I can remember being about six years old, sneaking under the kitchen table while my family played cards one evening and painting my step-uncle’s toenails a bright coral pink with my favourite bottle of Tinkerbell brush-on, peel-off nail polish (Bo-Po). At age six, my step-uncle (who was just a teenager himself and liked to tease me by hiding my teddy bear in all sorts of silly places throughout the house and playing keep away with my dolls) was my sworn enemy but also a trusted friend, and painting his toenails was my favourite way to get him back.
Of course, I was only able to exact this revenge because I had access to a product which my very protective mother deemed safe – both for me and our lovely home as well as for the sanity of my poor step-uncle who would have to go out in public wearing sandals! This nail polish was not only non-toxic, but also had the unique quality of being easily peeled off just after it dried! To my young creative mind, it was pure magic. Even today, as I rekindle these fond memories upon receiving an envelope of two new shades of this recently re-launched product, it still feels like magic.
Bo-Po, this iconic product of the 80’s and adored by little girls across North America, was recently acquired by Worx Toys, a wonderful toy company started by three fathers who were inspired by their inquisitive children to develop “a revolutionary new type of toy that combines stimulating the natural sense of curiosity in children, focusing on ages 6 to 9, with discovering how things work and learning in a fun way.”
Having acquired the proprietary formulation for the original Bo-Po nail polish, Worx Toys developed a new formulation with a more expansive line of colours, improved drying time, and smoother peeling. The complete collection includes ten vibrant shades to “match any mood”, including bold pop colours and shimmery tints, all in easy to use, stylish spill-proof bottles so every child can have the freedom to safely get back at their pesky uncle or big brother!
In my envelope, I received a full-sized bottle of OMG! (a bright and daring true red shade) and a sample sized bottle of Cotton Candy Tint (a beautiful shimmery pale blue shade). I immediately rushed to sample them, and was so impressed with both the coverage of the polish (one coat was good enough to go, but two coats provided a luxurious finish), as well as the rapid drying time. Bo-Po nail polish dried flawlessly in seconds before my eyes!
The polish had a sweet vanilla scent to it as well, which brought me back to my childhood. I’m not sure if I was remembering the actual scent of my long-ago Tinkerbell Bo-Po nail polish, or if it was something else in the new formulation, but it certainly was nothing like the awful toxic scent of most nail polishes on the market!
And, while I missed my old favourite coral pink hue, the OMG! Polish was a fabulous shade of bright red perfect for a confident adult out on the town or a young girl getting on her superhero swagger! The Cotton Candy Tint was dreamy. It looked like how I always imagined Cinderalla’s sparkly blue gown would shimmer under the moonlight. One coat provided a pretty barely there shimmer, and two produced a glamorous glitter worthy of princesses young and old.
The best part was, I could experiment with either of these fun shades without having to commit to keeping them on for days until they started chipping and I had to remove them with strong nail polish removers that dry out my nails and make them brittle. The polishes lasted a day without me peeling them (and yes, I even did the dishes that night!), then easily peeled off in one neat piece when I was ready to take them off. Once the polish was quickly removed, my natural nails were clean, smooth and not at all dried out.
As an adult, I can’t imagine I will be sneaking under the kitchen table any time soon to surreptitiously paint my uncle’s toenails, but I can certainly see reasons why I might want to use this fun product even though it’s primarily marketed for young girls! First, it offers a really quick and flawless looking application perfect for those last minute moments I find myself in as an entrepreneur with a natural cosmetics business. Secondly, I can use high impact shades without having to worry about removing the polishes the next day and drying out my nails. Of course, the polish is also perfect for when I do photo shoots of my models for my business, as they can easily have their nails done for the photo shoot in wild colours to match my wild products and not have to keep them on after the shoot (I work with all volunteer models, who are real customers and natural beauties, so they appreciate this too!)
Finally, though I don’t yet have children of my own, it’s the perfect item to pack in my purse when I visit my friends so their children can have a special moment with Auntie Aleisha. I know that it’s safe for them, and they get to feel like we’re sharing something ultra-special! Not to mention, when my husband becomes a father soon, this is a fabulous product for those rainy afternoons when it’s Tea Time with the dolls and stuffed animals! He can let the children paint his manly nails, without having to worry about what his coworkers will think the next day!
With the very low retail price of just $3.99 each, these non-toxic, spill-proof and seriously fun nail polishes are great for children and can be a clever addition to every mom’s purse, too!
If you’re a child of the 80’s like me, take a trip down memory lane by stopping over to the Bo-Po website (www.bo-po.com), which is full of nostalgic images and the original advertisements as well as purchasing details for the new product line. If you never had the wild experience of Bo-Po back in the 80’s, there’s no better time than now to join the fun!
By Contributor Aleisha Bonin
*Disclaimer: I received samples for review purposes, and I received no other compensation for sharing my experience from using it. The opinions here in this post are purely honest and all my own.
I used the Tinkerbell BO-PO polish as a teen in the 80s, first having read about it in “Seventeen” magazine, in an article about “fun and cheap new beauty finds,” and found it was fun to use, easy to remove, and looked plenty of gorgeous! (I liked the bright red one the best. It was called RED-dy or Not back in the day)
Well, now it’s BACK, and even though I’m no longer a kid or teen (except at heart), I bought an 8-pack of this unique beauty novelty, and it’s not the same stuff I had as a teen. It’s better. Smoother coverage, longer lasting, and in more colors (though not nearly enough). Am sporting Cotton Candy (Tint) as i type this, and it is indeed a gorgeous shade.