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Wow, what a difference having UV cured gel polish applied. My nails are so much smoother and thicker, and it lasts so much longer then regular polish.
I recently spent a month traveling in Africa. I did my nails with my usual polish...base coat, two coats subtle pink polish and a top coat which usually lasts great for about a week, then starts to slowly chip and flake. By the end of the trip my nails were trashed so I visited the salon at the hotel we spent our last day at before our flight home. I did the full mani/pedi to to revitalize my thrashed hands and feet, which was wonderful in itself, but I decided to add a little color. I chose a subtle silver which turned out to be a gel, which I had never had before. The ladies doing my nails, one on my feet the other worked on my hands just said it lasted longer, but was $15 more. I said why not, and they applied a base, cured it with Uv then the polish coat. It was subtle, barely noticable to be hoest, so I had them do a second coat, and then a final clear top coat, all cured under UV light. They were so smooth and thick that I was amazed how nice they looked and felt. Once I stepped out into the African sun I realized I should have left it at one coat of color...ohwell, too late now. The color itself was subtle enought, but they really sparl3d in the sun light.
Once we got home we were hosting 16 for an early TG dinner and I figured my wife would want me to remove the polish before guests arrived, but she never said a thing, so I kept it on, and am still wearing it two weeks later with no signs of wear and tear or chipping. I will be curious to see how long this lasts, but so far it looks like several weeks. Nobody has said a word about it except my son-in-law asked if my toes sparkled. I just told him I had my thrashed nails treated and wanted something slightly opaque and that this seemed to do the trick. He did not say anything further, but no doubt thinks it is a bit weird, but that's his problem, not mine.
As I get older my nails and cuticles are less robust then they used to be, so getting the done by a professional has been beneficial, but from now on I am going with gels, even if it is just clear coats.
@jjandme Good for you. I’m just starting to experiment with my nails. My feet feel so much better. I just need to wear socks when others are around… lol. Africa must have been the experience of a lifetime.
I've been getting UV cured gel pedicures for several years. Amazing stuff.
I recently started getting gel manicures. OMG! My nails look and feel fantastic. They were still going strong after a month. But my nails had grown enough for there to be a visible gap at the cuticles. Time to visit the salon.
I'm now sporting glittery red nails for the holidays!
/LK
Interesting, JJ! I have been wondering about gels.
How are they removed?
Good question, which I did not know the answer to, so I went off to google. It turns out acetone works, but you have to soad a cotton ball in it, apply it to your nails, and wrap with foil or plastic wrap for aboit ten minutes...or have it done a a nail salon.
@jjandme That's right.
I learnt this when doing an online mani/pedi course.
Usually, the gel coating is first roughly (but lightly) filed so that the nail polish remover can penetrate into the resulting cracks and soak in.
I started the course in the hopes of doing a better job on my own nails (although I invariably go off to my local salon nowadays - and my technical knowledge enables me to evaluate the skill of the nai technician).
In order to be certified, I will have to submit a portfolio which will involve doing a certain number of ladies' hands and feet.
I am terribly keen to get in the practice but just cannot fit in the hours, given the irregular nature of my job.
Love,
Katherine
Over two weeks and it looks as good as the day it was applied.
JJ -
How wonderful for you. There isn't anything better than gel nails. A couple years ago my wife suggested we go for mani-pedi's. It was an enjoyable experience. I got clear polish that time on my fingers and toes. I jokingly told the tech to do black on my toes (it was Halloween) but told him I was only joking. When we got in the car my wife said I could have gotten color if I wanted. Next time we went I got red gel on my toes and clear gel on my fingers The whole process was interesting and enjoyable. We go back about every 6-8 weeks which is about how long it takes for the nails to grow out. When they do there is a space between the cuticle and the polish. Also for me that is about the time I start breaking my nails and chipping the polish. We just went the other day to get a manicure, toes will be in a couple weeks.
If you want to have fun with it you can ask for little theme enhancements. Last year for Christmas I got snowmen on my toes. This year for Halloween and Thanksgiving I got little pumpkins. I got hearts for Valentines Day last year as well. Both my wife and I enjoy seeing them when my feet are up in the recliner, they are really cute.
Regarding gel removal - they use a dremel to grind off the top coat, then soak in acetone to loosen up the polish, dremel again, then trim and buff the nails before putting on new polish. It is divine getting your toes done as the place we go to also does a calf and foot massage as well as a massage of the hands.
Have fun with your mani-pedi's. It is a wonderful day of pampering for my wife and I when we go.
XOXO
Suzanne
