Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Over time my nails have become brittle. Instead of being weak and breaking on the edge at the quick, which they used to almost always do, they were now breaking off in a jagged chunk of a piece or section at the tips causing me to continually shorten them to the length of the one that most recently got dinged. Very frustrating. After hearing a lot about gel polish I decided perhaps that would strengthen my nails along with taking Biotin (a B-vitamin supplement). However, the salon cost was too prohibitive for me twice a month. I was happy to see several products become available to the general public for home use, but was skeptical about quality and DIY results. Before purchasing anything I went to a professional and got a clear gel manicure to test the wear and see how long it would last for me. If it didn't do well then I would avoid the expense of a DIY investment. I researched the various products available and weighed the info and concerns related to UV light versus LED during the time the initial gel manicure was growing out. I decided that the feedback from dermatologists was just too iffy for me to risk UV exposure so I went on the search for products cured with LED light. Around that time I discovered SensatioNail on the market in my local drug store. I waited a bit and then read reviews online and couldn't find many negatives (mostly the bad reviews seemed to be related to user error/issues) so I started searching for the lowest prices and watching for sales. I was surprised that the gel manicure held up extremely well with no chips or peeling and I had a measurable way to realize that my nails grow more quickly than I might have guessed. By four days I could detect the re-growth, but it was tolerable; however, by one week I was starting to wonder if it was noticeable to others and by 10 days I had a good 1/8 of an inch re-growth, which to me was quite enough so two weeks wasn't going to probably be the case for me (especially with colors). Nice for growing out problem nails, but not so great to have manicures done on a regular basis at a salon because with such fast re-growth a new professional manicure every 10 days would be cost-prohibitive. Around that time, Walgreen's had a sale on Nailene's SensatioNail with $10 off the starter kit (bringing it down to $49.99) and $2 off each nail product (manufacturer's coupons which were available at the Walgreen's beauty counter and also usable WITH the sale price. Each color was $7.99 less $2 and the French kits were marked down too and I was able to use a $2 off manufacturer's coupon for them as well). All together I got the starter kit with LED light in Raspberry Wine, a sheer pink French kit, clear French kit, Sugar Plum color and extra French tips, for around $90 including tax. A chunk of change, but reasonable considering the cost of LED lights sold separately online was more than that just for the light. Removing the existing gel was not at all difficult. I chose to try my own method first before utilizing those listed in various reviews online or even in the directions. I used pure acetone I had on hand that was previously purchased at Wal-Mart (least expensive place I had found it locally) with a square of absorbent paper towel. I did the removal while watching TV so I was not taking time away from something else. I held/pressed a small square of moistened paper towel over each nail at a time for approximately two minutes, using the crook of my finger on the other hand to `warm' it and keep it from drying out in the air. After a minute or two I rubbed a little of the flaking gel off with the towel square onto another section of paper towel, re-moistened the square and held it again for another minute or two. After that I found I was easily able to use my thumbnail to gently push/scrape the flakes from my entire nail in long steady light pressure motions starting from the cuticle to the tip. It wasn't difficult and came off easily. Before I knew it, all my nails were clean and ready to go to the next step. To me, this was gentler on my hands than soaking my fingers in acetone because the moist paper towel was only on top of my nails and not all over my fingers/skin (except for the crook of alternated fingers on the opposite hand). After the gel removal I washed my hands and treated my nails and cuticles with my favorite oil, added my favorite hand lotion to my hands and let my nails breathe overnight. The next morning I began the new manicure, which took approximately 20 minutes start to finish. DIY TIPS: This was my first time using DIY gel product and I definitely learned several lessons right away with the first application. I chose to try the sheer pink without tips for my first experiment. It seemed to me to probably be the most forgiving if I messed up and I thought it would probably show less if I did a less-than-perfect job (and that turned out to be correct). You could just as easily use clear. I like the sheer pink look anyway and had used that on my nails more than anything else for years so it was a very natural combination and look for me. I recommend this for the novice. It helps you learn what you might need to refine without likely having to re-do the entire manicure right away. PLUS: It's light and I have discovered it can easily be covered up successfully with a darker gel color without removing the entire manicure first. A bonus! Here are my recommendations: First: T-A-K-E Y-O-U-R T-I-M-E! This is particularly important if you are going to use a color, especially a dark or red color. The raspberry wine definitely stains your cuticles and skin (and must be cleaned up with acetone) so it is very important to go slowly and methodically. I recommend using your dominant hand (likely the one you write with) to do your `other' hand first. This gives you the best "feel" for using the product with confidence and you'll be able to quickly see some obvious do's and don'ts that should help you tackle the opposite (more challenging) hand. The gel polish won't dry too quickly like regular polish does, so you have the time to be meticulous and fix issues before you cure it. If you want a good end result, this is imperative! The second you put your hand under the LED light you will be able to clearly see all mistakes and learn what not to do next time. Second: T-A-K-E Y-O-U-R T-I-M-E! It is critical IMHO to brace or secure EACH hand and some fingers as you apply the gel polish. I use the corner of my bathroom counter or a table and anchor my little finger of the hand holding the brush for steadiness. I also keep the finger I'm working on flat on the top of the counter or table. This helps tremendously to provide for the best opportunity for a good result. Rotate the flat finger from left to right to be sure you're covering close enough to each side edge. If not, just fill in with light even strokes with little polish on the brush. Third: H-E-E-D T-H-E D-I-R-E-C-T-I-O-N-S: Pay attention to the warnings about using too much gel polish on the brush at once. It's easier than you think to get too much. Once it pools in the cuticle area or along the sides, or even gets on your skin, it's really challenging to clean up easily without just wiping it all off and starting over, thereby wasting expensive product. The best way to avoid this is to swirl the brush around the inside of the bottle to remove excess polish first. You can always add a little more if needed, but it's nearly impossible to remove polish with just the brush if you start with too much. Once you begin polishing, start with a long single stroke down the center of the nail from near the inside of the nail bed area to the end of the nail to see how much gel you really are working with. You can gently and slowly push the brush a little closer toward the cuticle if necessary to get as close as possible WITHOUT touching the edge. Then stroke the sides, being careful to stay away from the skin or leaving too much polish that might run or pool. Gravity is not your friend with gel application! Turn your finger from side to side to be able to see the edges better and know exactly how close you can get. Fourth: B-E-F-O-R-E Y-O-U C-U-R-E E-A-C-H L-A-Y-E-R: Hold your fingers up in the light at different angles and move them around so you can see that there are no bubbles or uneven areas and that the gel is evenly distributed as the light shines on various parts of your nails. If you find a bubble, use a mostly dry brush to smooth it till it's satisfactory. In some instances you may be able to turn you hand upside down for a couple of seconds and let gravity help redistribute the gel toward the center if too much is close to the side edges. FOR COLORS: Don't worry if you don't have completely even coverage of the first color coat. You can balance that out with the second coat. It does cover well with two coats. Repeat the same process to avoid bubbles or uneven coverage. I thought perhaps I could avoid using the top coat to keep from having layers that got too thick-feeling, but after removing the tacky moisture layer from one finger after curing the raspberry wine, there was no shine. So, top coat seems necessary with colors (except the clear French kit). When applying top coat, be careful not to get carried away. It doesn't need to be thick or it may pool or run if it is applied too liberally; however it does need to cover each side edge properly. It also needs to be checked for bubbles and even coverage before curing. Plus: I have come up with my own solution to remove missed bubbles (which I somehow have managed to have at least one of on one finger each time). I have a new, clean straight edge and literally VERY CAREFULLY shave the head/top off the bubble. I can't see that it removes any of the shine, but it does leave a smooth feel without any detectable bubble (if done properly, you can't tell there was a bubble, either by sight or feel; except on VERY close, intense inspection). Be sure to use the blade parallel to your nail and very s-l-o-w-l-y slide it smoothly across till you meet with slight resistance (the bubble). Then gently push it through the gel bubble to top it off. If you don't have the blade flat enough you will gouge the layer and that does leave a nick that you can feel. Finally: I was just too curious to wait longer than a week after my initial sheer pink manicure and the re-growth was already showing; so I cleaned my nails with alcohol to remove any lint and added raspberry wine right over the existing pink manicure (two coats of raspberry plus one clear top coat). It worked beautifully. The sheer pink re-growth was completely covered up. There were no lines or indication that there was even anything else under the raspberry wine and my nails are even stronger because of the added gel layers. I think I will always start with a sheer, clear or French manicure and then when it's grown out too much to my liking I'll add color to get another 1-2 weeks or more before removal and provide the most strength possible as my nails grow out. Since I'm not one to change colors all the time, but like my nails to look nice, I really appreciate getting more time out of each manicure before removal and I really like the strength of my nails! ONE MONTH LATER: After using the product several times now I can say with certainty that I am most likely going to abandon use of SensatioNail after the current supply from the starter kit is used up. I have not been able to remove it completely yet without some stripping/weakening of my own nails. I like the look and wear, but not what it's doing to my nails. I'd estimate that my nails are about 35-50% weaker and thinner at this point. I particularly like the LED over UV light and will continue using it. I will be switching to CND's Shellac and still using the LED light, but for half the curing time. Gel-ish has a free pamphlet in Sally's stores that gives curing equivalents for LED lights so I will use that as my guideline (on cursory review it seems to be about half the time). When I initially had the professional do the first gel manicure (Shellac is her product of choice) so I could test gel out before investing in it myself, it came off beautifully and without any trouble or damage to my nails. Someone told me that it is not quite the same as this kind of gel product, but I'm okay with that. The same person also recommended using a product called "Nail Envy", which she says the pros use and is best for strengthening natural nails and preventing damage. I will try that along with Shellac and see how it goes. In the meantime I am using regular polish with one clear gel coat of SensatioNail on top for strength and protection to give better wear. Hopefully that will also make it easier to remove without more damage to my nails till it's all used up and I make the switch. I'll update again after I've used CND products for at least a month. MANY MONTHS LATER: I have learned that as long as I don't use too many layers of the product, it comes off nicely without damage to my nails (particularly when I rough it up with the Emory board they provide). My less-than-happy previous update is now replaced with me being a very happy long-term user that is quite satisfied with the product. I recently purchased my first essentials replacement items. They have lasted far longer than I expected and I am actually still using them. I just had a coupon and it was also on sale so the timing was right for the purchase because of the discounts. I plan to continue using the products long-term. This gets a definite thumbs-up from me and a recommendation to anyone interested in a low-cost DIY home gel kit that doesn't give UV exposure.