Gel Polish

Manicure Monday – 5/20/2019 – Sensationail Beat the Heat

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Sensationail Beat the Heat

How ridiculous is this yellow?! Sensationail Beat the Heat is crying for summer. I’m behind the curve again (oops). I applied this manicure two weeks ago on the twelfth and wore it up until the 26th – so I got a full two weeks out of it. This week, I’m wearing Diva Bride again – maybe I’ll post that next week.

Sensationail Beat the Heat

I remember the first time I saw this rich yellow creme gel polish. Someone had done an amazing ombre sunset manicure all with gel polish and this was the yellow in it. The manicure itself was incredible, but I just remembered being like, “Damn, I’ve never seen a yellow gel polish before!”

So, from that point forth, I wanted this damn color in my collection. It has been literal years. No; this is not an exaggeration. When Sensationail launched this vibrant yellow, they first only made it available in UK. Damn!

Then, they made it available in the US – but it was online only for ages. Considering (at the time), I had all the other Sensationail colors I wanted, I wasn’t going to shell out for shipping for a single bottle of gel polish.

By wonderful happenstance, I saw an Instagram post of theirs suggesting it would be in stores. The very next time I was in Wal-Mart, I made a beeline for nail polish and

There.

It.

Was.

Yoink. Mine at last!

Application

This picture is two coats and it is damn near opaque, but I found myself wishing I’d done a third; in certain light, you could see the smile line of the free edge of my natural nail. It wasn’t bad or obvious though; most people wouldn’t notice but I’m occasionally known for being a mildly neurotic perfectionist with this and many things.

Application was good and up to par with Sensationail’s consistency. It wore like a champ with no lifting or misbehavior; I got my first chip on the thirteenth day of wear.

The Bottom Line

I actually can’t find a link to a store that carries it, but if you aren’t allergic to paying nearly as much in shipping as the product you’re buying, you can get it from Sensationail here. Their site still says its online only, but that’s not the case – I definitely picked it up in store a couple miles from my house. :) Happy painting!

Manicure Monday – 2/18/19 – China Glaze Gelaze Shocking Pink

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China Glaze Gelaze Shocking Pink
China Glaze Gelaze Shocking Pink

This short-but-sweet Manicure Monday post features China Glaze Gelaze Shocking Pink. This week’s manicure actually went on the day before Valentine’s Day. I didn’t quite get two weeks out of my previous manicure, to my chagrin.

This bright, neon pink is more than I’d typically don on my fingers these days – but what the hell? It looks super neat under the lamp as it cures. It is bright and lively, and we could all use a little more of that.

So far, nearly a week in, it looks great and I have no expectations of premature lift. It’s no original formula Flip Flop Fantasy, but China Glaze Gelaze Shocking Pink is damn fun nonetheless.

You can get China Glaze Gelaze Shocking Pink here, or it regular polish version here.

Pedicure Details

As for my toes, I took a break from the brights and donned ol’ faithful, Red Hot Rio today. So… basically I have an inverse Valentine’s-appropriate mani-pedi combo, also unintentional. WTF.

Manicure Monday – 1/21/19 – Gelaze Exceptionally Gifted

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China Glaze Glaze Exceptionally GiftedChina Glaze Glaze Exceptionally Gifted

After two weeks of blue, I’m back in the realm of neutral-ish on my fingers. This soft pink with metallic pearl is feminine and flattering on me. While it isn’t remotely a dupe for my loved-and-lost Maybelline Wet Shine Diamonds polish of yore, it is probably the closest I’ve come in a gel formula.

Gel versions of colors that already exist in lines tend to differ slightly, but this time, the difference is nice. Swatches of the classic formula, though, would deter me from purchase. Gelaze Exceptionally Gifted, however, is quite nice! Reviews indicate that the classic formula is very chip-prone, but I’ve never had an issue with the wear of the Gelaze polishes.

Frankly, my application was shoddy – I did it late in the evening while watching TV (usually I’m fully absorbed in manicure-land), so I wouldn’t be surprised if I don’t get two weeks out of it. Knowing I did a lousy job, I’ll be happy with one.

Bonus Pedicure

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Manicure Monday – 1/14/19 – Nina Ultra Pro Caribbean Blue

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Manicure Monday - Nina Ultra Pro Caribbean Blue

I wrote the previous Manicure Monday post the Saturday prior to publish. Then, on Sunday, I got rid of the Nude Mood manicure and started anew. So this, really, should’ve gone live Monday. We’re catching up from a lag!

I’ve been doing a lot of neutrals on my fingers and reds on my toes. And I love both – they’re classic, professional, effortless.

A Polish to Gel Manicure

But I wanted some color in my life, so I reached for Nina Ultra Pro in Caribbean Blue and my Sensationail Polish to Gel kit.

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Manicure Monday – 1/7/19 – Sensationail Nude Mood

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It took me writing this post to realize that I didn’t publish any manicure details in December. After my 11/26 post with Icelanded a Bottle of OPI in the Infinite Shine formula (haaate), the following week I did a nice China Glaze Gelaze manicure in Swing Baby. It’s a nice, champagne-y gold that I’ve featured on Favorites posts before. Unfortunately, I took no pictures because I am an ass…and because I was gearing up for a business trip that week.

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