July 05, 2011

Gel Manicure NOTD + Review

I walked into Apron Bay the other day, planning to have my eyebrows threaded. Little did I expect I would also be getting a nail manicure.


But since I had time to kill, oh well, I did.

Apron Bay was having a promotion for gel manicures (RM78, instead of their usual RM90) and so I opted to give it a try.

The saloon uses Gelish nail polish, and I picked a pretty milky pink shade. It is quite a pretty and neutral shade. Perhaps a little boring, but well, that's kinda me.

The process is a little different, with them having to file my nail plates. It was frighteningly rough (so the gel would something to grip on), but after a base coat, three coats of nail polish and a top coat, it's as shiny as shiny gets. It didn't look quite as opaque when I tried it, but three coats of paint later, it's a slightly different story.

The whole process took about an hour and a half. After every layer, I had to stick my nails under the UV light for about 10 seconds. After the top coat, I had to stick my hands under the UV light for a good 30 seconds, and after that, the nails were dry. For good.

Really.

I could tap them nails, stick my hands into my handbag, open my wallet, take my cash out, and not a chip or dent in sight. And apparently, it's suppose to stay that way for a good 3 weeks.

And that is their selling point. They're suppose to last, last and laaaast.

It's been a good four days, and the nails have survived a crab-eating session and serious dish-washing, and still not a chip in sight. I'm quite impressed. (I'll report back in two weeks to let you know if they've lasted me the three weeks.)

What I don't look forward to, though, is the thought of removing the gel polishes, where my nails will have to be foil-wrapped in acetone, and then have the nail polishes manually scraped off.

Would I go for this again? What with the UV lights and the acetone... I somehow don't really think so.

It's pretty while it's on though. Have you tried a gel mani?

6 comments:

Kahani said...

I wants!

xin said...

have not tried any gel mani, not so interested in them anyway. i am worried about the removing bit, for the fear of spoiling the surface of my nails. but i love apron bay for brow threading!

rinnah said...

I wouldn't dare to do gel polishes because of the filing bit...it's scary that they file off the top portion of your nails which I personally feel will weaken the nail once the gel polish is removed. :(

But that pinky polish is pretty! :)

Syen said...

Kahani: I did it once to try it, but I wouldn't recommend it often. But if you get the chance, give it a go!

xin: Me too. =)

Rinnah: I'm telling myself my nails should have had time to heal by the time it's time to get the nail polish off. But I don't think it's something I'm planning to do on a regular basis. I might not have any nail left!

Amy C said...

i got a Shellac manicure and pedicure done for my wedding and it lasted for months...i removed them (myself) just before we went back to malaysia coz they were growing out!

i think if you're after long lasting nail polish, then gel nail polishes are the best, but i dont really fancy them coz they tend to dry out your nails!

Syen said...

Amy C: Helllooo couzzie! I'm hoping my nails will survive the one time I've gotten gel manicure, and I'm hoping it'll survive the round of acetone too. LOL. Thanks for dropping by! So glad to see you.. *tee hee*