As you well know, I am head over heels for gel manicures. I’ve been having them done regularly for a year without any damage to my nails and can’t say enough about how much I love them. Lately, I’ve seen “gel-like” products hitting the mass market but wasn’t particularly curious. When I was asked to try out SensatioNail, I was intrigued. The kit included polishes, primer and a LED light, not unlike the Gelish I wear (Shellac and OPI use old fashioned UV) – I couldn’t wait to try it for myself.
Maybe it’s all the time having them done professionally, but I’ve watched the way gels are painted, and it takes different skill than regular polish. It takes precision that I wasn’t sure I could tackle on my own hands, so with 10 applications in that bottle of Scarlet Red, I decided to start with a pedicure. The light had ample room for my foot, and I thought that I’d have better results than with a manicure.
With five simple steps and about 20 minutes from start to finish, I had a perfect pedicure. I actually poked at a nail with the tip of an orange stick after the topcoat sat for 30 seconds under the LED just to see if they really set like “real” gels. Not a knick to be made.
Still unsure I could do my own, I decided to ask friends and family if I could test it on them. The starter kit color came with just the Scarlet Red (they’re releasing a total of 12 colors this month). It’s definitely a bit more coral than blue-red, but a fun shade. Each manicure took about 20 minutes and again, they each time they looked good. Better than I’d expected. And my testers were pleased, too.
Ten days later, my pedicure is perfect and not a chip or scuff to be found. Reports from my guinea pigs are that than their nails are holding up beautifully. Will they have the 2-3 week staying power of a salon gel mani? We’ll see. Still, even a week of perfect nails in a shade brighter than Mademoiselle is pretty fabulous.
I think this looks like a great line, but it’s really the sort of thing one is best having someone else give them a hand with (no pun intended). If gel polish gets on cuticles and cures under the LED, that polish isn’t coming off until you soak the whole nail (that’s 15 minutes with an acetone-soaked cotton ball on the nail wrapped tightly with a strip of aluminum foil.) Maybe with a baby pink shade I wouldn’t notice, but red hides no flaws. For DIYs, I’ll be sticking with pedicures until I can try a ballet slippers-esque hue. But I’m thrilled to know that all polishes – bright or neutral – will be free of the big three: formaldehyde, toluene and dibutyl pthalate.
The starter kit ($60) comes with everything you need for 10 applications, plus the LED light. You can find it at CVS and WalMart stores nationwide. Additional polish colors will launch this month at about $12 a bottle. Visit Sensationail’s website, Facebook or twitter feed for details. And please, if you DIY, let me know what you think! xo alex
Alex Asher Sears is a writer, photographer, and fourth generation Angeleno. She believes that you can find inspiration anywhere but thinks Slim Aarons, Nöel Coward and Diana Vreeland are a great place to start. Since 2007, she’s been sharing her eco-beauty finds with BB readers. She writes at AlexandraWrote, and also, quite literally, at Type A Calligraphy. Find her on twitter at @AlexandraWrote.
11 Comments
January 11, 2012
wow, sounds great. i might have to try it! thanks for the tip!
April 2, 2012
I just recently got this kit for my birthday…and I LOVE IT!!!! I love doing others nails just as much as my own. I’m excited to try new colors!! I honestly didn’t think thie product was very hard to get off….when I wanted to do a new color, I just started picking on one side of the nail…and then I peeled it right off. Don’t get me wrong…it didn’t just come off like a band-aide it was on there pretty darn good. But, there was no damage to my nail…and my 6 year old LOVES this stuff. She would get SO frustrated after bath time when she would realize all the color came off of her nails, not anymore…this stuff is INCREDIBLE!!!!!
April 6, 2012
I just got the starter kit today. I actually did my nails while I was at work. I was totally impressed. I have a picture if you would like to post on your site.
April 11, 2012
sure, send it in! info
beautybanter
com
April 11, 2012
I just found out about this diy kit…I too have been going for a little over a year for shellac manis, and I love it. I am going to try this product to save on money and time.
April 26, 2012
I got the starter kit also, but as you say you have to be EXTREMELY careful when working with a dark color, it took me a long time to do the manicure. I have always done my own, plus teaching nail-care classes with Jafra products for many years. It was wonderful to have almost two full weeks of shiny, chip-free nails! However when removal time came I was not so pleased. I have always had strong, fast-growing nails. After soaking in acetone for 15 minutes (according to directions) I had to virtually scrape the polish off, making ridges in my nails and my cuticles and nails were so dried out and brittle from the acetone or the combination of remover and polish. Trying to decide whether the long lasting shiny look is worth the removal process and what it will do to my nails long term.
June 24, 2012
I totally agree with Brenda. After using this at home gel polish for about one month, my nails were so dried out looking that I discontinued the use of this polish system. My nails are back to looking good without any polish on.
June 27, 2012
I just did a manicure with Scarlet Red. I find it peels right off if I don’t buff and use the primer. however, I did find that my nails were less dry and messed up after removal if I let them soak instead of trying to scrape it off. if 15 minutes won’t do it, try 25. it’s worth it to avoid damage. I used a lot of nail oil in the days after, kept them short, and wore gloves while doing dishes to try and avoid damage… and my nails look fine now.
April 3, 2013
I’ve used the kit several times since purchasing it and it’s great! I don’t use the cotton ball soak-I just sit with my fingertips in a bowl of acetone. I’ve also been able to peel it off. My nails feel stronger with use.
April 3, 2013
I use the starter kit with just the base coat and paint regular nail polish over it after it cures without removing the film. My manicures last easily 1 wk+ if I just want one color or I can soak off the regular nail polish and replace without removing the gel. No chips, no breaks, and my normally brittle nails are strong enough for me to actually get some decent length on them. I haven’t used the gel colors yet, but I adore this product for the way it lasts and enhances my nails.
April 4, 2013
I absolutely love this system, the first time it took ages to remove the polish but now it just peels off with ease. It is soooo simple to use the only problem I have is I want one of every colour, can thoroughly recommend
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