Hey guys! So while I was in China over the summer, I discovered that Gel Nails are pretty popular in Asia. It wasn't until I did a little bit more research that I realized how popular they're becoming in the US too!
I first saw this Gel Nail starter kit a bit before summer started if I remember correctly. It's been on the market for a while now. I think I've used it enough to give you all some of my thoughts on it! It has some pros, but it also has some cons. I'm here to let you know what worked for me and what didn't!
So the kit comes in a pretty compact box. It contains:
- Gel cleanser
- Gel primer
- One color gel polish (I bought the Pink Chiffon set, but there is also a raspberry colored one and a scarlett one)
- Gel base and top coat
- Lint-Free Wipes
- Double-sided nail buffer
- Manicure stick
- and most importantly a PRO 3060 LED Lamp
While the starter kit only comes with one polish, there are many other polishes that you can purchase for use with this kit. I ended up buying a few other polishes, but more on that later.
So what I've discovered through using this kit is that gel nails are incredibly easy to do. It's totally possible to DIY them at home, and not only that, I think that they're easier than regular polish manicures! Am I the only one who spends like 20 minutes painting my nails only to mess them up right afterwards. I find that I just end up getting frustrated and removing the polish before it even dries.
The good thing about gel polish is that once you've cured it under the UV lamp, it's done. It's completely set, and you can do whatever you want immediately after, even jump in the shower! I love it. The other good thing is that if you get the polish on correctly and cure it correctly, the manicure lasts forever! With regular polish manicures, I end up chipping my nails within a few days and then I have to redo the manicure. I've had gel manicures last 2-3 weeks on me! The picture below was taken 2 weeks after the manicure was applied. Still looks really good with no chips!
So while the Sensationail starter kit is pretty decent, I've discovered that you can actually use the LED lamp with gel polishes from other brands. The polish in the picture above is actually Pink Pong by Sally Hansen. I actually prefer the Sally Hansen brand more than the Sensationail polishes because I think that it lasts longer. The issue I have is that with the Sensationail starter kit, it uses the same polish for the base coat and the top coat. I've noticed that I have way more problems with the polish peeling than I do with Sally Hansen, which uses a base coat that is separate from the top coat. Perhaps this is just me though as I don't use the gel primer that comes with the Sensationail set.
The polish selection for Sensationail is still growing. There are a few of your typical colors and a few interesting ones, but all in all, the color selection is still a bit lacking. I currently own White Lily (white creme), Pink Chiffon (Pink creme), Evening Sands (Light nude), and Crystal Avalanche which I have yet to try. They're all pretty decent, but as I mentioned before, the peeling problem from the base coat is kind of annoying.
Anyway all in all, I'd give this set a 4 out of 5 stars. I think that it's a great starter kit for beginners, but I definitely think that there are some better polish options out there. I would suggest Sally Hansen for those of you all experiencing problems with peeling. Like I mentioned before, I don't use the gel primer so that could definitely contribute to the issue, but even without a primer, the Sally Hansen gel polish lasts 2-3 weeks on me no problems.
Let me know what you all think of this starter kit!
