I made a dash into CVS today to pick up the Sally Hansen gel manicure kit! I had a 25% coupon for my entire purchase, which was the only reason I even looked into buying this kit.
I read review on it, and on most websites it has almost a 5 star review, which is excellent! I did not get the huge kit with the larger LED light. I actually bought several things separately, because it was cheaper. I ended up getting the InstaGel Strips kit (that came with lacquer strips, the gel top coat, and a little tiny LED light), the gel base coat, and a gel polish. It ended up being quite a bit cheaper than if I had bought the $70 kit.
Of course, I was curious as to how this turned out. Most people raved about how easy it was, how fast, and how long it stayed on. So far I've seen how easy it is. It really is just like applying nail polish, as long as you remember which coat you did last! Obviously since I just did it about five minutes ago I don't know about the staying power yet. As far as I read it stays on up to two weeks with no chips! That information came from reviews too, not just product claims. The color went on smoothly and was opaque in two coats, but I can imagine that would vary with colors. I chose a darker color called "Troublemaker" which is a dark purple color. It is exactly the same color as shown on the box when cured. I am very pleased with the color, and as I said the application was smooth. My thumb nails are very short right now, which made it hard to seal off the ends without getting the gel polish on my fingertips. Thankfully that is easily cleaned off.
On my pinky finger on my left hand (the first finger I did) I got a bit on the side of my finger, and didn't notice. I did not clean that off, and now I think it will probably peel off a little sooner. The only reason it should peel off is if you get the polish on your skin, allowing it to lift up and then peel off the nail. So, hopefully the rest stay on well, because I was extremely careful with my other nails.
The curing time is 30 seconds for four layers on each nail. So about two minutes a nail. Which makes it about 20 minutes all together for your complete manicure. The little LED light is actually timed too, so you don't even have to time it yourself, which is very exciting!
So far I have noticed that my nails are not shiny. They are almost matte. They have a slight shine to them, but not a "mirror like shine" in the least! I don't know if that is, because I used the top coat from the InstaGel Strips kit, or what. But, I wanted them to be shiny like the product claims. Anyways, I'm hoping they'll just magically turn shiny when I'm not looking. ;)
After you cure the nail it is very tacky, so you need to wipe the nail with 99% isopropyl alcohol to take the tacky feeling away. It does take the tackiness away, but it also takes the shine away. After you wipe the nail they are completely hard, and you can tap them together, tap them on other things, and you won't get any smudges or dents. You just have to make sure you "cleanse" them afterwards, or you'll have a sticky, tacky mess!
I am hoping they last quite a while, without having to be reapplied. If they do not last more than 5 days I am returning the whole kit. I know that sounds horrible, but I am not going to pay for something that doesn't work!
So yes, that is my first impression of the product! So far, so good, besides the fact that they are not shiny.
I will keep updates on how long they last, and if they start to become shiny!
Thanks for reading!
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