Gelish Review

So to start of my blogging adventure I wanted to talk about the Gelish manicure. Gelish is a soak off gel polish that is supposed to last for 21 days. After looking over many reviews and Sally's Beauty having a sale, I decided to give the product a try. My nails and hands have been used and abused by heavy lifting, wiping baby butts, and washing dishes. It was time to treat my hands to a little beauty. Usually I would opt for an acrylic set, but my nails grow so fast that I don't have time for a fill – in every week. I also don't like long nails. The upside side to Gelish is that I can do this at home.

Now unto the good stuff, since Sally’s had a sale I was able to purchase the entire Basix Starter kit and tools for $55 dollars. It includes the starter kit, mini travel UV lamp and one color, Ambience (sparkly). The kit does not contain a color. It took me a few days to hunt down the Gelish kit because they were sold out everywhere. I was also too impatient to wait for Sally to send it to me.

So I lugged this kit around with me for 3 days before even ripping into the box. I went out town thinking I would have a few stolen moments to myself. Ugh…no! My son’s football team had a tournament and we were on a tight schedule. So Monday when I finally made it back home, I took some time to pull out the kit. Since I was sitting with a DC (deep conditioner) on my head I thought it would be the perfect time. We will talk about the DC soon. I set up my area and hid from my 5 year old , who is obsessed with all things nails. I began to work. It seemed very easy. Brush on and Brush off. I was finished with one hand in about 30 minutes. Once completed, I put Gelish to the test. They claim that once you rub the tacky stuff off, your nails are ready. I thought detangling my afro, Cocoa, would be a true test. Surprisingly, my manicure lasted. No chips. No breaks. But I did notice that the gel did not go all the way to the tips. It means that I will still get snags and breaks. However, they still looked shinny and glossy. My 5 year old discovered my secret and pushed for her own set. Too young. We will stick to painting for now.

Here is a pic of the finished product. Please don’t look at my hands. They are in need of a little TLC very soon.

So here we are 3 days later, and I still love my Gelish manicure.  I only had one incident. My pointer finger on my right hand peeled off while I was doing a dry twist on Cocoa.  I didn’t know what to think of it, but it only took about 10 minutes to put a new coating on the nail. However, it disproves the claim that the manicure will last under normal circumstances. This for me was a normal circumstance. When not stored in a protective style, I twist my hair nightly and would like for my manicure to hold up. All in all, I am overly pleased with my investment and cannot wait to purchase more colors. I even want to try a Gelish pedicure. I just have to figure out how to get my toes in that mini UV lamp.

Disclosure: I was not paid for this review. I did not receive any of the products for free. I am not an expert.