Babbles About... Sensationail Manicure - Pink Daisy

I love nailpolish. A couple of coats of a pretty pink or ravishing red can cheer up even the dullest day! The only problem I've had in the past is chipping. No matter how carefully I apply, even with a base and topcoat, I'm lucky if my freshly painted nails see out the day without a chip.

A few months ago I had my first gel manicure in preparation for my holiday in Dubai and I've never looked back. I don't know why it took me so long to have one but there was a great deal at a local salon and it was fantastic. It was a good two weeks before I had my first chip. I was hooked. 

Sensationail

I'd seen Sensationail at Boots and even although the hefty £70 price tag did make this a considered purchase, I figured it would save me pennies (and hopefully pounds!) in the long-run! I've had this for about 3-4 months now and love it! It's made by Nailene and promises up to 'two weeks of dazzling damage-proof wear'. 

I use a variety of polishes including Sensationail, Red Carpet Manicure (as I did last week) and Harmony Gelish. I received lots of lovely goodies for Christmas including Sensationail 'Pink Daisy'.

The Application: Step by Step

If you want a manicure that's going to last two weeks its going to take a little longer...but trust me it's worth it.

Step 1: Preparation

Nail Prep Essentials

Leighton Denny Crystal Nail File

I start off by trimming my cuticles with 'Kiss Cuticle Trimmer' and filing my nails with my Leighton Denny Crystal Nail file. I really recommend investing in this (£12.50) as it's a great file and because its a crystal file you can file both ways! I then gently remove the shine from my nails using the pink-side of the double-sided buffer that comes with the Sensationail Starter Kit.

The next step is to clean my nails with the Sensationail Gel Cleanser using a lint-free wipe. After this, I apply the Gel Primer and allow to air dry for about thirty seconds. Now I'm ready to start applying the polish!

Step 2: Application

Apply, Cure, Repeat.

Now it's time to apply! It really is as simple as apply, cure and repeat. (And repeat....) First off, is the base coat. It goes on very much like a normal polish. After each nail it's important to cap the bottom of the nail with polish. Once one hand is painted, I cure under the LED lamp for 30 seconds.

I then repeat with the other hand.

The base coat is super-shiny so perfect if you are looking for a natural look.

If applying colour, it's pretty much the same steps as the base coat except this is cured for 1 minute. I apply two coats  - one coat, cure for 1 minute, apply the second and cure again for 1 minute.

After two coats of colour, it's just one more coat of the top and base coat and a 30 second cure. 

It may seem like this is really time consuming but it doesn't take too long and the best part is that after a few finishing touches, the polish is completely dry and there it zero chance of smudges.

Finishing Touches

After the curing, the gel polish is a little tacky. I was a bit worried about this when I first used the kit but apparently this is normal. The final step will remove this. To finish off, I wipe each nail with a lint-free wipe and the gel cleanser.

To complete the manicure, I treat my cutucles to OPI Avoplex Oil and a quick lathering of Philosophy perfumed hand cream,

The Result - Sensationail Pink Daisy 

This is the finished manicure - pretty as a (pink) daisy huh? 

All the sentationail polishes are high-shine and I am head over heels for Pink Daisy. The colour displayed on the box does not do it justice! It's a bright being without being to OTT. It's £10 from the Sensationail website or £15 if you buy it from Boots! I often find some pinks can be a bit on the cool side but this is just perfect. I think I may have just found my new favourite shade....until next week ;) And with gel polish it will be at least a week before I need to re-do my nails!

I also was lucky enough to be given the French Manicure Kit my by lovely boyfriend (he's been dying for a mention :) ) which I'll be sure to post a full review once I try it out!

Have you tried sensationail/gel polish? What's your favourite colour?

xo