Blog #51:

I have been wanting to try gel polish for a while now.  I was not sure if it was worth it.  But of course, I had to try it to find out.  I decided to try the Essie brand which I found on sale for $12.94 at my local Target.  The combo goes for almost $20.  The combo comes with the nail polish (step 1) and the top coat (step 2).  The instructions say to use 2 coats of polish and one top coat.  I ended up using 3-4 coats on each nail as the color I purchased is very light.  It is called “fairy tailor.”  It is advertised to last up to 14 days.  For me it lasted about 7 days before the polish started to “pop” off and crack.   I wonder if it would have lasted it longer if I was not cooking and doing dishes with hot water daily.

The pros:

• left a nice shine
• thin layers of polish compared to the thick coats of polish at the nail shop
• did not chip
• quick drying
• removes like regular polish

Cons:

• polish smells very strong compared to regular polish; the smell stayed on my nails for a few hours after it was dry
• did not last close to 14 days

It is not recommended to use a base coat with this gel polish.  Therefore, I am not sure if using gel frequently over time can yellow the nails.  I really liked the thinness of the polish like I mentioned but I honestly did not enjoy the smell.  It was super strong and I had to spray my room after as the smell lingered.  I am still debating whether or not I will purchase more colors in the future.

Let me know if there are better brands out there that work well and don’t smell as bad as this one!

Enjoy!

<3 Azilde