DIY Gel Polish with Sally Hansen Salon Gel Polish Starter Kit

Today I have guest blog from a dear friend of mine - Stef. She is as much of a beauty lover as I am and we have enabled each other to a countless number of beauty purchases! One of Stef's great love is getting her hands manicured and today, she shares with us a review and tutorial of her latest nail haulage.

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I’ve always loved finishing up my gym workout session with a manicure session at a local salon. And ever since I found out about gel nail polishes, I was hooked! I love that it dries instantly and doesn't chip; is still glossy and shiny even after 2 weeks. For me, gel polishes are the best things since sliced bread because I can still wash dirty dishes (I don't use gloves) and not have to worry about my nail colours fading or chipping!

But each gel polish manicure costs $35-$40 - do I really want to spend that amount every 2 weeks - especially when I realise that I could probably do it myself (though probably not as well as the salon manicurists, but practice makes perfect right?).

So when I found the Sally Hansen Salon Gel Polish Starter Kit, it was Hallelujah! I ordered my kit from eBay, which was the best way to source the product from the US to Australia.

Sally Hansen Salon Gel Polish Starter Kit

The kit contains:

• 1 base coat 1 colour coat in “Wine Not” 
• 1 top coat (I love the glossiness of this coat) 
• 10 cleanser pads 
• 1 nail buffer 
• 1 gel polish remover 
• the LED lamp

The application is really simple:

1. You apply a very thin coat of  the base coat. This is important! If you apply a layer of slob, it won't set properly. Trust me - I've been there before :( 
2. Then you cure it for 30 seconds under the LED lamp.
   
   
3. Apply the colour coat thinly. Depending on the colour intensity that you want, you can either apply one or two coats of colour. 
4. In a single coat, “Wine Not” looks like a bright red with shimmer. In two coats, the red looks a bit deeper, sexier, and richer. Cure it under the LED lamp for 30 seconds with each coat.
   
   
5. After curing the colour coat, apply the top coat thinly; cure it under the LED lamp for another 30 seconds. This is my favourite part. As soon as you layer that top coat, it lifted up the whole polish to show this glamorous glossy colour. 
6. Use the cleanser pad provided to rub over the nail colours to remove the tacky residue from your nail polish. 
7. The last step is to apply the CND Solar Oil - a sweet almond oil base cuticle oil. Brush a good amount on your cuticles and gently brush it in with your finger. Not only is it nourishing to cuticles, it also helps the nail polish to stay on longer. 
   
8.  I purchased another gel polish last week: CND Shellac in “Hollywood”. Below is the comparison of the two colours. My nails are polished in “Wine Not” - 2 coats and my toe nails in “Hollywood” - 1 coat.
   

   

   On hands: Sally Hansen "Wine Not", on feet: CND "Hollywood"

The Verdict:

I think this at-home Gel Polish kits make a good investment and Sally Hansen has come up with a value-for-money kit. However, I find that their gel polish are not as long-lasting as those from the CND Shellac range. So, once my current Sally Hansen gel polish runs out, I'll be getting CND Shellac or Harmony Gelish gel polish replacements. 

RRP US$64.15 at major US drugstores or you can source this online at Amazon.

Do you like doing your own nails or prefer to visit the salons?

Thanks Stef for writing for the blog - hopefully she will be making more regular appearances!