A few years ago, I thought my nail prayers were answered; I found Gel Manicures. You know.. Shellac? It seems like every single line of nail polishes had their own version of gel manicure. I had gotten them done professionally a few times and loved it. I didn't love spending the money, but I was happy I got a full week of pretty chip-free nails before I got antsy and picked them off.
Then Red Carpet came out with an at home kit for gel manicures and I thought "hallllllelujah!" *play church hymn now*. For about $70, I could buy a kit and have a manicure all the time?! Sign me up, here's my credit card, overnight it, checcccccccccccck. 'Cept one thing. Holy snikes this &#(* is hard and annoying and damaging to take off. So... my at home kit, although amazing to have... annoying to keep doing.
I tried top coats and base coats galore. Nothing was making a difference. Ugly chips hours after painting. Argh! Why waste my time? And dry time? Ain't nobody got time for that.
But... an alternative, you say? A solution, you say? Nice nails; no dry time, any color I wanted (including the 50+ bottles of regular nail polish I've collected), and no chips, you say?!
Again: Sign me up, here's my credit card, overnight it, checcccccccccccck. At Sephora, I was returning something (thank goodness for their return policy), and this was in their little "here you need to purchase this, too!" section while you're waiting to pay for your crazy priced goodies.
Deborah Lippmann's Gel Lab! A base coat and top coat that you can use with ANY nail color and it's supposed to last as long as a gel manicure... and it comes off with regular nail polish. Say waaaaa?
From the Deborah Lippmann site: At long last - achieve a similar high shine, long-wearing finish and cushion-like texture of a gel manicure, only without the lamps, tools, extra time and damage to the nails. This simple, two-step system is your healthy alternative to getting the look of a gel manicure with any regular nail lacquer. Safe, simple and a cinch to remove. Apply a thin, even layer of Gel Lab Base Coat and wait one minute to dry. Paint two coats of nail color and wait two minutes to dry after each coat. Finish with a thin layer of Gel Lab Top Coat - apply sparingly to avoid uneven coating.
So I thought, I have to get this... it's a necessity... my readers need me to try it out. People NEED to know... at least that's what I told hubs.
I grabbed a tea, shaped my nails up, turned on "Dance Mom's" I've followed Debbie's directions. I based, painted (x2), and top coated. And there was MAYBE 3 minutes dry time at the end!!! This mama says THANK YOU! I even just stabbed my nails on my keyboard and nada; No chips/smudgies.
Don't be jealous of my amazing paint job.
Can this really be true? I'll let you know. Keep checking in with me and I'll keep you updated!
Would I Recommend: For right now, it's hard to say. This baby has got to last a few days for me to recommend!
And if anyone is interested in the color I am using:
It's L'Oreal's Rough Around the Edges (139)
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Kisses and Hugs - TPD
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