Comparison: "Magic" Nail Polish Remover

I paint my nails reasonably often but there are days when I just want to quickly remove the chipped mess that my nails have become. Since Christmas 2011 when my Nan bought me a huge pile of nail related items I've been interested in so called "instant" nail polish removers. Now, here, I'm not talking about those pads that are already soaked in remover (you could make those yourself in my opinion) but more the pots with the neat little sponge inside. I've found two products I like to compare.

Product One.

For a long while I had been using Pretty Quik Instant Nail Polish Remover which comes in a neat little 30ml pot for £2.50. There is nothing particularly unpleasant about it and it removes nail polish fairly quickly, especially glitters which are hard to get off with the traditional cotton wool way of doing things.

Pro's:
1. Much quicker than cotton wool method.
2. Rather cheap (i'm quite sure i've seen them in Pound Land).
3. Good size - you don't have to stick your whole finger in, only the tip where they nail polish actually is!

Con
1. Doesn't last too long, you can see the white sponge inside getting dirty which is off putting when you want clean nails (in my experience lasts around 5-6 uses before it starts leaving a residue on your nail/skin).

Product Two.

Just before Christmas I treated myself to a pot of Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover which is a little pricey in my opinion at £4.99 but the pot is more than twice the size so technically just as good in value terms. This product one an Elle Beauty Award in 2012 and states that it only takes one second per nail to remove polish so I was expecting GREAT things. I've ended up a little disappointed but it's still much more effected than the cotton wool method and so far it has lasted around 6-8 uses.

Pro's:
1. It's also really quick, not quite one second, though!
2. Bigger pot (although not better value, really).

Con's
1. It smells SO bad. I end up choking every time I use it.
2. Although the pot is bigger so it's good that you get more the pot actually makes it really hard to get your finger far enough down to effectively rub your nail on the sponge.

Over all I'd have to say that i'm going to continue to use the Pretty Quik pots after the Bourjois runs out. I really struggle with the size of the pot and the smell of the remover in the Bourjois one so getting fewer uses from the cheaper alternative is a sacrafice i'm going to have to make, especially if they're available in Pound Land!