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