Gel manicures have been taking the beauty industry and world by storm for a while now, however it is the simple at home gel mani sets that are becoming more readily available. I have previously reviewed and tried out the Red Carpet Manicure kit which I adore, so when I was offered the chance to try the Sensational version, I thought it would be a good chance. The Sensational Gel Starter Kit is actually one of the first at home gel kits that came to mt attention a few christmases ago, when it was the star buy at Boots and sold out SO QUICKLY. Since then i’ve seen it everywhere, people raving about it etc, and the polishes are easy to purchase from Boots too, meaning the at home, readily accessible gel mani is easy to achieve.
The Sensational Gel Starter Kit’s are a good way at getting a taste for whether at home gel manis for you. These starter kits retail for £49.99 and promise 10 complete manicures, working out that each mani will cost you a bargain of just £4.99. The starter kit comes with a perfectly sized gel LED lamp, with a motion sensor that turns on/off automatically, a reflective interior, and magnetic base; meaning the lamp is portable and super easy to set up for gel pedicures too! As well as the lamp you receive some lint free wipes, a stick thing (LOL), the cable that can be plugged into the mains or USB (laptop etc), nail file, Gel Cleanser 14.6ml, Gel Primer 3.54ml, Gel base/top coat 3.69ml and Gel Polish 3.69ml, in whatever shade you select. These are all miniature sizes, which is great to see whether the at home gel mani is for you, or whether you prefer your in salon pampering, I like to save where possible, so at home gel manis are the way to go for me!
The gel kit is super easy to use, it is recommend to buff your nails first, then wipe each nail, using the lint free wipes, with a little of the cleanser. Simply then apply a coat of the primer, allow to air dry, then apply a thin layer of the base coat. Cure this under the lamp for 15 seconds (until it flashes once), then apply a thin coat of the colour of your choice. For the Pink Chiffon shade I found 3 coats was necessary, but 2 is usually fine with most colours. Then cure each of these layers for 30 seconds (2 of the flashes), apply another layer of the top and base coat, cure for 15 seconds, then wipe with the cleanser and VOILA. Fabulous, long lasting, super shiny, gel nails; all done from the comfort of your own home.
Well they WOULD have been long lasting, had 2 not chipped at the ends and then just totally peeled off within 24 hours…This then led to me literally peeling the others off in the space of 4 minutes. So I think I will be sticking with my trusty long lasting RCM nails.
Before this happened though it was a tough call between my beloved Red Carpet Manicure kit and the Sensationail one. I would say it’s easier to get your hands on the Senational shades as they’re available in Boots, whereas the RCM ones are available in Sallys or online. However after the chip and peel episode, I do find that my RCM nails are way more hard wearing and a smidge more shiny, but I did prefer the square shape of the lamp, compared to the curved dome RCM one, as I always catch my nails on that and smudge things. BUT overall OVERALL, i’m going to stick wit my Red Carpet Manicure Gel Kit as the Sensationail one just isn’t for me, however I did really enjoy trying out the Sensational Starter Kit as I like to try new things.
Have any of you tried any at home gel manicure sets, do you have a fave?
Sophie xx
*PR Sample