The Olive & June Manicure Kit Is, Hands Down, the Best Thing I've Bought Recently

If there is one beauty and self-care ritual I like to keep up with, it's getting my nails done. I can skip a blowout or a facial if need be, but I really love having my nails done. I just feel like myself with a fresh coat of polish. However, I haven't set foot in a nail salon in two months, and while I appreciated the time for my nails to take a polish break, I wanted a little creature comfort. I ordered the Olive & June Studio Kit ($50), and it's a game changer.

I am not a natural artist; the worst grade I ever got in high school was in drawing and painting. I don't even own nail polish; I always use the salon's. So I was super excited to try the Poppy ($16), the Olive & June universal nail polish tool. The idea is that you put the Poppy over your nail polish bottle, and it keeps your hand steady so you can paint easily. Reader, it works. It works astonishingly well. I used their brand of polish (which by the way might be the best polish ever), and the above picture is my nails after seven days, no touch-ups or anything. Not bad for my very first at-home manicure.

I was reluctant to dive into a manicure kit because I felt like I was washing my hands so often that polish felt futile. However, there is a unique joy I feel in looking down at my fingers and seeing my lavender polish. I'm not only proud that I was able to tackle something I had previously designated impossible, I'm also proud that I did something for myself, and I highly recommend finding something that brings you joy. I'm already thinking about my next manicure.