There’s a saying that goes “a woman is only helpless when her nail varnish is wet.” In that case, Space Hair and Beauty’s new gel manicure has made us pretty much bullet proof. I went to see if what i had heard about it – No drying time, no chips, and constant high gloss – proved to be true.
Before I continue I should let you know that I don’t normally get manicures for the simple reason that I’m a student. Washing up, fumbling for keys at 3am, banging away on keyboards to meet a deadline, and generally living a haphazard student life means any nail varnish that survives chip-free for more than a couple of days is a miracle. Paying for such a short-lived luxury is out of the question.
That’s not to say I don’t love having lovely looking nails, it’s just that they never last.
So when Space Hair and Beauty offered me the chance to try out their new gel varnish treatment I was intrigued. Could they really offer me a student proof manicure?
The lovely Netty from Space took me through the treatment, from helping me decide which colour to go for (they are all so lovely!) to explaining exactly what this new manicure is all about. I picked a glittery pink for my manicure – enough to make a statement on a night out, but not so bright I’d get sick of seeing it after three weeks!
The treatment itself involves using nail varnishes with a special type of resin in them, which sets in thirty seconds under UV light to give an almost acrylic layer to the nail. Although it sounds a bit futuristic and complicated, I can hands down say it is the best manicure I’ve ever had.
Putting the nails under a UV light for thirty seconds means they are completely dry in an instant, so digging my phone out of my bag after the manicure didn’t mean I ended up with the usual horrible smudges and smears. In fact, everyone who saw my nails commented on how unbelievably shiny they are. The resin also gives them a really smooth long-lasting finish, so they continue to look like I’ve just stepped out of the salon for weeks to come. That is what is so special about the manicure – it really does last. In fact it lasts so long you have to get the colour soaked off when it finally grows out. But if you are a girl who likes to change her polish to suit her outfit, don’t let that put you off. The varnish is so hard wearing you can paint a different colour on top and when you remove it your original manicure will be shiny and intact underneath. It even allows you to play around with nail art and always have a perfect base coat to work with.
I could never normally justify the cost of a manicure on a student budget, but this gel manicure changes all the rules. Looking glossy and groomed for weeks on end and still being able to tackle pesky water bottle lids, tight buttons and working out without a chip? That sounds pretty student-perfect to me.
This manicure is only £22 – and there’s even a 10% student discount on a Tuesday and Wednesday! Even better, if you get this done before the 1st November then you even get a free eyebrow shaping! What could be better?!