My new toy: SensatioNail

I finally got my new toy through the post yesterday and I have been SO excited to use it for the first time!! As I mentioned in an earlier blog post I am obsessed with gel manis. I love to have polished tips - they make me feel so much more groomed than colour-less nails. I used to plump for acrylic extensions, but after many years of wear and tear my nails were a sorry state. I knew that I needed to get them back to a healthy state, but hated the look of my hands sans polish. A friend of mine suggested Shellac manicures, and I never looked back. However, after spending many, many of my hard earned pounds on salon rescued nails I began looking around for an at-home gel manicure kit that I would be able to invest in. Having witnessed my beauty therapist perform a gel manicure plenty of times, I felt more than confident that I would be able to replicate the process myself. I stumbled across the SensatioNail kit online and it seemed so perfect. It was exactly what I was looking for.

I found the kit a real investment buy. It's quite expensive - £135 for the deluxe starter kit - but I felt that in the long run, this was money well spent. My particular kit included the SensatioNail starter kit (1 x gel polish, gel primer, gel top & base coat, 12 x lint free wipes, double-sided nail buffer, manicure stick, Pro 3060 LED nail lamp and a how-to booklet), 10 x gel polishes of my choice, an exclusive SensatioNail travel bag,  a SensatioNail remover tool, SensatioNail remover kit and a free gel polish.

I tested out the kit yesterday and it took me around 25-30 minutes to get a salon effect manicure that is so far lasting well. It was really, really easy to achieve by following the steps outlined in the how-to booklet.

Step 1: file and lightly buff the natural nail (ensure that nails are fully prepped - filed down, cuticles pushed back and no polish at all on the nail).

Step 2: Using the lint-free wipes, clean nails with the gel cleanser (always use the lint-free wipes!! Using just standard cotton pads or cotton balls will leave 'fluff' on your nail which will just get caught in the polish and cause bumps. The kit comes with 12 wipes, but you can buy more from your local beauty supply store).

Step 3: Apply one layer of gel primer to the nail and allow to air dry (around 20/30 seconds should be enough time).

Step 4: Apply a thin layer of the gel base & top coat. Avoid skin and cuticle. (A little goes a long way here - you really do only need a very thin layer. Remember you will be applying a top coat later on too).

Step 5: Cap the nail by running the polish brush along the nail top. Cure for 30 seconds. (The LED lamp will beep after 30 seconds, but will remain running for 60, so you can easily tell when the 30 seconds is up).

Step 6: Apply a thin layer of the colour gel polish. Avoid skin and cuticle. Cap the nail and then cure for 60 seconds. Apply a second layer of colour polish, cap and cure for a further 60 seconds. (Again, a little goes a long way! You'll know when the 60 seconds is over as the light on the LED lamp will die out.)

Step 7: Apply a thin layer of gel base & top coat. Cap the nail and cure for 30 seconds (remember to avoid the skin and cuticle. Listen out for the beep when the 30 seconds is up.)

Step 8: Finish by removing the moisture layer using the gel cleanser and lint-free wipes (the moisture comes from the curing of the nail and the excess water is forced out, leaving the hard gel polish underneath. This may leave the nail feeling damp and sticky, so use the cleanser and wipes to remove this layer).

Et volia! A beautiful gel mani. Easy to achieve, and salon style results! These type of manis are expected to last around 14 days with no chipping or lifting (presuming that you have completed the process correctly). I'll keep you posted!!

Buy SensatioNail HERE!!

Vic xx

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