Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Update 1: To remove the gel polishes, there is a great tool that quickly removed the softened polish. SensatioNail by Nailene Gel Polish Removal Tool, (sorry no hyperlink, the Amazon software sometimes has a hard time finding this product so you need to cut and paste this in the address bar of your browser amazon.com/gp/product/B008N9DDWM/ref=cm_cr_mts_prod_img). It is very reasonable price and dramatically saves time and effort. Update 2: The SensatioNAIL gel polish system is wonderful toosensationail by nailene starter kit in pink chiffon. Better distribution, available at local stores, Walmarts & CVS/Longs drug stores in my area carry it). The gel color polish is still three steps, but the top and base coats are the same product; so there is no thick base coat (that RedCarpet has) and just one bottle instead of two to handle and store. So SesatioNAIL product results in much more even thin layers (thin is the goal here) with less effort at a similar price point. The results are similar. They look the same to me and last/wear the exact same on my nails. Using the RedCarpet LED light I put SensatioNail on one hand and RedCarpet on the other (I do French manicures, so both hands had white tips from the RedCarpet brand of gel polish), otherwise it was put on the same. They wore the same and got the same number of microchips the same number of days out (day three or four for me). I repaired both chips with the original products for each hand and it was freaky; both hands still experienced the exact same wear (I am ambidextrous, so my nails usually wear the same, but I did not expect it in this case with two different products). Original RedCarpet Review: I bought this exact same system months ago at Ulta. It is wonderful. Works perfectly. The products are unique and go on a little different from regular nail polish or acrylics; so each time you do it, you'll probably get better and better results. These LED lamps are fantastic and this is the least expensive I have found. They do not get hot. They are easy to use. The LED's last a long time. You do not have to worrying about replacing the cumbersome UV bulbs. There are only 3 LED's in this lamp, I was concerned, before I bought it, but it cures perfectly and in 30 to 45 seconds per layer. (I have also used this for traditional nail polish and it significantly shortens that drying process too.) The key is to put on very thin coats, their WEB sites recommends knocking all polish off the brush back into the top neck of the bottle until it looks like there is no longer any polish on the brush; then brush on nail. If the polish looks spotty, just put a tiny dab on it and even them out. I find these micro layers work best and unlike regular polish all dry & cure so quickly. I am a French manicure fanatic, this is my routine: Some (their old) instructions recommend roughing up the top surface of the nail, with a fine emery board. I do not think it is recommended anymore, but I kind of do this; I just do a three step buff, with a $2.00 drug store nail buffer. Then I do the recommend prep, which is no different than any other nail polish or gel nail or acrylic set-up. Their products are called "purify" and "prep" ("purify" = rubbing alcohol with coloring, conditioner and fragrance & "prep" is the same prep and clean dehydrant you can buy at Ulta or Sally's). These just take seconds to do, but are important to remove oils so the polish sticks. I've already have these types of nail products and either use Red Carpets (from the kit) or what I have (from Sally's or Ulta), whichever I grab, and have seen no difference in wear. I do all ultra-thin layers (described above) on four fingers at a time, then the thumbs. Do NOT touch your nails once you start this process, you do not want oils on your nail or to touch these sticky polish layers. First the base coat (Structure) cured at 30 seconds, this coat is very thick and the most difficult to put on thin. Then 2 to 3 light coats of white (White Hot) on the nail tips (until I get the white color opaqueness I like), cure each white coat for 45 seconds, then the top coat (Brilliance) and the last cure for 45 seconds. Then rub the polished/cured nails with a swab of "purify" (removing all the stickiness) and viola, they are done! I then oil my nails as usual. Tip: On one of your layers and again on the top coat, make sure you get a slight amount of polish along the actual tip of the nails, they call this "sealing" the nail, this prevents water from getting under the polish from the tips and getting those horrible chips. (I usually run the brush lightly along the tip, then brush the layer of polish along the nail tops as usual, so I do not get a thick ridge-like edge.) They look great for usually two weeks (and I take long hot baths every other day)! I can go longer but do not like the grow-out pattern; I can and do put regular nail polish (clear top coat on top) to put a freshen tip to cuticle shine on about a week in; regular polish stays on so long on top of this stuff. If I do get a chip, usually from doing really rough work with my hands, I do repair it like you can with any polish. Note: Clean up around the nail with a short, narrow firm acrylic-bristled brush (I got mine for about $3 at a craft store). Do NOT cure gel polish if there is any product on the skin, it can dry very hard, and irritate until it wears off; it can also pull up the polish on the nail and cause early chipping. I also use this brush to clean up the French manicure, to get clean lines on the white polish. Dip that brush in either "Nail Prep or nail polish remover, you just want it damp. If there is too much liquid, knock it off back into the bottle. After cleaning up polish on the skin or white polish I clean the brush on gauze or a paper towel to minimize contaminating the clean-up solution. I hope this helps answer a few questions. Honestly, if you can give yourself an okay manicure with regular polish, you can do this and get long lasting beautiful results. Good luck!