Finally getting down to the route of my obsession. I love doing my nails, if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you will see that most of my pictures are of my nails. I love doing them at least 2-3 times weekly. I can't stand to see nails that are chipped or not shiny. I am not a huge fan of Deborah Lippmann nail products because they are very pricey especially for someone like me that changes her colors every 2 or 3 days. I do keep up with the products that they have though just to see what they come out with and I saw a couple of months ago...maybe a year, they came out with a Gel Lab. So this is suppose to be just like getting a gel manicure but without having to have a light to cure it. Unfortunately, I've gotten gel done on my nails and I regret it so much. The reason why I got them done more than once was because I thought, maybe it was the brand or the place. First time I went to a local place in Queens, Diva-Licious Nail & Spa and they did a good job with applying it, a little messy but I was happy with the shine. My first time there, it chipped within 3 days (even though gel should last up to 10 days) and I went back and they were apologetic (I didn't get a discount or anything) and this time it lasted 2 days so I was basically done with gel manicures.
I work at an agency and we have vendors that take us out for mani/pedis and usually are at really nice places. This one vendor saw that I loved nail art so they decided to take my co-worker and me to Valley Nails on Elizabeth Street in the Village. These girls have talent and when I saw the work that they could do, I was so excited so I decided to get gel since the designs are so much cooler with gel. What a mistake! This gel started to peel from the cuticle within 5 days and then when it came off, it ripped my nails. I soaked them right away, being that I am a nail art fanatic, I have everything I needed to remove the gel. I soaked my nails for about 20 mins. Most of the color came off but while scraping it off, it ruined my nails to where it took over 6 months for the ridges to grow out. I've come to believe that gel polish isn't for me. Until I saw this gel labs product.
I started to read about it immediately and I saw everything that I wanted. High-shine, long-wearing finish and cushiony texture that a gel manicure gives you but without the lamps, extra time and damage to the nails. Also, this can be used with regular nail polish as where the regular gel manicures need specific gel polish to actually work correctly. All it is is a two-step system-- a base coat and a topcoat. The base coat has biotin, green tea extract and aucoumea in it which is good for your nails and the topcoat is fast drying that its just easy to use. The base coat actually makes the the colored polish go on easier and it creates a barrier so that its easier to get a better application. The color stays on longer than with other base coat and top coat but I still change my polish every 3 or 4 days when I use this set.
This retails for $45 and I have to say, no its not worth spending that much money on a base/top coat because the shine still dulls and the chipping still happens. I actually was able to pick this up with a promo that Good Morning America ran that gave it like a 60% off which is why I got it. I still think if I would have tried it, I wouldn't have purchased because I think you can get the same gel look with Sally Hansen or Seche Vite products.
