I LOVE painted nails, but I HATE chipped polish. Because of my job, my hands are in pictures all the time so my nails need to look prefect. Regular nail polish had never failed me ... until I had professional gel nails applied. After having weeks with no chipping, it made regular nail polish just not worth the trouble.
When Sally Hansen released their Salon Pro Gel Polish that promised no chips for 14 days, I was intrigued.
Verdict: I love this product. It's one of my favorite beauty finds.
Pros
There are other at home gel kits on the market, but here are my reason I prefer this one.
- It's very easy to use and the color lasts.
- As soon as the color is cured, your nails are done. No smudging!!!
- This product is sold in almost every store so it's readily available (Target, CVS, Ulta, etc.). Budget tip-Some of these stores have 20% off coupons which are perfect for items like these.
- It uses an LED light, which is safer for the skin, instead of a UV light to cure the polish.
- These do not weaken my nails like I feel some of the professional gel polishes have.
- 100% Acetone is all that's needed to remove the polish. These must be removed properly, see how here. *See Tips.
- 99% Alcohol soaked wipes are what's in the packets you use before and after applying the polish. *See Tips
Cons
- The range of colors are a bit limited. Assuming this product does well in the market, I'm hoping they will expand the color range.
- I've found my right hand (the dominant one) does tend to chip a bit quicker than my left hand.
- The LED light has a preset 30 second timer to cure the polish, but each nail really needs a 60-90 second cure time. **See Tips
Tips
*Some of the other at home gel polishes have specialty removers made only by their brand. Sally Hansen does sell prepackaged 99% Alcohol wipes and small bottles of acetone, but if you're budget savvy just purchase the CVS or Target brand of Acetone found on the bottom shelf with the nail polish removers. 99% Alcohol is a medical grade alcohol that can some times be found in the pharmacy or can be purchased from one of the make up supply houses in larger cities (West Coast peeps - Frends, Nigel's; East Coast peeps - Alcone)
**Cure the polish for the first 30 seconds with the light shining directly on the nails. For the next 30-60 seconds, rock the fingers/hand slightly side to side so the light will shine on the edges of the polish and fully cure. Do this with all 3 steps.
Have you ever tried gel nails either at home or professionally applied?
Jamie