MANICure Monday — Miracle Gel

Hello everyone! I've got a MANICure Monday post/new product review for you! I recently tried out the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel polish when I saw a display for it at Walgreens. You could buy the polishes individually (about $10) or get a starter kit (about $15). The starter kit was the cheapest way to do it, so I purchased the one in Street Flair (I've seen that the polishes and kits are much cheaper at Walmart).

The lighting in the right photo skews the color a bit. This purple is definitely on the grayer side.

According to the package here's what you have to do:

• Apply two coats of the gel color (do not use any type of basecoat)
• After the gel color has dried apply one coat of the gel top coat

That's it. There is no UV or LED light needed, the natural light does all of the curing for you, and it's supposed to last for up to 14 days.

So now for the review:

I applied two coats of the color just like the directions said, and after it appeared dry I put on the top coat. Some of the color did bleed into the top coat brush a bit, but I was able to wipe it away with a tissue before putting it back into the bottle. Next time I'll probably let it dry a little while longer and see what happens.

As far as wear time, it did not last two weeks. But it did last one week before I decided to remove it. I think this formula has the potential to last greater than a week, but I was doing a lot of rough work with my hands (tough on your nails, doing art projects with children). After a week it was practically chip free, I did have a few minimal chips at the tips of my nails in some areas, but nothing that made them look unsightly or anything like that. If I would have worn this during a week that I didn't have to pry open paint bottles and numerous other things multiple times a day, I believe it would have lasted a bit longer.

Removal was incredibly easy. It comes off just like any other polish (I use 100% acetone remover). It is definitely much easier to get off than the Fuse Gelnamel and doesn't damage your nails at all.

Overall, this product is worth the bit of money it costs. It seems to (mostly) do what it says it does, despite a little overestimation of the wear time. The starter kit also came with a coupon for either $2 or $2.50 off your next Miracle Gel color, which I definitely intend to use. I won't say no to free money.


xoxo,
Caitlin.

MANICure Monday — Faux Gel and Foil

Hello everyone! I've got a MANICure Monday post for you!

This week I tried out two new polish formulas in one go, because I was anxious to try both and I thought they went well together. I used the new Instaglam XL Nail Gel by Covergirl in the shade Plump-Up Plum with Color Foil by Sally Hansen in Sterling Silver.

I really love the colors of both, and particularly the formulation of the Color Foil. I was a little skeptical of the polish being that reflective, but it definitely is (as you can see in the photo). The instructions advised to use two coats of the polish without a base or top coat and to reapply as needed. The polish is definitely not long lasting, but it hold up to its name with its foil-like appearance. There's a rose gold shade that I'm dying to try.

 The XL Nail Gel claims to give you 'a gel-like look without the salon hassle with XL Nail Gel's thick, plump polish formula. No UV light required, one coat gives you all of the reflective shine and intense color you crave for up to 7 days.' The plumping aspect seems to be true, but the longevity of the polish is definitely not 7 days. It chipped just as soon as a regular nail polish, on about the second or third day. It seems to dry rather quickly though, at least in my opinion. When I normally do my nails it seems to take hours for them to be completely dry.

Have you tried any other gel formulated polishes that had a little more success? Or polishes with interesting effects? Let me know in the comments!


xoxo,
Caitlin.

MANICure Wednesday? — Red, White, & BOOM

Hello everyone! I've got a nail look for you. I know it's a little early, but it's for the 4th of July so I thought it was better to post beforehand so anyone wanting to do this to their nails had the chance.

 

I've been seeing a lot of 4th inspired nails recently, but the trouble was they all seemed super complicated and time consuming. I decided to go with something just as interesting, but way easier. I color blocked my nails with red, white, and blue (I chose this particular pattern, you could apply the colors on whichever fingers you wanted) and added an accent of gold glitter on the white for a boom effect. It's the 4th of July, there's always some type of booming going on. You could easily swap out the gold for silver, I just so happened to have gold, and didn't feel like going out to pick up silver glitter for this particular look.

What are your plans this 4th of July? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo,
Caitlin.