My first gel polish manicure
April 16, 2015 | Beauty, Nail Polish | 2 Comments »
A few weeks ago I went to the nail salon for a pedicure. I usually do my own manicures, but since I was there I figured why not? Usually when I go I get some form of a French tip. It’s simple and I like simple. With Easter approaching I thought it would be nice to get something colorful and maybe add some cute polka dots. The manicurist kept insisting that I get the gel polish. I almost always know exactly what I want when I go places and stand my ground when someone tries to change my mind. But when she said that it would help strengthen my nails I just nodded my head yes and went with it.
I’m sure you’ve seen my nails in swatches. I have freakishly short nails. At times the tips are longer than the actual nail. It’s weird, but hey there’s nothing I can do about that. I guess my nails would be considered weak. They crack and break easily. I’m a very active person. I’m always cleaning/scrubbing/moving/organizing something. My nails withstand the majority of it, but once I feel they’re starting to look decent… one of them suckers breaks.
Now because I’ve never had a gel manicure before I had NO idea what I was in for. My pretty manicure lasted a week. It probably would have lasted longer, but like I said, I’m just way too active. The gel started to peel at the base and the sides and it looked icky. So I grabbed my nail polish remover and tried to remove it. Go ahead. Laugh. Yeah, that sucker was NOT coming off! A trip the pharmacy for some acetone, 10 cotton balls soaked in acetone, foil wrapped around the cotton balls soaked in acetone, and 15 minutes later, the gel would not budge! I had to scrape and file it off and it was an hour long process that left my nails looking and feeling weaker than ever.
It’s super pretty. I loved the feel of them. It really did last longer than my usual manicures. But the removal process was too much headache and left my nails looking worse than ever. I don’t think I’ll be getting another gel mani any time soon. Yikes!