I have a love/hate relationship with nail polish. I love colour, I love the process of painting my nails and having my little zen moment, but the second my polish chips, I can’t stop noticing it.

I think the fact that I work a desk job exacerbates this issue; I am constantly looking at my hands, and when there is a jagged piece of polish missing off of my nails, it drives me crazy. Call me a perfectionist, I don’t care (cause I’m really not), but I hate a chipped nail.

So, I often spend half my weeks with a nice, manicured hand, and the other with bare nails, that look like they could use a bit of sprucing up. I justify this section of my week with the reasoning that I am giving my nails a break, letting them ‘breathe’.

Though, sometimes you just want something that looks low-maintenance, feels low-maintenance, but still looks nice and put together, you know?

This is where Formula X’s Sheer Strength in Wondrous comes in. When I first pulled it out of my package of Sephora goods, I was super unimpressed. Cotton candy pink? Bah, no thanks.

However, when dealing with the ever-present problem of weak, splitting nails this week, I gave it a shot, and I immediately fell in love. Wondrous is in this limbo between healthy-looking nail and french manicure finish. Not opaque enough or white enough to look like a typical polish job, but transparent and glossy enough to bring a sleek finish to the nails, without looking like I’m trying too hard. It’s a slip of a colour. Your nails, but better, if you will. A sort of colour correction and beautiful glossy finish, with strengthening abilities, all in one.

I applied one coat for a kiss of colour, but you could definitely apply more for a stronger, slight more opaque white-pink hue. The formula itself is a dream to work with–thick without being globby or sticky, and it self-levels instantly, making it foolproof for everyone. Plus, since these are so transparent, they could really fit any skin/nail tone, as it would adapt to your own colouring and you can apply it pretty haphazardly, not worrying about what polish will get on your skin.