SensatioNail Gel Manicures

Perfect nails are something that every girl loves, but with polish chipping so easily & manicures costing a small fortune it can be hard to find a way to keep up the look. However after hearing how a number of my friends had invested in a LED Nail Lamp for themselves, it seemed that this could easily be a solution to the nail-dilemma.  

After conducting some research online by reading multiple reviews & gaining opinions from my friends I quickly learned that SensatioNail seemed to be the brand that most people turned too. Of course I then spent the next hour checking out different deals/stores to buy the products needed & couldn't wait to get my hands on a kit. 

The next day I ran to my local Boots after work & treated myself to the One Step Gel Nail Kit (retailing at £34.99), the Gel Polish Remover & a second polish (pictured on my nails below). The Nail Kit claims to provide everything you'd need to create your own "beautiful gel manicures" and includes; an LED lamp, a 10ml Express Gel Polish & a nail file. 

After a quick read through of the instructions explaining how to prep your nails (clean & filed as desired) & how to use the lamp (simply plug in and pop your nails under for 60 seconds until the light turns off) I removed my old, chipped polish & set about creating my first at-home gel manicure. 

As recommended by SensatioNail I first gave the polish bottle a good shake (apparently the consistency is thicker than normal) & painted both thumb nails & allowed them to set before completing the rest of my nails. I added a second coat to ensure the colour was vibrant & popped each nail under the LED lamp until they were completely dry.

Whilst not quite salon quality (I'm far from an expert when it comes to manicures) I was still pretty impressed with the overall outcome & have received lots of compliments. I've been wearing the polish for around a week & a half now with only one small chip, which I quickly fixed that evening by adding another layer of polish to the effected nail - a much better result that your standard nail polish. 

Admittedly SensatioNail is a little pricey in the first instance (I think my total came to around the £50.00 mark) but I do feel that purchasing your own Gel Manicure kit works out much cheaper in the long run (especially if - like me - you were paying roughly £20.00 per manicure & extra for a soak off). Plus the convenience of completing the manicure in your own home whilst binge-watching Netflix is always a bonus in my eyes! 

Have you tried any "at home" gel manicure kits?

I'd love to know your thoughts. 

xxx

Nailtiques Protein Formula 2 | Review

If there's one trend I've found myself hooked on recently, it's gel nails - they're gorgeous! However after a few weeks of wear I'm always a little worried the condition of my nails underneath may suffer. So after a recent soak off I decided to give my nails a little break from repeated manicures & instead decided to put a new product to the test - Nailtiques Protein Formula 2 - a "protein-packed formula" that aims to strengthen & protect weak or damaged nails by bonding the "natural layers together".

This was first applied in my local salon after having the gel polish soaked off - which I then followed this with another application the next day as recommended online. After just two applications I could already see an improvement in the quality of my nails... No peeling or splitting in sight!

After seeing such great initial results I now use this product roughly once a week as a base coat before using my usual nail polish & my nails have never felt so strong or healthy.

In my opinion this is a must have product for anyone that suffers with weak/damaged nails or - like me - is fond of the odd gel manicure. Currently retailing at £12.50 it's a little more expensive than you're usual polish, but in my opinion is worth every penny.

If you've ever used the Nailtiques Protein Formula or have any tips for healthy nails, I'd love to know in the comments! 

xxx