Gel Polish: Take it from someone who knows | My Experience

I have seen a lot of hate towards gel polish in the "Blogosphere" of late and I thought it was high time I shared my thoughts on the subject. I have been wearing gel polish with a little over a year and a half having given up on extensions which had left my nails paper thin and brittle. In the past twelve months I have experimented with Shellac, Gelish, OPI Gel colour, Axxium and Perfect Match - You name it, I've tried them all!

I get my nails done religiously every three weeks as a treat, only having the polish removed to be reapplied within minutes and I can honestly say, hand on my heart that the integrity of my natural nails has not been hindered or in any way compromised by the use of gel polish. If anything, I owe my long, strong nails to it. My nail growth is incredible, I have to get the length taken back at every appointment because tallons just aren't practical when working on a computer all day everyday.

Before blaming your weakened/damaged nails on gel polish. Ask yourself this? Did you have a branded polish applied? CND for example? Did the nail tech use an electric file or drill on your nails prior to application?(this is a big NO NO!) Did you have it removed properly in a Salon? Did you remove it yourself? Did you pick it off?

Gel Polish application whether it be Shellac or Gelish etc. on average costs about €25-€30. This cost is there because it takes about 40 minutes all in all to have it applied, they are using branded products and your nail technician is fully qualified. If you see a deal on Groupon or the likes for a €10 gel manicure, it may sound like a great bargain at the time but just think about what is being compromised on to give you such a great deal? Something has to give..

It should always be removed in a salon by a professional  where the gel seal is broken, acetone soaked cotton wool is applied to the nail and it is wrapped in foil to penetrate the acetone and aid with the breakdown of the gel. Once the nail is removed from the foil your polish should have lifted and come away with little or no help from the nail tech. The removal of the gel polish in the correct way ensures your nails are left in perfect condition - no damage!

My natural nails after gel polish removal and ready for the next application. (Excuse the dodgy quality of the photo it was taken on an iPhone)

Please excuse the photo spamming, I just wanted to give you an idea of the consistency of length, my nail growth etc. I am in no way telling you to give up on wet polish, or to go out and get a gel manicure. What I am saying, like everything in life - don't knock it til you've tried it.

I do still have an accident every once in a while where down to the klutz I am I break a nail, nothing that a silk wrap won't heal though! 

Not so long ago a silk wrap completely saved my nail having broken it half way down the nail bed right across almost, I had 2 wraps applied to it and over the course of  5 weeks it had grown out completely and most importantly.. I didn't loose it! Nail technician are life savers! 

Brisa Lite | My Experience - Second Treament

Hi All,

I hope you're all in good health! Today's post is just a quick update on my treatment- Brisa Lite treatment that is. 

I had my second application removed on Friday last and the results are mind boggling. My nails are completely unaffected by the treatment to date. The only difference is in length and strength.

 Like I mentioned previously length was something I struggled with as a nail biter and something I thought I could never achieve. Fortunately for me, Brisa Lite has come to my rescue and I actually had to ask for my length to be reduced in my last appointment. I have found a length that suits both me and my lifestyle with the added bonus of longer looking fingers - what a dream!

Not bad for ten days right? As for strength. It feels as though my nail cells have doubled in the last few weeks. I no longer look at them in fear when I bang them and just go out my day as normal. I can put pressure on them and they do not bend. I think is safe to say I am in awe!!

During this weeks appointment, it was decided that I no longer needed the application of the sculpting gel as nails no longer need the support, instead just a layer of the smoothing gel (this is due to the slight indentations in my natural nail - a direct result of wearing gel nails). 

To say it was a boost was an understatement. I was so confident that I decided, with a little persuasion on Olive's part to add a little "bling" with a glittery accent nail. Which might I add is so not me.. Turns out I love a little sparkle. Blogging is turning me into a real girly girl and I have no real choice but to embrace it!

This week's nails consisted of 'THE WHITE NAIL' look I have literally been obsessing over all summer long, with an added "Disco Ball" accent nail. One that is proving quite popular among my readers. Have I set a new trend? Am I now a trend-setter? Who knows!? 

I have to say, white nails are far more manageable than I could have imagined, because they are so white it actually looks like I have a natural tan and although I do have quite a bit of growth it is hardly noticeable - well not unless you look for it anyway!

Here they are, for those of you who haven't seen them. Getting my nails done and reading the most recent edition of ELLE magazine. It's a hard life, but somebody's got to do it!!

Thanks again to Olive of Piggys Pinkies West Cork and to Niall O' Sullivan Photography for the photographs. 

Rebecca x

Brisa Lite by CND | My experience - First Treament

As I have previously mentioned I am both an ex gel nail wearer and a long time nail biter (since about the age of six or seven). So this blog is something I have been very excited to share with you all. As of July 13th 2013, I said goodbye to gel nail extensions and nail biting forever.. Hopefully! This was the day I started my 'Brisa Lite' treatment.

 I have been literally bursting to blog about it but I held off as I wanted to really put it through its paces! And trust me, I did! For those of you who aren't familiar with Brisa or haven't seen me mention it previously, I give a quick run down of what is involved in a previous blogpost.

Here is an example of just how weak my nails were before I started this treatment - Like if you cried (Sorry I couldn't help myself).

I was warned before starting the 'Brisa Lite' treatment that it is not for the faint-hearted and I had to be dedicated, if I was going to jump in and out of it then I was only wasting my own time and money. My appointments are about ten days apart but can vary, anything from seven to about fifteen days depending on what your nails require. The "Brisa Lite" course does not include colour but you can have anything you desire applied over it or just use a wet polish. I'm quite lazy and just down right useless when it comes to painting my own nails so I decided to have 'Gelish' applied on top of the Brisa, not only do they look gorgeous but I feel like it's an incentive. Who doesn't want pretty nails? Now there is a small bit of maintenance required on your part, including applying a daily application of a top coat and regularly using cuticle oil - it's really not that hard!

'Gelish' application in the shade "Radiance is my middle name"

I had my second visit yesterday and have to say I was massively impressed with my results. I am a bit of a klutz and tend to bang my nails off of things quite often, I have spent the last few days almost afraid to look at my nails after banging them but can't help but smile when I do. I did NOT break one nail in the first ten days and didn't have one chip which really impressed me as I am on a computer, tapping away all day in work and I come home and begin the tapping all over again! 

However, I'm pretty sure Olive, "my" nail tech (I say my in inverted comma's because unfortunately, she does not actually belong to me) was probably more surprised than I was with the condition of my nails, if it wasn't for my growth I could have probably gotten a few extra days out of them! My growth has been brilliant and when the 'Brisa' was removed I could already feel a difference, after one treatment my nails feel sturdier. I am still in shock. The prospect of having strong natural nails is something I thought I could only dream about after everything I have put them through over the years!

2nd application of Brisa with 'Gelish' in the shade "I'm brighter than you"

I'll be giving a full run down on the application/ treatment in a separate post in the next day or two but in the mean time just remember..

 

A massive thanks goes out to Olive from PiggysPinkiesWestCork for this introducing me to "Brisa Lite" and for the opportunity to share it with you all! Photos are by the very talented Niall of Niall O'Sullivan Photography. I really appreciate all the hard work!