Home nail gel kits

[rockybalboa]

I miss having gel nails but since moving house and giving up work I can't afford it. Gelish used to last me 2 weeks, Bio Sculpture 3-4 weeks. My home manicure with Seche Vite base and top coats lasts 4 days tops and I'd like a bit more longevity. Does anyone have personal experience of any of the home gel kits and can make recommendations or ones to avoid? I assume the kits you get at home are the 2 min curing time ones rather than the faster new ones in some salons?

Thanks in advance.

I have just bought this morning a Bluesky after having it recommended to me, it is 2 minute curing time with a 36 watt machine thing.

Will report back with a review when it's here!

i really liked my red carpet kit but i think i was a bit slap dash with the paint and it itched my fingers like mad and i also got a couple of nail infections with it so gave it up. will probably use again when i can be arse but it's a long process and put me off using

At the moment, Boots have an offer on the Sensationails (scarlet) starter kit £45 .
Online only .

Can't vouch for it, my nails are a factor in my life, they are never varnished

Have you tried cnd vinylux Polish? Can get at some salons or on Amazon. Always last me around two weeks when used with the top coat

I have, use and love the SensatioNail gel kit. My nails have gone from chipped, thin and woeful to looking good. And I am VERY hard on my nails (never wear gloves etc for housework or DIY). Use their remover, though, and foil wraps. The SensatioNail polish remover contains acetone, as well as eucalyptus oil and something else. I love the kit.

Right well I might give the Sensationail kit a try in scarlet. £15 for polish doesn't seem too bad given what I used to pay for Gelish. Does anyone know whether the starter kit contains what I need to remove the gel after 2 weeks? It isn't clear from the description and we don't have a big Boots nearby (only a teeny one) so can't check before ordering.

You can use any nail polish remover that contains acetone to remove it.

I bought a lamp on amazon and use mostly bluesky polishes, though I have some cnd shellac too. They last me at least two weeks (normal nail polish doesn't last a day). I love it!

Look at the list of items in the gel offer on the site to check.

It's unlikely to include remover. Mine didn't. If you'd like the Sensationail remover you can get it online. I bought it with my kit.

I think you need to buy removing stuff separately.

I have just ordered blue sky one from Amazon has very good reviews

I use blue sky. I redo my nails every 2/3 weeks and the colours all last really well. I get my polishes from ebay and they're only £5 a time. I would highly recommend.

All the home kits give thin bendy results that don't last.
Bluesky are a bad CND knockoff that I wouldn't trust on my hands and skin. Using poor quality products consistently and possibly not curing them correctly leads to overexposure and can cause allergies and skin reactions.

I have the sensationail kit. It's not the best, I've heard some very unflattering reviews, but it works well enough for me not to be tempted to spend on a replacement.

I would suggest buying their nail polish remover, or another high acetone one. They're not very easy to remove, you need to remove the cap, gently buff the surface, then wrap them in acetone soaked cotton wool for 10 minutes. Sensationail also sell a "remover tool" which is basically a glorified orange stick, but I find it easier to use.

The lovely lady I spoke to in Boots when I bought my kit told me you can use the other brands of polishes with the lamp (meaning I can use any bargains I spot!) and that you can use a clear gel top coat over a normal nail polish (have to let it dry fully) to make it last longer.

I like that I can have a thinner finish with it, especially over polish, and easily re-do it once a week. Or I can layer up the gel and have a thick salon finish to it that lasts until I take it off because the re-growth looks horrid.

The kit says that is contains 'cleanser' whatever that is. Doesn't mention remover. I still think I'll give it a whirl though, costs less than the price of two sets of professionally applied gels and I'm confident that my application technique looks good, it's just the staying power that I need. Thanks all.

I have the sensationail, its a bit crap and I wish I hadn't spent the money. It works brilliantly on my toenails but often has peeled off by the same day on my hands. I follow the instructions to the letter and have had lots of help from their Customer services but it still won't stay on.

I don't understand why as my gel manicure I got from the local place lasts about 3 weeks, and they just use cheap stuff from China!

Rocky - the cleanser is just rubbing alcohol, to remove any oil from your nails pre manicure, and also to remove the slightly sticky finish you get at the end. The polish remover is, something like, 93% acetone w eucalyptus oil and something else, so they are definitely different things.

I like the kit, but I had never had a gel manicure in a salon, so can't compare it to any other products.

I've read that you can definitely use other products with it, and I've used OPI gel as well as SensatioNail polishes.

My manicures definitely peel if I don't use the primer, at least around the edges of my nail. However, with primer, they last well, for me. Normal polish just chips and peels on me.

I do a light buff (to break the topcoat seal) and apply more polish and topcoat after a week, as my nails grow quickly and I don't like regrowth. It's faster and easier than taking all the polish off and starting again.

Zorian what brand do the salon use?

I bought a UV lamp from Amazon for, less than £20, and I buy the colour coat from e-bay, I've had the bluesky ones, and found them absolutely fine. BUT, just in case, I bought a CND base coat & top coat (on the basis that it's the "real stuff" that's touching my nail, and the "real stuff" that's protecting the colour. I'm currently wearing this one.

My colour lasts for ever, I only take it off when my nails grow up, and you get that tell-tale gap at the bottom!

I get my acetone & finishing wipe from e-bay too.

If you want the links, I can PM them to you.

I'm not sure, some of the bottles say LANNY? I'm not in the UK and the salon is run by a Chinese family who import all the stuff. But another salon here I've been to uses the OPI gels and they lasted about 2 weeks on me, so it seems to be just me doing my own nails which is the problem!

I've used the blue sky range for years and never had any issues with it my beautician also uses blue sky so it can't be that bad. I have pretty sensitive skin and they have been totally fine. I certainly don't get bendy results with them and a salon manicures using CND and Gelish which have been bendy and chipped. Everyone will have their preference and you'll find your own after trying them out.

I use bluesky which is a cheapie but works great. No reactions, no chipping. And only a fiver a bottle!

I got a sensationail kit for £11!

I have very bendy nails and used to go get my gel nails done.

I may try some of these kits and start looking after myself again. Thanks for the thread.

I buy rubbing alcohol instead of replacing the cleanser in my kit. It's much cheaper and works the same x

I've just bought myself a uv light to do my own gel nails at home.

Could someone tell me exactly what else I need to buy please? Do I rub something on my nails before the base coat and after the top coat? I'm trying to remember how the lady in the salon does it .

Also, would people recommend I stick to shellac or are other brands ok?