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Beauty | CCO Nail gel, unboxing and initial review

 

 

 

Hey dolls, 

 

 

(text heavy post)

 

Around a month ago me and my flatmate bought the CCO shellac nail kit. I believe it was around £40 from eBay (I'll provide a link below) and it came with two free UV&LED soak-off gel nail polishes of our choice, a gel UV & LED soak-off base coat and top coat, a cleanser, gel remover and lastly a UV lamp. For those who don't know shellac gel nails last a long time without chipping and your nails remain very shiny. I really wanted to try this out because, I really hate seeing my nails chip all the time and it seemed like a good investment.

 

Review

The delivery was fairly quick and easy so all that practical stuff was okay, the only thing I was a bit weary about was the fact that I expected it to come in the CCO packaging altogether, which it didn't.

In terms of the actual kit, I've used it about three times now and I must say I'm fairly pleased with the kit.

In terms of application it's merely, base coat (dry for 2mins w/UV lamp), first layer of nail polish (dry for 2mins), second layer (dry for 2 mins) and your top coat which you dry for a total of 4mins. Lastly I wipe off the sticky residue with a cotton pad and the gel cleanser. This totals to 10mins under the UV lamp per hand and of course however long you take to apply your polishes, so it takes me about 30mins to do my nails. It may seem time consuming but this is considering the drying time as well. 

I also made a recent discovery and realised that on my second coat of nail polish, I can use any colour polish on top of the first layer and it will still come out shiny. For example, the other day I wanted a deep burgundy colour, so I used my TopShop nail polish after applying the first layer of one of the free UV & LED gel polishes that came with the kit. Once I applied a sufficient amount of coats I dried my nails under the UV lamp for 2mins and proceeded with the top coat and cleanser, four days since and no sign of chipping :)

I've never actually removed them with the gel remover I tend to just try and peel it off from lack of patience, which probably isn't good.

In my honest opinion I can't say how long it lasts because I tend to do my nails about every 7-10 days anyway, so I'm yet to see its full potential. Although I would definitely say with good application it can last longer than 7 days. Below are some images of the kit once I unboxed it. I ruined one of my nails by not letting it dry properly so once I fix it I'll add a picture of what it looks like all done.

The Best Overall Kit (Editor’s Choice)

SensatioNail was one of the first to enter the at-home gel polish market, and to this day they are still one of my favorites for overall quality, ease of use, accessibility and performance. A kit will cost about $50 for an LED Lamp, Primer, Base/Top Coat, Gel Color, and Cleanser while individual shades cost about $10 each (and there’s lots of them, including magnetic and limited-edition shades).

I also like how SensatioNail as various removal kits & tools, as well as almost all of their essential products can be purchased individually. They are also accessible and rival the longevity of salon brands.

Available at drugstores and online at target.com.

 

The Most Simplistic System

Sally Hansen offers two different gel polish systems; the first is a traditional salon-inspired system with a Base Coat / Color / Top Coat process. The kit includes everything you need to get the show on the road for $70, and extra colors cost $13.

The kit includes individual cleansing wipes, which isn’t as practical as a bottle of it… but the good news is, you can just use a bottle of rubbing alcohol when they run out.

Available at drugstores and online at ulta.com.

For The Polish Novice

The second kit that Sally Hansen offers is the Insta-Gel Strips system. Sally Hansen has become famous for their awesome nail polish strips, and now they bring them to the gel manicure world. This is also great for the polish novice with an unsteady hand or for those who want some fancy nail art. 

The kit includes a mini (single finger) LED lamp, a pack of gel polish strips, a top coat and the necessary tools for only $30. Individual gel strips will run you about $15 (and only offer a single manicure), so even though it’s convenient and easy to use, the convenience comes at a higher price. This one didn’t last as long as the salon-inspired system, but it was much easier to remove with just regular nail polish remover.

Available at drugstores and online at target.com.

 

For The On-The-Go Gal

If you’re always on the go, travel frequently or just want to save space, the ORLY SmartGel system is going to be your best friend. The ultra slim LED Lamp is about the size of an iPhone, but it will run you about $100. It pops open to cure 4 fingers at once, or opens up at the bottom for a single finger (it’s so much easier to hold the lamp over the thumb).

The starter kit complete with Primer, Base/Top Coat, Cleanser, Remover and tools only costs $40 and individual shades go for $10 each. Having a single Base/Top coat not only simplifies the process, but also makes it easy to travel with.

The All-Inclusive Set

The Red Carpet Manicure set is great for gifting, because it has everything you need right in the box- an LED lamp, Primer, Base Coat, Color Gel Polish, Top Coat, Cuticle Oil, Cleanser, Remover and tools- and it will only cost $80 for everything. Extra polish colors are available for $10 each, making them one of the more affordable individual shades.

This system is actually quite similar to the Gelish Mini set, not only in looks but also in quality. The salon-worthy polishes last almost as long, and are much more accessible from the drugstore.

The Easiest Removal

Kiss Everlasting Gel Polish is quite simplistic, with a 1-2-3 step application (this one has a ‘built-in’ primer). The LED lamp is sold separately at about $35, while color and french manicure kits run about $30-35 each, containing all the bottles and tools you need to get started. Extra colors cost about $12 each.

While this gel manicure didn’t last as long as some of the other kits, this one was by far the easiest to remove (which can be a huge pain, and a total deal-breaker for some). If you’re looking for a simple, accessible kit that comes off easily, try this one out.

The Best Salon Quality Results

Gelish Mini is definitely the most salon-like quality, because well, it is a salon brand. Gelish “Mini” is the at-home version, which essentially features the same quality products in smaller bottles. This one lasted the longest, felt the strongest and really looked like I just got back from the salon.

This set is also going to be one of the most expensive, with the lamp setting you back about $80 while a starter kit full of the basics (Primer, Base Coat, Top Coat, Cuticle Oil, Cleanser & Remover) costs about $45. Individual shades can be purchased for about $15, and Gelish has the largest range of shades with over 90 to choose from. They do have a complete starter kit for $110 which is definitely the best value!

It hasn’t been long since at-home gel manicure kits started popping up in drugstores and mass retailers, but there are now many different kits to choose from. It can be a little overwhelming to choose a kit, especially if you’re going to be shelling out $60-$100 to get started, not knowing if it is even going to work well for you! We understand- and that’s why over the past few months, we’ve been lacquering up with tons of different at-home gel polish manicure kits to find which one is the best.

The good news is, most of them are pretty darn good- and you’ll definitely save a lot of money in the long run taking one of these kits home instead of bi-weekly trips to the salon. The problem is that some of these kits are better at certain aspects like ease of use, simplicity, longevity or the removal process. Some of these factors might be more important that others- so we’ve rounded up our 7 favorite kits and why you would pick each one of them.

I’ve been doing at-home gel polish manicures for many months now, trying out different kits, new techniques and even discovering a couple tricks along the way. I wanted to share some tips to keep in mind when purchasing gel polish manicure supplies that will hopefully save you some stress and money!

 

 

1. Gel Polishes Are (Mostly) Interchangeable

At-home gel polish is considered “Soak Off Gel Polish”. This differs from hard gel (the kind you would get a sculpted manicure with) and is a hybrid between said hard gel and a nail polish. They can be cured under UV or LED light. All of these kits (and pretty much all other at-home gel manicure kits) use LED lights. They cure faster, have longer-lasting lights and are generally a little more safer. All of the gel polishes in this article (and all other LED polishes) can be interchanged. If you want to use a Kiss Everlasting Gel Polish color with a Gelish lamp and the SensatioNail removal kit- go ahead.

2. Don’t Buy Cleansers and Removers

Well, of course if you want to- go right ahead. However, you might be surprised to know that gel cleanser is really nothing other than plain old rubbing alcohol, and gel removers are 100% pure acetone. You can grab those at a local beauty supply or even drugstore and you’ll pay a LOT less.

3. Don’t Throw Out Your Regular Nail Polishes

Of course, brands will tell you to only use gel polish with their systems… and if you want the results, I’ll say the same thing. I didn’t want to say goodbye to all of my regular nail polishes though, so I tried “sandwiching” regular polish in between gel polish base & top coats. It didn’t last a full 2 weeks, but it certainly lasted a lot longer than my usual 2-3 days of chip-free wear. So even though they say not to… I say rules are meant to be broken. Check out my step-by-step tutorial here.

4. Always Soak Off- Don’t Peel!

There’s a reason it’s called “soak-off” gel polish… you need to soak it off! Gel manicures are great because they dry instantly, last for up to two weeks and don’t damage nails… ONLY if you remove them properly. If you’re going to commit to gel polish manicures, then be prepared to commit to lengthy removal processes involving lots of acetone and tin-foil wraps. If you peel, you will damage your nails. I’m telling you from experience!

7 of the Best At-Home Gel Polish Kits (& How To Choose Which is Best For You)

OUTER PRODUCT

BLUESKY 

CCO

CND SHELLAC

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