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Saturday, September 7, 2013

Gel Nail Polish At Home: Is It Worth It?

Hi My Loves!!!

Today I'm going to be doing a review I've been meaning to do for months. I have had this Gel Nail Polish kit for so long now and kept on saying ok I will review it tomorrow and then tomorrow never came. After being so frustrated by my constant chipped nails, I decided to try some press on nails which were great for the whole 6-7 hours they lasted until 2 popped off when I took a shower. 

I hate doing my nails. It's my biggest chore. I hate waiting for them to dry only to get smudged when I try to grab something for the kids or pick Lily up. I'm always so busy at night once they go to bed because I'm editing and blogging and so I end up putting off my nails. 

My whole working adult life, I had acrylic nails. I loved getting them done by someone else and knowing that when I left, they would be dry and looking snazzy for 2-3 weeks. I just really dislike chipped nails (too bad mine are ALWAYS chipped haha)...

So last night was the last straw! Lily went to bed earlier than normal (we had a busy day with our friends) and so I pulled out my Couture Gel Nail Polish and light. I absolutely love this Kit and what I love even more is that when you are done, there is no chipping or smudging. There is nothing worse than taking time to carefully paint your nails to be ruined in less than 2 minutes. It's the worst. 

The reason I don't use this more often is simply the fact that it is more time consuming. It takes about a half an hour. I know that doesn't seem much to people who don't have a toddler and a baby but to me half an hour is a huge amount of time to take time for yourself. So I usually just don't paint them at all or leave them chipped until I can't stand it anymore haha! But seeing as I had a little bit of free time last night with Lily asleep early (Phoenix is old enough to help me and he enjoys it) I decided to take the time and get snazzy nails ;)

If you haven't used gel nail polish before, it does take practice. It's a little harder to work with than I thought and you have to be really careful about not getting it on your skin or cuticles as that can create a pocket and result in lift or chipping way before it would if you did it properly. I still haven't mastered gel but each time I do it does get slightly easier and quicker. The main thing that takes the time is waiting for your nails to cure under the light.

I've used this now 3 times. It lasted 2 months on my toes (looked amazing the whole time) and the most I've gotten on my nails is 2 weeks. Hopefully this time I can get three since I feel like I've gotten a better idea of how to do it ;)

Here's some pictures of what I used and then I'll tell you the steps of how I did it ;)

(I think they have a new light now)










WHAT YOU NEED:
Couture Gel Nail Polish Kit comes with everything you need other than the alcohol (they recommend at least 71%) and cotton balls. It comes with:
3 Gel Nail Polishes (you choose the colors)
Top Coat
Base Coat
Cleanser
Remover
Light
Cuticle Stick
Brush
File
Buffer
Toe Separators
Instructional DVD
Super Cute Carrying Case

The color I used was #35 Material Girl. It's a beautiful hot pink with small sparkles and big chunky ones occasionally :) Love this color.

STEPS:
1. File your nails in the shape you like (the longer your nails, the better this works as you can seal the edge better)
2. Buff the tops of your nails so there is no shiny part anymore
3. Remove any extra dust with nail polish remover
4. Apply a thin layer of the base coat to your right hand (thin is the key here, it will help make it last way longer)
5. Cure under the light for 2 minutes
6. Repeat on left hand (they do recommend doing the thumbs first, curing and then the fingers but I did all of them at once now that I've done it a few times)
7. Apply a thin layer of the gel nail polish of your choice to the right hand being very careful not to get on your cuticles or sides of your skin (this can be tough as the gel nail polish tends to run before you cure it so I recommend staying a little further in until you get the hang of it)
7. Cure under the light for 2 minutes
8. Repeat on left hand (they do recommend doing the thumbs first, curing and then the fingers but I did all of them at once now that I've done it a few times)
9. Apply a second coat if you want again one hand at a time and then curing again for 2 minutes (I always do 2 coats)
10. Apply a thin layer of top coat to right hand and cure for 2 minutes under the light
11. Repeat on left hand and cure
12. Get your cotton ball and get alcohol on it and rub over all of your nails.

OILA! You are finished. They will be smooth, extra shiny and dry. No waiting around for your nails to dry only to get smudged or chipped if you don't wait long enough. What I love about this is that even though it does take a bit more time initially do paint your nails, the result is beautiful, shiny and looks like you went to the salon. They make your nails appear thicker (not quite as thick as acrylic but still gives that finished, thicker effect). I love the way they look and feel when they are done and even better the fact that I don't have to worry about instantly chipping or smudging them. The first time I used this I applied way too thick of coats and they lasted for about a week. If you do it like you are supposed to and do thin layers then it claims to last 3 weeks. So far I've gotten 2 weeks at the most but I still haven't mastered the application and my hands are constantly in water, being washed, cleaning etc. 2 weeks without chips is still pretty darn good.

To remove them you are supposed to file the tops a little to create a pocket, soak your nails in acetone and scrape off. I did not do this because I didn't have acetone when it was time to remove them. I peeled them off cuz I'm crazy like that and impatient. If you peel them off like I did, it will damage your nails and make them weaker so do as the kit says and soak them :)

PROS:
Long lasting (2 -3 weeks), no waiting for nails to dry, chip and smudge free, beautiful selection of colors, stays shiny for the whole time you wear it, saves money in the long run if you normally go to the salon, feels super smooth to touch, looks professional and better than regular polish, free of harmful chemicals, don't have to leave your home.

CONS:
Takes practice, time consuming to apply, can be tricky to work with, soaking my nails in acetone to remove gives me the shivers, can damage your nails a tiny bit, if your nails are short like mine it is a little tougher to apply and get a good seal on the edge and can be a tad messy.

Overall I highly recommend getting this kit. If you are someone like me who is tired of having nails that look chipped and for a lack of a better word, crappy all the time then I suggest making the investment and getting it. It does take time to do and a lot of practice to get it looking like the pros but I LOVE that I don't have to waste time painting them to only smudge or chip in a day or less. Take the half an hour you spend applying them only every 2-3 weeks vs painting your nails every 2-3 days and waiting, wafting around for them to dry and I think you end up saving time. 

I love the way these look and I love that they stay lasting so much longer than regular polish. The colors that they have are so pretty too. I'm lusting after the #85 Million $ Tweet, #81 Tiffany's Secret, #80 Pillow Talk and #84 Sweet Cheeks.

Those are my thoughts. Hope this has helped!!!

Wanna watch Phoenix helping me paint my nails:


Here's my latest Mommy video:


And my latest Beauty video is my August Faves!


Hope you all have a great weekend!!