Lily and Fox Review: Are They Better Than Color Street?
Not only will you get my honest review of Lily and Fox Nail Polish Wraps, I will also compare them to Color Street to see who comes out on top. Is Lily and Fox a great Color Street Alternative? Keep reading to find out!
(THIS POST PROBABLY CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. OUR FULL DISCLOSURE POLICY IS LONG & BORING BUT, YOU CAN FIND IT HERE.)
Lily and Fox Review: Are They Better than Color Street
Lily and Fox is a nail strip company that’s giving Color Street a run for their money. Today, I’m sharing all the pros and cons in this Lily and Fox review so you can decide if their nail wraps are something you’d like to try.
Some people will definitely choose Lily and Fox over Color Street and some won’t. So let’s get into all the details below and see which one you might be.
Lily and Fox Review
I heard about Lily & Fox from someone on Pinterest. They left a comment on one of the pins that leads to our Color Street post saying that Lily & Fox was better than Color Street nails. I try my best to follow up on all comments so I told them I’d check them out and now, here we are.
I tried two different sets from Lily and Fox a solid, neutral color and a glitter design. I know Color Street’s glitter designs always last longer for me so I really wanted to compare the two glitters.
Now that I’ve tried out Lily & Fox, I’m ready to share my honest review with all of you. I’ll tell you all about Lily and Fox and compare their nail strips to Color Street’s. We’ll see who comes out on top.
Lily and Fox vs Color Street
Color Street seems like the top dog of nail polish strips. They are the first to come out with a much easier application process while still keeping manicures and pedicures lasting for 10-14 days. They really changed the game of nail polish strips.
But just because they were the first, doesn’t necessarily make them the best. More and more companies are coming out with their own nail wraps. Today, we’ll be comparing newer company, Lily and Fox to Color Street.
Lily and Fox
Lily and Fox doesn’t share much info on their site when it comes to the company itself. They talk about wanting to find a better way to get salon quality nails at home with out the time waste, poking and prodding, and dollars spent at a nail salon.
I did email the company and found out some more info. Lily and Fox was started in 2018. There are parts from around the world that go into making their nail wraps but everything ends up in Australia for final processing. They have an office and warehouse in Perth, Western Australia and another warehouse in Elk Grove, Illinois.
Lily and Fox nails are 100% vegan, non-toxic and cruelty free! They are 10 free which means they don’t include the ten most toxic ingredients that are found in nail polish. You won’t find dibutyl phthalate, TPHP, toluene, xylene, ethyl tosylamide, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, parabens, and tert-butyl hydroperoxide in Lily and Fox nails which I think is pretty amazing.
Color Street
Color Street was created by Fa Park when he saw a woman struggling to polish her nails in a NYC taxi in 1984. He started working on finding the right formula for a real nail polish strip and eventually came out with Color Street, Incoco, and Coconut.
Incoco headquarters is in Clifton, New Jersey and it’s where Color Street and its sister companies are manufactured. All products are made in the USA which means a lot to Park because this is where he made his “American dream a reality”. You can read all about the company on their website.
Lily and Fox Pricing is Way Better
Let’s start with a pricing comparison. This is where Lily and Fox really shines. As of right now nail strips are only $2.99 for a set of 16. For reals!
It’s written as a sales price. The actual price is listed at $9.99 which is still better than Color Street prices. Plus, they have free shipping.
The thing is though, Lily and Fox nail wraps have been at that sale price of $2.99 for ever. They’ve never not used that sales price. Will they eventually stop using the promotional price? I can’t say. But for now, take advantage of that price because it’s amazing!
Check out the photo below to see what comes with your order. How cute is everything?! You don’t get alcohol wipes like you do with Color Street, but you do get a cuticle pusher which is really helpful when applying the nail wraps.
They also gave me an old Christmas set to practice with which is super awesome. I’m not sure if they do this for all first time buyers but it was a nice surprise for me.
The nails themselves come in a foil packaging. It’s not possible to seal them up again but because of the nail ingredients, you can use any extras again without them drying out. That’s a nice bonus. Color Street nail strips will dry out if you don’t do a whole song and dance to reseal them and even then it’s not guaranteed.
Color Street nail strips range in price from $11 – 14 for 16 nail strips and shipping is a flat rate of $3. They do have some deals that drop the prices.
Buy three get one free for colors, glitters, and nail art designs makes prices closer to $8.25 – 9.75. Buy one get one free for French manicures makes them $7 plus the $3 for shipping so if you plan ahead and buy more then you do get a better price. But it doesn’t compare to $2.99.
How to Purchase
Both Lily and Fox and Color Street have websites you can order from and get your nail wraps shipped to your home. You can’t buy either one in stores all though you can get Incoco and Coconut, Color Street’s sister companies, in some stores. Read more about them HERE!
Color Street does have the option of purchasing nails from a stylist. There are some benefits that come from this.
- Support for a friend that is trying to earn some extra money for herself/family.
- Stylist can have a good stock of nails at home which means you can sometimes avoid shipping cost when you buy from them. They can also have retired designs in their stash which means you can nab them when people ordering straight from the site can’t.
- Stylist love to get the word out through parties. In home parties are always fun but not super safe right now but most stylist are great at hosting online parties and making it fun. Hosting an online Color Street party could be a great way to have fun with friends and family while social distancing. Plus, you can earn yourself some free nails.
- If people keep complimenting you on your Color Street nails then you might make a good stylist which gets you discounts on nail strips and could turn into a good little side hustle for you.
None of this is possible with Lily and Fox. They only have purchasing through their website available.
Nail Strip Designs
Both Lily and Fox and Color Street have some great designs. Personally, I think Color Streets designs look a bit nicer and higher quality. Some of Lily and Fox designs look a little off to me. They just aren’t as crisp. It’s like there’s a slight blur to them.
This doesn’t happen on all their designs but I definitely see it in some, especially the holiday designs. I do think Lily and Fox nail designs are getting better though. When I first checked them out a couple of months ago, I only found a handful of designs I liked. Now, they have a lot more cute ones.
Both have holiday designs. Lily and Fox, however, has already sold out of their Halloween designs. Where as, Color Street, hasn’t even stocked theirs yet. I’m not sure if Lily and Fox will restock theirs. It seems like once they’re out of a design, that’s it. They’re done.
Color Street keeps the same nail designs for seasons. They let you know when they will retire a design so you have a chance to stock up on your favorites before they go away.
Lily and Fox, on the other hand, seems to rotate through designs on a regular basis. I loved the light grey set I got but by the time I got back on the site to think about reordering, they were gone. That’s a total bummer in my book. I want to know my favorite designs will be there so I can reorder them anytime I want.
Nail Strip Application Process
The application process between the two nail strips was very similar but Color Street is easier to apply.
Lily and Fox nail wraps go on really well and you can take them off and reposition them if you need to which is pretty helpful. But, the wraps are thicker and more plastic-y which makes them much harder to rip/pull away the excess polish strip you don’t need. You really need to file the extra away which is a bit harder to do. It does get easier with practice.
Lily and Fox nail polish strips are a bit stretchier which makes them go on the nail well but I think this contributes to a bubble problem I’ll talk about in the next section. This is also why most people have said they can only get one manicure out of each Lily and Fox set.
However, I did find a way to get a full manicure and pedicure from one set of Lily and Fox nail strips and still have some nail strips left over. Enough to get another pedicure or manicure for a younger daughter out of them.
$2.99 for a full mani/pedi plus another pedi is a crazy good deal.
Look and Feel
Again, I think the look and feel of both Color Street and Lily and Fox is similar. They both look great when first applied. Color Street nails do have a smoother feel though.
The Lily and Fox nail strips never feel completely dry. They have a sticky feeling to them that I don’t love.
Color Street nail strips last up to 2 weeks. I find the glitter polish has the best staying power. There is no wait time once your nails are on. You can immediately wash dishes or jump in the shower with no negative consequences.
Lily and Fox wants you to wait at least 6 hours before submerging your hands in hot water. I put my nail wraps on before bed so I don’t have to play a waiting game.
Lily and Fox also suggests using a base coat to help their nail strips adhere better to your nails and a top coat to make them last longer. Sally Hansen’s Mega Shine top coat is one they recommend.
This is a total negative in my opinion. I don’t like the idea of extra work but for $2.99 it could be worth the extra effort.
The first set of Lily and Fox nails I put on my bare nails and did not do a top coat. I don’t have to do that for Color Street nails and I wanted a real comparison.
Within a couple of days my nail polish wraps had started to bubble up and pull away from the edges. I think this is partially because of that stretch that happens when you first apply the nail strips.
It feels like they shrink back down which creates those bubbles and exposed tips.
I had to remove the Lily and Fox nail wraps by the end of the week because they looked awful. If you stick to an application with no bottom or top coat then these nails will only last about 3 days.
(Update) From my interactions with the company, they seem like a helpful group who wants you to have the best experience when using their product. After seeing how my grey nail wraps bubbled up they got in touch with me to let me know that it wasn’t normal and I must have gotten a bad set. They no longer have that design so they had me pick two other ones to try out. They have sent me them free of charge.
They do offer a 100% guarantee so if you experience a similar problem or are unhappy with your nail polish strips in any way you should reach out to them. I plan on trying the new sets they send to see if I have a similar bubbling problem and will update this post again with my results.
Lily & Fox Glitter Set
The next set I tried from Lily and Fox was a glitter set because I wanted to see how they compared to Color Street’s glitter designs. For this set, I left my right hand top coat free but I applied a layer of fast dry top coat to the left hand to see if it helped.
The right hand bubbled up just like the first Lily and Fox set I tried, but it bubbled way less than the solid set. I think the glitter holds up better just like Color Street glitter does.
The side with the top coat never bubbled up. It lasted the two full weeks with the only noticeable wear being growth at the nail bed and a tiny bit of nail showing on the tips.
You can see there is a lot of nail showing on the set that didn’t have a top coat on. The bubbles are not as noticeable on the glitter nails but you can really see it on that thumb nail.
I’m still wearing the Lily and Fox glitters on my toes and it’s been over a month. Just like Color Street the pedicure last much longer than the manicure.
Nail Strip Removal
Even though Color Street is made from real nail polish, there are a couple of layers in there. Therefore, cheap, 99 cent nail polish remover doesn’t really cut it. I use the coconut scented ONYX professional nail polish remover and it works great and still comes in at a good price.
Lily and Fox nails has a protective layer built into their nails to prevent nail damage. Because of this layer, the nail wraps simply pull off of the nail with out the need of polish remover.
I was able to peel the nails right off. It does leave a bit of residue on the nails but that washes off with soap and warm water.
If you use a base coat or top coat then you will need to use a nail polish remover. I tried to see if Lily and Fox nail wraps would peel of with the top coat and it did but it damaged my nail so that’s not good. A good nail polish remover was easily able to remove the top coat and strip.
Do They Damage Nails?
There is some debate on whether or not Color Street ruins your nails. Some people’s nails crack and split after too much Color Street use. Other people don’t have a problem with them at all.
Like I said above, Lily and Fox nail polish strips are made with real nail polish but they have a backing on them that prevents nail damage. If your nails have been damaged by other nail strips you should definitely give Lily and Fox a try.
So Which Nail Strip is the Winner?
So, now that I’ve gone over all the pros and cons of Lily and Fox and compared them to Color Street, which one do I recommend?
With a price of $2.99, the winner for me is Lily and Fox. 🦊 While they do have some problems with their nail wraps, the price more than makes up for them.
I would much rather spend 3 bucks on a mani and pedi that I have to paint a top coat on. It’s a very small, extra effort and if you use a fast dry, top coat it’s dry in less than a minute.
The application is slightly more annoying than Color Street’s process but again the price makes up for that.
If Lily and Fox ever stops the $2.99 sale price and starts selling their nail wraps at the listed $9.99 then I would switch back to Color Street. The’ve got more designs that will stick around.
Their nail strips last longer on their own, no top coat needed. Plus, the application process is easier, even if only by a little bit.
Have you tried Lily and Fox nail wraps? We’d love to hear about your experience with them in the comments!
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I have used both nail polish strips, I actually contemplated selling Color Street. I have bubbling on the Lily Fox nails. I will try putting top coat on them after I apply my next set.
I’m currently using color street nail strips and I think the nail damage is from using acetone to remove them. I’m going to try switch to an acetone-free nail polish remover to see if it helps.
Thank you for your review!
Yes. In our Color Street review post we recommend this mineral fusion nail polish remover. I’ll have to update this post. Thanks for mentioning it, Amy.
This is the beautiful thing. We don’t have to choose just one, lol. I actually sell Color Street, because I realized I was buying so much anyway. I also order from Lily and Fox because I adore their patterns. I feel like L&F is a little more like the old jamberry, they’re a little vinyl-ey, and the thickness does make a great cover. Color Street has that extra large one I can use on my big toe. Both types stay on fine, I get bored easily, so I change out often anyway. I’ll probably keep using both, because they both have sets I like. If Lily and Fox stops their sale, I might stop buying, but for now, I’m having a blast with having the best of both worlds. Lol.
Great Point, Shari. You can definitely have fun with both Color Street and Lily and Fox.
Based on your review, Color Street seems to be the clear winner!
I think it depends on how much you want to spend and how the nail wraps work for you.
I recently started using Color Street because a friend of mine was selling them. Then I came across Lily and Fox online. I purchase a few sets, then purchased several more. Color street is a bit easier to apply than Lily and fox in that you can pinch off the access but other than that I haven’t had a lot of luck with the solid color from color street. I had better luck with Lily and Fox when it came to solid colors. They apply easier for me without bubbles and tears. I don’t get a good solid finish with color street solid colors. But the glitter nails are way more forgiving. My nails are not “sticky feeling” at all. I also combine Lily and fox with color street on occasion. I used the solid color from Lily and Fox because I like it better and it looks like a salon finish but I put a clear transfer from Color over two nails on each hand. I love the look! My nails tend to last approx 10 days with either (unless I’m using solid from Color Street) but I’m really hard on them. Lots of working, cleaning, gardening and I forget to wear gloves
Thanks for sharing your experience with nail polish strips and the brands JC! It’s helpful to see what other people have experience when using them.
I am brand new to nail polish strips. I purchased a set of Color Street at a local farmers market. I have yet to use them because I saw an ad for Lily and Fox and wanted to try them first because I’d rather screw up a less expensive set. My nails are short. I was able to complete both hands and will be able to apply both hands again with the same set! They went on great. The filing off of extra took some time, then again I am a newbie to this! I did put on a clear topcoat. At day 5 and back from vacation in Northern Michigan, my nails are still in perfect condition. I had no bubbling issues. I smoothed out with the rubber cuticle thingy they gave me. I am amazingly impressed. I purchased two styles and they sent me a free American flag set too. I used the ombré glitter strips. I have not tried my bright pink solid yet. I’m extremely happy after reading this article that the Lily nails are 10-free also! Huge bonus right there everyone! I will be purchasingj more Lily nail polish strips in the future. Thank you for comparison article!
Glad you found this useful.
I definitely prefer Lily and Fox I have learned to use the flat rubber tool in my cheap manicure set to rub over and smooth out the polish strips and rub it over a few times with my finger. I also just put one coat of clear quick dry wet and wild top coat. I find I end up taking the Lily and fox off because I am ready for a change I have worn them for 10 or more days easily…..Color street no matter what I do seem to chip they can’t hold up to my busy schedule.
I’ve only tried Lily and Fox. I’ve never been a super nail person, so I wasn’t willing to dive in on $10-15 sets, but for 3 bucks figured it was worth a try! The first set I wore without a top coat. I didn’t have the bubble issue. They did start to peel up at the edges after about a week. I think I made it to 10 days and peeled them off. Since I’ve used a top coat, which definitely helps. I’ve also start to redo my top count weekly, which helps them stay looking nice with a high-shine. I haven’t noticed the gummy feeling that some have mentioned. I appreciate them being a bit thick too, since I don’t have particularly thick nails. Adds a little extra thickness to minimize breakage and doesn’t seem to damage my nails, win-win to me!
Thanks for sharing, Kelsey!
I have been using Colorstreet and have been very happy with them. I saw Lilly & Fox and was amazed at the price so I bought some. I bought 5 sets. So far I’ve only used the thumbs out of the Seashore theme set as accent nails to my Colorstreet nails. I feel like the Lilly & Fox strips are more “rubbery” and I thought they would look cheap. I wasn’t sold. After 2 days they started to feel gummy and lost their shine. So I put a top coat on and that helped. I was thinking I’d return all of them but I may try again.
I really only like Lilly & Fox with a clear coat on top. It’s an extra step but I don’t mind with that awesome price point.
I used Color Street for about 6 months and got very frustrated with the lack of choices. Everything sells out quickly. I like the designs, simply because I can do solid color myself quick and easily enough. I wanted something much more interesting. I had the opposite experience as you on choices it looks like. So I stumbled across Lily and Fox and like you could not resist the price. The choices are much more abundant. I just checked both sites again (while typing this) and Color Street has only a handful of patterns. Lily and fox has sooo many more. I just ordered 13 more for the price of 4 Color Street with the buy 3 get one. It’s a no brainer for me. I too found some of the Color Street choices were too thin and cheap looking. The lighter the color the worse the look. Glitters are the best choice and they do last a long time. I agree that Color Street are easier to apply but not by much. They do last longer but I find they flake off around the cuticle more than Lily and Fox. I have that problem with regular nail polish as well. I have not had the problem with bubbling but I don’t stretch them. I wish they just came wider. Though I will put 2 on one nail sometimes and it is hardly noticeable. So for now I will stick with Lily and Fox. Oh and I loved the handwritten note they send. It made me feel appreciated. That goes a LONG way with me as well. Customer service is almost a lost art.
Lily and Fox for the win! @>~`,~~
Color Street is doing a much better job keeping things stocked now. I did notice they hard a hard time keeping nail strips stocked during this past year because of covid. Demand was up because of nail salons being closed but Color Street also couldn’t pack their warehouse with workers so supplies ran low. Lilly and Fox does have a great selection but they have a big turnover so if you have a favorite then you better stock up on it. If you’re adventurous and don’t mind trying new colors and patterns then it’s pretty great. I also love their customer service which is a huge plus. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us Valorie.
Not trying to be rude, but you used at least three different spelling of Lily in this post (Lily, Lilly, and Lilli)
That does not surprise me at all. I don’t know why I struggled so hard to keep the correct spelling in my mind. I knew I was spelling it wrong sometimes and thought I’d gotten all of the misspellings taken care of before publishing but I clearly missed some. Hopefully, I found them all this time. I’m sure that was super annoying to read so thanks for letting me know!
Your sweet, gracious response has thoroughly endeared me to you. Thank you for your sweet spirit. Have a beautiful, blessed day.
Thank you, Shari. I appreciate that!
100% agree!
We’re living in a time where critics are everywhere and I believe people are trying to be helpful.
I truly appreciated the response from Kim.
Kim, thank you for your review. I found it very helpful.
Why do folks have to be so knit picky. Either way you type it in search you’ll find the site. Linda and that is with an i not a y. LOL!!!!!! Let’s all just breath and bless you.
I have used Lily and Fox for the past 4 months and usually change them every 2 weeks just to have a fresh look and take care of the growth. I have never experienced a wet feeling or bubbling that people talk about. I don’t put a base layer on but put a top layer of the Sally Hansen Mega Shine on which it dries fairly quickly. I do not use a quick dry polish. I put a fresh coat of clear coat on after about 5 to 7 days. Some people just peel them off, but I prefer to pamper myself a little bit and soak them in warm water and coconut oil to loosen them up to remove them. I have never used Color Street because I love the $2.99 price along with free shipping! Last time I made a purchase, I ordered about 15 sets!
Hi Seleena! This is some great info. Thanks so much for sharing. I’m definitely going to try the warm water and coconut soak next time I remove my Lily and Fox nail strips.
I have tried many of the wraps. You highlight my top two. I have never had Lily and Fix bubble. They are thicker and more difficult to take the extra off. That is literally my only complaint. The fact that color street rips off easier when you put them on is the only plus for me. Lily and Fix can last on my toes a solid month. Color street cannot make it a week. I have tried twice. I never add a top coat to Lily and Fox. I did on this last set of color street to see if that helps them not chip, no difference. The ease of pulling off extra is not enough for me to opt for color street. I am sticking with Lily and Fox. They are far superior all the way around.
Thanks for sharing your experience with both Color Street and Lily and Fox. It’s always helpful to hear about how the nail strips work for others because it seems to be different in some cases. I’ve only eve done glitter strips on my toes and they last for freaking ever but I’ll have to try the solids soon and see what happens. I do think I’ll be sticking with Lily and Fox because of the price and the nail strips are good. Thanks for sharing Jenn.
Have tried ColorStreet, look beautiful, but too thin can see imperfections in my nails, natural nails dried out, hated using acetone to remove which dried out natural nails even more. Dashing Diva, love appearance, long wearing a little tough to file off, supported health of natural nails and peel off with oil. Lily and Fox, love, right in between the two. Thicker, so cover nail imperfections, easy to apply, easy to remove with oil, maybe 10 .mins and last 10 days. Issue is they seem to not dry. Used OPI top coat and still get little marks from touching things. Wondering if I have to let dry for a day before I apply top coat or use polish quick dry. Could not find Sally Hansen Mega Shine that they recommend.
Thanks for sharing your experience with all three nail strip brands. I’ve noticed Dashing Diva popping up more in stores so I think we’ll check them out next.
Thank you for this review! I actually ordered some Lily and Fox wraps and I’m hoping they will work better for me than Color Street. Color Street damages my nails very badly and I seem to be allergic to them (nail bed receding when I wear them), which makes me so sad! I love Color Street and I wish they would work for me like other people.
Hopefully Lily and Fox is a good answer for me!
I hope Lily and Fox works well for you. Just remember you’ll need a top clear coat to make them last. Good Luck!
I’m very dissatisfied and disappointed in your wraps.
I have used color street for a few years, they stay on and look great for about 3 week!
I have tried 2 set of your nails and will not stay on! The ones I put on the morning came off before I got to church and I live 5 minutes away!
Yes color street I’m more expensive to buy, but not in the long run!!
I bought 7 pair of you and can’t use them, so to me that’s a waste!
Hi Mary! Just so you are aware, Lily and Fox nail wraps aren’t our wraps. We’re simply doing a review of what we thought of the wraps when we tried them. I also had a bad experience with the nail warps the first time I used them. I would suggest putting a top coat of clear polish on the wraps when you use them. They last much better that way. Maybe you’ll be able to use the wraps you have left with a top clear coat so they won’t be wasted.