Onsen Professional Nail Buffer, Ultimate Shine

I am BLOWN away by this buffer. Don’t judge my nail shape/cuticles I was too excited to try this when it got delivered. In the first picture, I had used the yellow and blue sides and it was already impressive how smooth my nails got. Then I started to shine starting with my thumb and I Immediately stopped because I was floored at the shine and took a before photo - 2nd photo being the after. I BARELY rubbed the white side on my nails and this is the shine. Freaking polished. It came with two replacement white sides so I’m pretty sure this is going to last awhile. I also bought the buffer that came with more replacements for just a bit more so I’m set.I’m the type to scour amazon for hours (yes, even for nail buffer blocks) and dude I could not be happier this is the one I chose. It’s more than worth it. I’m like begging ya’ll to choose this over the $3 ones and remember to only buff your nails ONCE a week to maintain the strength of your nails otherwise you’d be stripping them. I’m sure just once a week with this will be enough. This thing is magic.I also got the cuticle conditioner from this brand and applied it last night before I tried this and noticeably, my cuticles ARE softer so I’m excited to do a full nail routine. You only need a little (it is a small tube and that worried me).BTW I feel like this is a good opportunity to share that ya’ll should also get sally hansens instant cuticle remover, a cuticle pusher, and cuticle cutters. These things in my nail routine (and now this block) have TRANSFORMED my nails although I haven’t quite figured out how to make them actually stronger as genetically it seems Im prone to weak nails that chip and break.. maybe this block will help. I also take nature’s bounty hair, skin and nail pills (my nails wouldn’t grow otherwise).

Highly recommend if you leave your nail bare like I fall into the habit of. I have long beautiful nails but just can’t keep up with the upkeep of polishing them all the time so these buffing squares are a must! They keep your nails from splitting and getting textured. I just buff away as I’m watching tv and they get such a glossy polished look once finished. It’s beautiful! And as a little treat I’ll buff my friends or moms when we are having girl movies nights and everyone loves it!

This a a good buffer. I also like the nail cream. My nails have improved in just the couple of weeks I have been using them.

This product does work and makes the nails shiny

This is a great way to have nice looking nails if you do not wear nail polish. I followed the instructions and my nails look bright and shiny. I also highly recommend the nail files as they are gentle yet effective on natural nails.

So far, I am pleased with this product. It helps with smoothing the ridges on my fingernails. The buffer pads work nicely. I’m just wondering how long the pads will last and when I need to replace them.

First, note that any buffing block like this, no matter the brand, is damaging to the nails. You’re essentially filing off the nail’s top layer of keratin with a fine sandpaper, then buffing it to a shine. So it certainly shouldn’t be done often, especially if you have naturally thin or brittle nails to begin with. So use sparingly and/or only on very thick and healthy natural nails!That being said, I bought this because after keeping my nails painted with regular polish practically 24/7 for over a year, they started peeling in sheets from the tips, no matter what products, brands, and techniques I tried. I knew I wanted to take a step back from polish and allow the peeling tips to grow out, but still find a way to keep my natural nails looking shiny and smooth without polish.So, I decided to try this buffer once to give my natural nails a “fresh start.” It’s expensive for a single buffing block and I didn’t find that it really performed any better than a cheaper block from a beauty supply store. It gave me a nice smooth feeling and a shine, but nothing super glossy or glass-like. I did go easier with the sanding steps to protect my already-thin nails. The more you sand off, the more shine you’ll likely get (but the more damaging). The initial shine only lasted about 4 days for me before I felt like it was starting to dull and needed to be polished again with the smooth side of the block. Bit disappointing considering they advertise 10 days of shine. I did get 10 days out of using it for a pedicure, though, since socks act like protection. My photos show a before and after on both hands.I do like that they sell replacement pads, but so far the block has held up fine for me after doing a manicure and pedicure. Obviously don’t dig the tips of your nails into the buffer and it won’t become scratched up like some reviews show. You should just be gently gliding it over the surface of the nail, not digging the tips of your nails into it.Since I only plan to use this infrequently, I justified paying $13. But if you’re someone whose thick nails can stand up to more frequent buffing without taking on too much damage, I’d say go with a cheaper block from a beauty supply store and get the same result. Also, don’t fall for the “Japanese” marketing - as far as I can tell, Onsen is an American brand owned by an American man who visited Japan once and now names his products things like “onsen” and “pagoda" for the foreign appeal.

Really transformed my nails. Believe the hype. Just one use has them looking brand new after a lot of damage and wear and tear from traditional acrylics. My go to when giving my nails a break.