Gel nails at home

MrsE_2

Thinking of buying my own gel nail set up?

Does anyone else do theirs at home with the lamp?

Boots have a kit, but I would guess the lamp is tiny.

http://www.boots.com/en/SensatioNail-starter-kit-scarlet-red_1407047/?affwin&stop_mobi=yes&awc=2041_1401609590_eae4904a55bb3fe13fc3ba72e5af6590&cm_mmc_o=-uubkbzfwlCjCKww5kbELCjCvi%20i9%20niioCjCC


Or I could buy a large 54w lamp on amazon & buy the bits separately


http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00GANYR1Y/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1401614669&sr=1-4


Or I could buy a smaller lamp on eBay (with or without kit) & see how I get on?

hieveryone

I had one before (the Boots one) and to be honest, it's a pain in the neck. Quality is never as good, the expense is ongoing, the hassle of doing it yourself etc etc.

I'd rather just pay my £20 quid and get it done right by a professional.

That's only my opinion, mind.

chocomonsta

Hi

I use the Sensationail and I am very pleased with it. I usually get more than two weeks wear and it only needs redoing as it tends to grow out rather than wear out.

tryingtocutback

I've just ordered the Red Carpet Manicure kit from QVC - it's expensive at around £90 (including 3 colours and postage) but I have been spending £40 per month on getting my gel nails done and, if I am honest, I really do think I could do as good a job myself with the right equipment.

I ordered from QVC because you get a 30 day money back guarantee despite how much you have used the product.

lushlifesaver

I got a Sensationail set for Christmas (with two colours) and I LOVE it! It's a nice excuse to spend sometime on me and I'm getting pretty good at it.

In fact I've been purchasing more colours etc and there's so many nice ones!Plus they've been giving away free accessories with each colour AND often have 'flash' sales where colours are reduced from £12 to £6

I always hate paying to get my nails done as I find they usually chip more quickly but sensationail lasts ages even with everything I put my nails through working on the bench at wheelchair rugby tournaments!

smileygill

My experience mirrors lushlifesaver's - same kit, same results and I've since bought a few other colours and accessories. Couldn't be more pleased with the results, and my nails have never been so strong. I've never paid to have my nails done (I'm too mean!) but used to spend an hour at a time layering basecoats, colours and topcoats, then usually manage to smudge it or chip it in a few days' time. Now I find it takes just over an hour to remove the last lot and renew, and I can forget about my nails for 2-3 weeks.

If the set on offer doesn't include a removal tool, it's worth the pennies as I reckon it'd take a week to scrape the gel off with a wooden stick! I bought my foils from eBay for cheap and am still using the same bottle of remover I bought in November.

They also have a line of extras now; strengthening and easy-remove basecoats, various brushes for nail art, etc. Not many people seem to like the French manicure tips and the consensus is you should just buy white polish for the tips. Boots don't seem to stock these, or very much at all, but it's generally cheaper to buy colours direct from Nailene.

Short version; highly recommended!

AbbieCadabra

i started off with the sensationail kit that was on offer just before xmas, still using the led lamp but have changed to gelish polish mainly now as such a bigger range of colours. have also developed a bit of a glitter fetish & have enough pots of the stuff to open up my own market stall!

absolutely love my gel nails, they last at least 3 weeks (even with spending 1.5 hours in the swimming pool 3-4 times a week), nails are still in great condition too, but i do use solar oil at least twice a day.

couple of recent threads with a fair bit of info:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4885776
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4826826

MrsE_2

lushlifesaver wrote: »

In fact I've been purchasing more colours etc and there's so many nice ones!Plus they've been giving away free accessories with each colour AND often have 'flash' sales where colours are reduced from £12 to £6

I think they are £15 in boots, where do you buy them?
Where are you getting the free accessories?

MrsE_2

One thing I wondered about the sensationail kit.
Is the lamp small?

MrsE_2

So is it?

1. Gel Cleanser 14.6m
2. Gel Primer 3.54
3. Gel base/top coat 3.69m
4. Gel Polish 3.69m
5. Gel base/top coat (again) 3.69m

In that order?
In the salons they clean off with some sort of nail polish & cotton wool, I guess this is NON acetone? This would be more MSE than the wipes?
What about removal?

bossymoo

I've got the sensationail set too - love it! The lamp is fine for me, comfortably get 4 fingers in - think they do a "fuse" version (is that what it's called?) which is just one finger at a time :eek:

I've recently bought the gel strengthener which is good too. I've used just the clear and tried a regular colour polish over the too which also worked, and lasted longer than normal.

I love it. Try a cash back site too!