This is a legacy post that has been given a facelift. Opinions and content are the same. I love this product!
I shared the above photo a few days ago on Instagram. I was trying, for science, to see if Sensationail Polish to Gel would make China Glaze’s notoriously fussy Flip Flop Fantasy (old formula!) easier to work with. It’s a monthly favorite (that post goes live on Wednesday) for a reason, after all, making my RnP > Gel dreams come true.
Unfortunately, I crashed and burned – but not because of the Polish to Gel. This stuff is awesome. Unfortunately, Flip Flop Fantasy is SUCH A PAIN IN THE ASS that it could not be redeemed by this wonderstuff.
You can purchase Sensationail Polish to Gel one of two ways – alone, for $8. Or with a lamp, for $24. Get the damn lamp. The lamp is new, awesome, and approximately 17 times better than the original lamp. More on that in another post.
The Superior Method
Sensationail Polish to Gel & China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy
Included in the kit is a little plastic pot. Mix equal parts Sensationail Polish to Gel and your regular nail polish of choice, dripping drops off the brush into that pot. If you prefer (I do), use a little glass dappen dish like I did, above. Mix the two with the regular nail polish’s brush and DO NOT reinsert the brush into the RnP bottle. It will eventually become a solution and look like a thicker version of the RnP.
- Prep your nails like any sane individual would before a gel manicure. Push cuticles back, remove the shine from the nail plate, wipe away dust, dehydrate. No primer required, but you can use it if you like (I do).
- Apply a thin coat of the mixture with the regular nail polish’s brush.
- Cure (in the new fabulous lamp) 30 seconds. Otherwise, cure one minute in the old school Sensationail lamp.
- Apply another 1-2 coats as needed for opacity, curing the same way between.
- Apply a thin coat of Polish to Gel and cure for 15 seconds (30 in the old lamp).
- Remove the tacky dispersion layer with an alcohol wipe or acetone (be sparing with acetone, though).
- Clean the product of the RnP brush with acetone, let it dry. You can return it to its home bottle, now.
- Enjoy at least seven days of wear.
I do not tend to get two weeks out of the Sensationail Polish to Gel mix, but I have gotten a solid 7-10 days with OPI, Essie, and China Glaze blends. I did not experience any degradation of polish color during wear (looking at you, Gelish), either – score!
The Inferior Method
You can use this to do a jelly sandwich, but I haven’t. And I wouldn’t, because to me, it defeats the whole point of a gel manicure. I also do not see what advantage you would have using this for that vs. the regular Sensationail base/top coat.
On a related note, I’m not convinced that the Polish to Gel product is substantially different than the Base/Top coat. I’ll test it sometime and report back.
What this will not do:
- Make fussy formulas significantly easier to work with. Flip Flop Fantasy was just as streaky as it is out of the bottle despite a thorough blend. It hurts my heart – I love that color so much, but I just haven’t the patience or time these days.
- Make sheer formulas easier when used as intended. I mixed OPI I Theodora You and messed with the proportions a bit (5 drops Polish to Gel, 7 drops polish). It was still took four coats to get to almost-opacity.
- Give you back rubs.
The Bottom Line
If you enjoy painted nails and gel polish, but not the lack of shade diversity in gel polish without jumping through twelve trillion hoops to buy fun colors, YOU NEED THIS. Run, don’t walk, buy three bottles. I intend to hoard this stuff.