The Best Home “Gel” Manicure

Five years ago I remember sitting in a nail salon in Florida where I was planning to get a regular manicure. I have gotten my nails done many times and was weighing two options: regular nail polish or acrylic nails. In college I would often opt for the acrylic nails so I wouldn’t have to think about my nails for the next three weeks. But after a few years of acrylics on and off I decided they were more of a pain than a time saver. Acrylics also leave that lovely dent in your nails which was one of many reasons why I don’t get them anymore. So like I said, about five years ago, I sat down for my regular manicure but before the woman started my nails she asked if I wanted Gel nail polish. She said it would be about $10.00 more but instead of my polish lasting up to five days, my polish could last up to three weeks. I thought she was just talking about a top coat to apply on the regular polish. I wasn’t about to pay $10.00 for a top coat so I declined and got the regular polish.

Fast forward five years later and if I am going to a salon to get my nails done, I am all for the Gel nails! How could you not be? I haven’t had a problem with them making my nails weaker and they really last for two or three weeks which is amazing compared to regular polish only lasting three or four days. But paying for salon prices really adds up and this isn’t something that I want to pay for once or twice a month. Therefore for the past couple of years I have been on the hunt for a great nail polish I can use at home that doesn’t require the UV light and special Gel polishes which they use in a salon. Luckily last summer, the search was over!

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Revlon ColorStay Gel Envy is my tried and true alternative for a salon Gel manicure. With a great price of $6.00 and many drugstore deals like “BOGO half off” it has been really difficult for me not to pick up every color. I own ten colors plus the Diamond Top Coat. For most of the colors, you can totally just apply one coat and you are good to go-it isn’t streaky and the color looks just like it does in the bottle! This polish also dries super quickly (even with two coats) which is so important for me. Also what I find impressive is that the polish applies evenly and the brushes are designed well. I normally am not a fan of taking the time to apply a top coat as I don’t find it makes any difference. But this top coat really provides lasting shine and longevity. This polish lasts almost two weeks which is more than double the time that normal nail polish lasts before it starts chipping. Lastly, this nail polish is just as easy to remove with normal nail polish remover as any other regular polish. Win, win, win.

If you are looking to pick up a new nail polish at the drugstore, don’t even think twice about picking up one of the Revlon ColorStay Gel Envy polishes, and don’t forget the Top Coat! I am really not precise when it comes to painting my nails, but below is a picture of my nails with the color 620 Roulette Rush. Please let me know if you try them out! 🙂