I have the *Sensationail Express Gel One Step Polish Kit in Make Him Blush (£34.99, now on sale £24.99). The kit comes with the UV lamp and charging cable, instructions as well as the express nail polish in the shade Make Him Blush which is a lovely pale pink that is perfect for spring. It contains everything you need to apply the polish and to cure it but it doesn't come with the products that you need to remove it which isn't great!
Until this kit, I hadn't tried gel nails at all and to be honest I thought it would be such a time consuming and difficult process but it wasn't! For the prep, I just wiped nail polish remover over each nail as oils on the nails can reduce the wear of your polish then I washed my hands and started to set up the light. You just plug in the light and it won't turn on fully unless your hand is under the light as it has a couple of sensors underneath which I figured out about five minutes into thinking it was broken...in my defence, it didn't say anything about that in the instructions!
No base coat is included so I applied the colour to both of my thumbs; you have to cap the nail before you put them under the lamp and I had no idea what this meant but it just means you need to apply polish to the top edge of your nail to seal the nail in polish so it lasts longer. Then put them under the lamp which will emit a blue light and wait for 30 seconds to cure them. The light felt slightly warm on my skin and nails and my nails had a feeling of clingfilm/plastic wrap on them. I'd say that in total it only took about five minutes to apply and cure the polish and the best thing...it dries instantly so you can touch the polish when your remove your nails from under the lamp which is AMAZING! Waiting for nail polish to dry is one of the worst things about painting your nails so this is perfect for me.
One word of warning, don't get this polish too close to your cuticle or on your skin as I did a little because it doesn't come off with nail polish remover, I had to scrape *sorry, that word grosses me out too* at my skin to remove the excess. When they were all done, I didn't apply a top coat as there wasn't one included and the end result was incredibly glossy anyway.
I'm so happy with how they look even though I have made a couple of mistakes in places, where the polish seems to have bubbled up (maybe because the polish was applied to thickly there?) but other than that it looks amazing! I love the colour, it matches all of the gorgeous cherry blossom trees around and the polish looks so shiny, fairly neat and professional on the nails even when a non-professional has done them.
The longevity is around ten days but after two days I noticed a small chip on one nail however I think that was where I hadn't been as thorough about capping the nail so it was my fault! After four days, my nails are still the same with no new chips but I think next time, I'll definitely apply thinner coats! Day six saw two new large chips and on a couple of nails the polish was peeling away so I had to remove it all but I think the problem wasn't with the polish but that I applied the polish too thickly.
Overall, I am definitely impressed with how quick and easy it was to apply and how it dries instantly under the lamp. I also adore the colour, the finish and how well it lasted initially. It lasted six days instead of the ten claimed but as I said, I think that was my fault as this is the first time I'd applied gel nail polish. Thankfully it was very easy to remove, it just peeled off leaving my nails slightly dry but nothing hand cream can't fix. I'm definitely interested to try more shades as well as the peel of base coat and top coat. Overall rating: ★★★★☆, 4/5.
Have you tried in salon or at home gel nails before?
This sounds so easy to use and cheaper than getting them done! x
ReplyDeleteI love the colour of this - I just stick to salons because they do it so much neater than I ever could! X
ReplyDeleteI have one of the sensational kits too and I really love using it :D
ReplyDeleteThis colour is too pretty I think I may need it !
Alex ox
http://www.champagneandlemonadeox.co.uk
I definitely want to check this out!
ReplyDeletexo, Liz
http://lipstickandconfetti.com
Ah I was given this recently as I met the company at an event and I can't wait to try it now. I would have had no idea what capping meant either so will definitely keep this in mind when I give it a go! Fab review!
ReplyDeleteThe Makeup Directory
Sounds perfect!! Gel nails always seem to last way longer than normal polish xx
ReplyDeleteLucy x | lucy-cole.co.uk
I like the sound of this though I am too lazy to do my own nails most of the time x
ReplyDeleteIt's a pretty shade but it all sounds like so much work for 6 days wear.
ReplyDeleteI have the red carpet manicure at home system and it is super easy. It's just the removal time with the fouls that annoys me x
ReplyDeleteI have a Sensationail kit and love it, I have bought so many gel polishes since receiving the kit but I have read a few bad reviews about the express polishes so haven't bought those ones as yet, I use the standard polishes and also Gelish polishes and get around 2 weeks out of those, I've been on a gel break ha ha but have just had them done again :) The colour of your polish is so pretty I love it xxx
ReplyDeleteI've got a Sensationail set but it's a slightly different one which isn't one step, and I am always impressed with that one. I might have to pick up a couple of colours from this new range and give them a go.
ReplyDeleteKristy | www.thevioletblonde.com
These sound and look great - I'm SURE I have these somewhere in red so will have to dig them out x
ReplyDeleteI've tried both salon gel nails and DIY gel nail systems but still prefer regular nail polish. Gel seems to dry my nails out so much!
ReplyDeleteGeorgia x
www.georgiahathaway.co.uk
I have this somewhere but was worried it wouldn't work - will try this weekend x
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love that shade. There's a lot of great at home manicure kits out these days!
ReplyDeleteCass | CassandraMyee
I have a gel nail kit but I can never get them to last as long as they do when I go to a salon :( x
ReplyDeleteDoing my nails is such a chore, so I´ve been toying with the idea of getting gel nails kit for a while now. It does scare me though that there is nothing to remove the nail polish included. From personal experience even peeling off normal nail polish makes my nails break so much more and so much quicker. I do love the colour though! It´s perfect for spring time!
ReplyDeletexx Lisa | Following Lisa