Anyone who is around me could tell you my nails are almost NEVER painted. It’s not that I don’t want them painted, but rather that I don’t want to make the effort. I honestly love having painted nails because I think they look pretty, and it makes me feel like I have my life together a little bit. My issue is that my nail beds are apparently a little “oily” (??? ok salon lady), so I have a hard time keeping polish on and it always chips after one day.
Gel manicures are my favorite because they last so much longer than regular polish but doesn’t destroy my natural nails quite as horribly as acrylic nails do. However, as a broke college girl, I simply can’t afford to keep paying to get my nails done.
My boyfriend’s sister texted me one day telling me she got an at home gel manicure kit and that she would do my nails for me. I happily went over there because, well, why would I turn down someone doing my nails for me? I admit, I was super skeptical of the quality and how long the polish would last since it was a DIY thing and not being done in a salon.
Honestly, I was extremely impressed. This review is being written two weeks after having them painted, and they are still holding up really well! The polish is starting to lift up near the base of the nail, but that happens even when my nails are done at salons and definitely around the two week mark. You would never be able to tell these were done at home rather than in a salon. One tip is to make sure you keep the polish off your cuticles or any skin (wipe it off ASAP if you get it on you) because when that loosens, it will create a gap in the polish on your nail and make it come off too. I had that happen on one nail, and his sister fixed it for me the day I realized that it happened; it’s been good since. Below is a picture of what my nails look like after 2 weeks (Polish 040 from Kit 22 linked at the end of the article).
It is slightly time consuming when you do it because it requires multiple coats of polish (base, 2 coats of color, and top coat) and sticking them in the little UV light lamp to cure each coat. And the light and polishes are not very cheap. However, you have to consider that you are investing to be able to do your nails a ton of times and that each time should last for about 2 weeks if you do it correctly. In my opinion, it is a totally worthwhile investment.
Check out the links to the products below to see what was used on me! In my humble opinion, I highly recommend making the investment so you can have fabulous nails for less cost than keeping up with going to the salon!
MelodySusie LED Nail Dryer – $27.99 at Amazon
AIMEILI Gel Polish No Wipe Top and Base Coat Set – $10.99 at Amazon
AIMEILI Gel Polish Set of 6 – $23.99 at Amazon (Kit Set #22 was used)
Onyx Acetone Gel Polish Remover Pack of 2 – $11.99 at Amazon