By Sarah H, KB Contributor
So I’m not the best at doing my own nails. In fact, I suck at it. Really badly. Also, I am a very handsy person (in every sense of the word, really) and therefore chip off my pre-school-esque nail project within hours of getting it on. When I saw that gel manicures were supposed to make the application easier and cause it to stay on longer, I thought, “Alas! The messiah is here!” (Well, okay, the messiah of nail products.)
Application
While the science of gel manicures has not been available to the generally nail-inept public for very long, it seems to be pretty fool-proof. Most sciences take at least a few thousand victims before it’s perfected for general use (I know this because I am usually patient zero). The instructions are pretty clear and straight forward: Apply activator. Immediately apply color on top. Apply activator to other hand. Switch color brushes. Clean brush. Repeat.
The fact that the instructions warn you to clean the color brush so thoroughly concerned me a bit, but thus far I have not had any issues with clumpy bristles or anything of the like. I think they were just being cautious.
The application process itself was—dare I say it—refreshingly simple. The activator is a cool liquid that just kind of gloms itself onto your nail. This way, when you apply the color, it gravitates toward the various areas of the activator, and therefore spreads itself better than most polishes. This saves a lot of painstaking painting around the edges.
Switching brushes between hands was kind of a pain in the butt, and a step that dampens my opinion of the whole process. But it wasn’t enough to call the whole thing a total dealbreaker—just an annoying side effect of an imperfect science.
Wearing
Let me say this: Right after doing my nails, I repainted my entire bedroom and assembled a few items from Ikea. These nails got a VERY thorough test drive. And miraculously, they did not show a single ding. I was stunned. Normally a rough and tumble evening like that would decimate my nails, and I was supremely impressed that they were completely untouched.
The overall wear was fantastic for three straight days, showing only very, very minor chipping after labor intensive days doing home renovating. By day four, they were definitely deteriorating, but I was still impressed.
Overall, this is a GREAT, inexpensive way to get a manicure that is easy to apply and way more durable than most. While at-home gel manicures are far from perfect, I can say that this one is miles ahead of any normal nail polish I’ve tried (and believe me, I’ve tried a lot).
No longer will the masses have to shlep to the salon, every time they want to get their gel mani groove on. Check your local drugstore, for the newest from Nutra Nail, today.
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