Deborah Lippmann The Stripper to Go, $12
This is a legacy post that I’ve given a facelift because it’s a neat product. Opinions are the same, but is formatted and edited for easier reading and flow.
I received a single Deborah Lippmann The Stripper to Go sample foil in a cadre of samples . I tend to use pure acetone to remove my nail polish these days – the silly additives don’t actually seem to help, and they just weaken the product. When I wear regular polish, I tend to wear shimmery and glittery colors which pure acetone removes far more efficiently less glitter and shimmer these days, but still. More often, though, I wear gel nail polish – a bottle of Cutex is not going to cut that.
Giving it a Go
I happened to be wearing a fun bright green on my toes that was ready to come off (China Glaze I’m With the Lifeguard, mentioned in my May Favorites, if you’re wondering). Out of acetone, but having just gone though my samples I reached for my sample Deborah Lippmann The Stripper to Go. I glanced at the packet and noticed it was supposed to smell like lavender, and that it was a, “finger mitt.” What? I wasn’t sure what to expect here, but the packaging said that one mitt will remove polish from all ten fingers.
Ripping the Deborah Lippmann The Stripper to Go package open, I was greeted with the smell of acetone and something trying to be lavender. There was a little fabric pouch that with one rounded, closed end and a squared, open end. A-ha, a mitt. You insert a finger or thumb into it like so.
I found that Deborah Lippmann The Stripper to Go works better slipped over your thumb; you can, “scrub,” your nails more effectively.
Effectiveness
It worked OK for not being 100% pure acetone, and didn’t smell quite as harsh. I did have to work a little harder with it than I have become accustomed to; I’m not sure whether to attribute that to the formula or the mitt itself. The mitt was textured such that with the stronger product it would have made extremely quick work of the remnants of my pedicure.
Unfortunately, I could not remove all the polish from my toes before the product was spent. I wouldn’t say this is a bad thing; it advertises being able to take polish off ten fingers. Unless you have atypical digits, the combined surface area of your toenails is greater than the combined surface area of your fingernails.
I do not see this being effective for gel polish removal.
The Bottom Line
I thought it might be nice for travel purposes and found that it retails for $12 for six mitts. If it does remove all polish from all ten nails, that would put this product at $2 per removal. This is considerably more expensive than acetone and cotton balls. If you travel often and have to frequently redo your manicures, though, it might be a good (albeit costly) solution.
I do have a favorable opinion of this product compared to my initial perception of it as a gimmick. Unfortunately, though, my favorable opinion of the product does NOT outweigh its price. I still won’t be purchasing for myself unless I have extensive travel on the horizon.