A beautiful manicure is a must for a party, but will you have the time to fix or re-do it between numerous celebrations and outings during the upcoming holiday season? The answer is a definite no as very few girls have enough free hours in a day to dedicate to this task. Even if you do, there are many better things to occupy yourself with during these precious free moments. Therefore, you should get a manicure that will last through the festivities and look as stunning in a couple of weeks as it did on the first day.
Gel Nail Polish: Beauty That Lasts
Nowadays, you don’t have to torment your nails with an acrylic manicure that literally poisons you. Gel nail polish will provide the results you need without doing any harm to you. In fact, this nail polish is so easy to use, that you can do this at home if you have a simple gel manicure kit.
Gel polish of today is just like a regular nail polish. The only difference is that you will need to use the UV light or a special LED lamp to dry the layers and help them solidify in a beautiful lacquer-like substance. A manicure like this will look amazing for up to 3 weeks. There are many types of gel polish available on the market today, and the formulas used by major brands differ a bit, so the properties of the manicure differ as well. Therefore, it’s important to use gel products from the same brand if you plan to use several colors to draw something on your nails.
The variety of gel polish colors available on the market today is staggering, so there can be no doubt that you will find the perfect match for you. There are sheer, metallic, and even glittery options that you can mix and match to create stunning artful manicures. To ensure that this type of nail polish sticks to your nails and looks perfect for as long as it should (2-3 weeks), you will need to apply special base and top coats by the same brand.
Curing: UV vs. LED
Curing gel nail polish doesn’t take long and if you want to avoid UV radiation, you can use safe LED lights to perform the procedure. This equipment will allow you to “fix” the manicure in a matter of minutes, so you will be able to get back to your everyday business right away, without the fear of damaging the design. Note that each layer needs to be cured separately. If you use an UV light, the curing process will take 3-5 minutes per coat, but LEDs produce the same effect in 60 seconds.
Unfortunately, not all gel polish brands work with LED lights, so you’ll need to do some research before purchasing this type of equipment. The good news is that the popularity of this method is growing, so you can expect there to be more choices available soon. Various beauty brands also develop polish that will have similar characteristics, but won’t require curing at all.
How to Remove Gel Nail Polish
Removing gel polish is the tricky part as your ordinary product that doesn’t contain acetone is completely powerless in this case. However, if you wipe your nails with a cotton disc soaked in this liquid, you will be able to restore the original shine of your gel manicure.
Different types of gel polish require different approaches for removing it. Shellac can be cleaned off with an acetone-based remover, but some other products will require the use of specialized manicure polishing tools. Look up the removal instructions provided by the manufacturer to understand which method will be the most efficient.
