Sensationail Invincible Gel Polish Starter Kit

I was recently given the opportunity to try out and review one of the latest trends in the nail and beauty world. Do it yourself gel nail kits are all the rage these days and I have been dying to try one. This kit is from Sensationail by Nailene. I've always had good luck with Nailene products so I was expecting to have a great experience with this. I was also intrigued by the LED lamp used with their polish, which cures in half the time with no heat, unlike UV lights.

Press Sample

The starter kit contains everything you need for a beautiful salon-worthy manicure you can do at home. First you prep your nails with the gel cleanser, then apply a quick coat of the gel primer. Next apply a coat of the gel base & top coat and cure in the LED lamp for 30 seconds. Then you apply a thin layer of gel polish and cure for 60 seconds, repeat for a second coat. Then you top it off with another coat of gel base & top coat and cure for 30 seconds. Then you clean up with some gel cleanser and enjoy your manicure!

I found the kit really easy to use. I actually did this manicure while propped up on pillows in bed! The color I got is Raspberry Wine, a beautiful magenta reddish shimmer. It's a luminescent color and the gel topcoat incredibly shiny. The shine is what made me fall in love with this manicure. The gel polish truly is different than regular polish, the feel of it on my nails was seriously awesome. I did leave a bit more of a gap around my cuticles than with normal polish because you have to be careful not to get the gel on your skin, which could cause your polish to lift. This photo is of my nails the day after I did the manicure.

It was hard for me to keep this polish on for a "long" time only because it's hard for me to keep any polish on for more than two days. But in the name of science I tried my darn best. The photo below is after six days of wear. I was amazed at how shiny it stayed and for real my nails felt indestructible. Like I had armor on. It was easy to soak off, I just used acetone, cotton and wrapped them in tinfoil for a few minutes like I do with regular glitter manicures. Sensationail sells the special foil wraps but I haven't tried those. 

I loved this DIY kit and will definitely use it again, most likely for vacations and for my toes. I was really impressed with the quality of the kit and can highly suggest it if you're looking try out at home gel nails. The kit and other Sensationail products can be found at Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, and Target stores for around $60. The individual polishes are around $12. What do you think of the gel nails at home concept? Have you tried any kits like this? Would you? Have a great day dolls!

Product samples were provided for consideration.

nailene couture

this review is looong overdue, i apologize :) i got some products from nailene a few months ago and decided to give them a go. these artificial full-cover nails are part of their couture line, which features designs that are "straight off the runway". i don't usually wear falsies because i don't like to think of putting glue on my poor natural nails haha, but i was excited to try these because they're super pretty. nailene also boasts a "no chip" technology and a natural look that makes theirs some of the best artificial nails available. i've only tried a few other brands ever, but these are definitely the best i've used. they are super light, they fit better than i expected, and they come in a variety of sizes--even in the small boxes like these. they have full nail sets available too, with even more sizes and fits to accommodate almost every shape and type of nail there is.

i love this design too, you know i'm not big on nail art, so this simple but fancy look was perfect for me. i realized after i had them glued that the stripes could be all facing the same direction, but oh well haha, they turned out in a wave for me :) the glue is pink tinted, which is nice, makes it less noticeable under the bed of the false nail.  i put a layer of seche retain on before i glued them on, even though they suggest for maximum adhesion and longevity to glue them on clean, freshly buffed nails.  i just can't get around putting glue on my natural nails haha, they're my babies!

these were easy to apply, but can be tricky to take off.  i soaked them in acetone for about 10 minutes, as suggested, but the nails were not dissolved as the package denotes.  even though technically i shouldn't have scraped at my nails, i used a wood orange stick to get the "goo" off that they became after the soaking and then finished with a good scrub with acetone on a felt square.  i think if i hadn't have used a base underneath, removal could've been even more difficult.  so, in conclusion, if you want a fast, fashionable mani but fail at art or application, these are a great option.  but be sure to give yourself plenty of time and care with removal.

what do you think of these? i think the reason falsies look so great on is because they can sort of hide your cuticles, and we all know those bad boys can make or break a hot nail look.

xoxo,
kelliegonzo

this product was sent to me for review purposes. please see disclosure statement for more information.