beauty review:: sensationail gel manicure

Another beauty review, another story about my nails.  For Christmas, my dad gifted my sisters and I with the Sensationail Gel Manicure kit.  I already had gel polish on my nails, so we tried the polish out on Kit, and it worked pretty well!  The color was a little shimmery for me, so I waited until I found a color I liked before I tried it.

The time came, and I was not impressed.  I had the polish picked off within a few days.  I was really disappointed, as I love the durability of a gel manicure, but don't have the budget to consistently get them.  (Oh, and they helped me cure my habit of nail picking!)

Fast forward to about a week ago - I was itching to get my nails done, but my budget said it would be awhile.  I decided to give gel polish set another try, so I picked up Island Oasis from Target, poured myself a glass of wine, and got started.

I'm impressed.  Very impressed.  I want to get all the colors, and if someone wants to send me Coral Sunset, that'd be cool.  The key is to take your time.  I made sure I was being precise.  When the directions said cure for 60 seconds, I cured for 90 seconds.  When they said two coats, I did three (mostly because I wanted it to be more opaque).  The biggest tip I have though - don't let the base/top coat or the color coat touch your skin.  If it gets onto your cuticle, you'll have more issues with snagging and peeling.  It's going to be on your nail for  couple weeks, it's okay if it's not right up to the skin.

It does take a little bit of time and energy to get it done, but so does going to the salon to get them done.  On the plus side, you can watch Netflix and drink wine at home while you do it.

I'll let you all know how long it lasts and how removing it goes when it comes time.  I'm sure it will be a process!

UPDATE: Pretty easy removal, except for a weird stickiness that's left on the nail.  Luckily it's easy to paint over.  Enjoy!

beauty review:: Sephora by OPI Trend Tips

As I mentioned last week, I ordered the Sephora by OPI Trend Tips in Ikat.  Well I put them on about a week ago, and I would definitely order them and apply them again.  Let's start with the good:

The Good

- as long as you apply a topcoat, they last a long time.  I didn't have a chip for at least five days.  That may not seem like a lot to some people, but I pick at my nails and the nails break easily, so this is fantastic for me.

- they're subtle.  I got tons of compliments on them, but many thought I had done them myself!  While it's great to have professional looking nails, it's also a relief to know people aren't thinking "wow, that's intense to have professionally done".

The Bad

- they dry out quickly.  You have to apply them fast, and there isn't a ton of room or time for error.

- there are only 16 stickers.  It's a one time manicure, which is great for the price, but I was frustrated that there are only two of each sizes.  With smaller hands and similarly shaped fingernails, I had spots where there wasn't enough coverage, and others where I had to trim the sticker to fit.

- takes forever to take off.  I held off the review because I was curious how easily they came off.  Because they're metallic, it takes a little longer anyways, but there was also this sticky residue that was left on my nails. NOTHING I did got it off, so I just painted over it.

All in all, pretty good!  I'd give it a 3.75-4 out of 5, and I would definitely get it again.  I would get them for design and long lasting factor alone - it's way quicker for me to paint my nails.

Any products you're loving?