By 2012, I was well-immersed in my polish obsession. I did my own nail art and was changing colors every 2-3 days for a quite a while. I had all the fun goodies, – art stripers, dotting tools, the whole nine yards. That spring, though, my career picked and I had less free time; by necessity, those pursuits fell by the wayside. My nails were still polished, but art was reserved for special occasions. Even using Seche Vite top coat, I was only getting 4-5 days out of a manicure, tops. I hadn’t the time. That Christmas, my now-husband got me a Sensationail LED-cured gel polish kit. I haven’t looked back.
Switch to Gel Polish!
Does the following statement hit home?
I do not have time in the middle of my average week to do touchups, let alone a full manicure in its entirety.
That’s definitely my reality, and I’m not even a parent! In my case, going to work with obvious, chipped, untidy polish would be akin to going in with unbrushed hair. In that case, it would be better to go in without polish. Personally though, having a tidy manicure makes me feel put-together.
Whether you visit a salon or prefer to do your own manicures (more posts about manicures here, here, and here), properly applied gel polish is a no brainer for busy women. How long does the average manicure take (DIY or salon)? 45 minutes, minimum. Longer depending on the dry time required for the polishes you choose. When your time is at a premium, can you afford that twice or more a week? I can’t.
If you prefer to go polished, like I do, and you could paint your nails once a week or less often, wouldn’t you? Gel polish makes that a reality!
Overcoming Objections
It’s Expensive! In a salon? Okay, I’ll give you that. It is considered a premium service in most salons; that’s a debate for another day. At home? No, not much more so than a traditional manicure even with the initial investment of buying a lamp. If you were to sit down and do a proper cost-benefit analysis, I’d bet you dollars to donuts that gel polish manicures deliver value on par or better than traditional polish. With kits like Sensationail’s Polish-to-Gel kit, you don’t even need to replace your polish collection (unless you want to).
Skin Cancer! Some people are under the impression that if they get a gel polish manicure they will spontaneously be stricken with melanoma. I struggle to articulate my irritation with this knee-jerk, fear-mongering reaction. The Skin Cancer Foundation (that’s skincancer.org) states, “Even the most intense of these devices presents only a moderate UV risk – a far lower risk than that presented by UV tanning devices.” They go on to say that a broad spectrum sunscreen applied to the hands will be more than sufficient for those with concerns.
It’s Time-Consuming or Difficult! There can be a learning curve with DIY gel polish because it does behave slightly differently than regular polishes. Your first manicure or three might take a little longer than you’re used to if you’re doing it yourself, but once you’ll get the hang of it you’ll be able to fly through it. Remember, there’s no dry time with gel polish – each color layer, depending on brand, takes a MAXIMUM of two minutes to cure, but most brands are in the 30-60 second range. Improved lamps are cutting curing time in half, too, so you application may be even faster than traditional polish.
The Bottom Line
Whether or not you put a price on your time, gel polish lets you have your cake and eat it, too. If you’re a professional who is expected to maintain a certain appearance aspects – or maybe you aren’t expected to, but simply prefer to – gel polish allows you to get more mileage out of a single manicure. One may expect a beauty blog to wax poetic on the virtues of devoting half the day to beauty pursuits…but that’s not Beauty Skeptic. That concept doesn’t resonate with me, period.