Weddingbee Blog

I was in Minnesota last month and went with my MIL to get manicures, and the manicurist asked me if I wanted to pay $10 extra dollars for a UV gel manicure. I had no idea what she was talking about, but she convinced me that the manicure would last at least 2 weeks (a normal manicure lasts 2 days on me before it starts chipping, and then is usually a disaster by day 5). I was skeptical but also, a total sucker for an up-sell, so I agreed. (At least it would be a blogable experience, right?)

I got the manicure on Friday August 20. Here’s what it looked like the next day:

Here’s what it looks like 13 days later on September 1st:

Um…if that isn’t a big fat GREAT SUCCESS, I don’t know what is. The polish has lasted well into 2 weeks, and shows minimal signs of chipping. You can actually see my nails growing out.

Here’s a closer look:

I chipped the middle finger when I was helping set up for a wedding, but all-in-all, it was an extra $10 well spent!

So, what is gel nail polish?

It’s painted on just like regular nail polish. There’s a base coat, layer 1 of color, layer 2 of color, and the top coat. The difference is that in between each coat, you have to dry your nails under a UV light (the same thing they stick you in when you’re done with regular manicures at a lot of places). UV gel nail polish will NOT air dry. The bonus is that you walk out of the salon with your nail polish hard-as-nails. (Har har.) You don’t have to worry about botching your mani by the time you walk out the door…that was pretty cool.

It’s a specific kind of polish—you have to choose from the color selection of the UV gel nail colors that they have. The brand they used on me was Gelish, but they also had familiar brands (OPI… OK so that was the only other familiar brand but there are several companies that make UV gel polish, including Akzentz, Bio Sculpture Color Gel, CalGel, Dashing Diva Gelife, IBD, and OPI Axxium).

They feel slightly thicker than regular nail polish feels, and they feel flexible (which is probably part of the reason why there is no cracking or chipping occurring). If you want to take it off, it takes a lot of effort—I’ve read that you either just pay someone to do it, or if you want to do it at home, soak a cotton ball in acetone nail polish remover, place it on your nail, wrap your fingertip with foil, and let the stuff soak in for a few minutes.

Anyway, if you’re interested in reading more about UV gel nails, here are a couple informative articles:

• All Lacquered Up
• Examiner.com
• Nailsplash

If you’re averse to those UV light nail-drying-things, then this isn’t for you. But I’m guessing 2 minutes under those lights every once in a while won’t kill you. Or will it…

Have you ever tried UV gel nail polish? I’m going on 2 weeks strong…it’s amazing, I tell you!