides.
The four steps this file has to making nails pretty are:
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Step 1: Shorten. This is done using the black part of the
file. This part has the lowest grit. It is far too rough, as I find that it
leads to nails splitting and breaking unevenly. So, yeah, it does shorten
nails, but it also damages them severely in the process. Unsurprisingly, I barely
ever use this part of the file.
However, there is one unconventional use for
this part of the file where it shines: it is excellent at removing cured
superglue from skin! I didn’t have any acetone at home and I didn’t want to
keep peeling it off my fingers, so I decided to try and buff it off using a
nail file, just for giggles. Imagine my surprise when I saw the glue literally
crumbling as soon as I started buffing it! It’s actually a way better way of
removing superglue than with acetone! So, at least it is good for this.
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Step 2: Shape. This is done using the white part of the nail
file. This part has a noticeably higher grit than step 1. It is quite smooth,
but it is pretty good for precisely filing your nails. Although this part too
can lead to nail splitting, though it is not as bad as with step 1. I like to
use this part to shorten my nails as it is gentle enough not to damage my nails
(too much).
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Step 3: Smooth. This is done using the pastel pink part of
the nail file. This part has very high grit. It’s super smooth and gentle for
nails. It cannot shorten nails, it is just too smooth for that, but it is great
for smoothing out damaged nails or small splitting in nails. The bulk of the
text is located on this part and it is actually detrimental to the quality of
it. The text gets all smudged as you use the file, which makes it worse at
smoothing out nails. It also gets frayed rather easily. And it gets used up too quickly.
Perhaps that’s because this is in fact my favourite part of the file!
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Step 4: Polish. This is done using the gray part of the nail
file. This part has extremely high grit, being completely smooth to touch. It’s
only good for polishing nails to make them shine. Although it doesn’t make them
shine nearly as much as my previous buffer block. I like how smooth my nails
are after buffing them with this part. However, this part also gets used up way
too quickly and frays easily. Still, it’s pretty useful, so I use it often.
The idea is to follow the steps in order, first shortening
your nail, then shaping it, then smoothing its edges and surface, and finally polishing
it to a high shine. The problem is that half of the steps don’t work perfectly:
step 1 damages nails too much, while step 4 doesn’t polish nails enough to give
them a proper amount of shine. Steps 2 and 3 are good at what they were
supposed to be used for. So I end up mostly using only steps 3 and 4 (at least
I found an alternate use for step 1!).
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This file isn’t meant to be washed, but a bit of
disinfectant or water doesn’t damage it or destroy it. I would still suggest
not getting it too wet.
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All in all, this is a good basic nail file. It’s very cheap,
but it’s better than one might think given the price. It’s legitimately good
for smoothing out small nicks in nails and to shape nails precisely. It’s less
good at large-scale shortening of nails because it leads to nails splitting and becoming brittle. Only half of the file works well, but those two steps are really good. Still, since it is a classy emery board type of nail file, it doesn't last very long before losing its effectiveness. And you cannot disinfect it like you can glass files. Besides collecting bacteria, it also starts to fray after some time. Once that happens it is pretty much time to replace it, as it doesn't file effectively either, anymore. It's cheap enough so I don't mind it particularly; besides, the build quality and longevity are much better than I thought it would be. So I will recommend it, if you prefer emery boards. Me, I honestly prefer nail buffer blocks much more, so I'll stick with them.
Rating: 7/10
Would buy again? Maybe YES
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