Gel nail polish is a relatively new material. It’s only been around for about a decade. But it’s getting more and more popular every day. Thanks to gorgeous collections of gel nail polish with amazing effects.
If you’re still unsure if you want to do your own gel nails here are 10 reasons why you need to start using gel nail polish ASAP.
- Gel nail polish is long-lasting and durable
Gel nail polish is a lot more durable than ordinary nail lacquer.
While a regular polish only lasts for a few days, and sometimes you see it chipping on the first day, gel polishes can last for up to 2 or even 3 weeks. Especially if you apply them right.
And applying it right is not rocket science. You just need to push back the cuticles, buff the nail plate a bit, cleanse it, use a dehydrator, add a bit of primer, apply the base coat and 2 layers of the color coat, finish it off with the top coat, and cure each layer in a UV lamp.
That way you’ll have a strong and beautiful coating on your nails that binds to your natural nail firmly with the help of the base coat and is protected against chipping with the top coat.
- It’s easy to apply
You can apply gel nail polish quickly and easily.
It’s a lot easier to apply gel nail polish than gels, polygels, or acrylics.
The application process is similar to the way you paint on regular nail polish.
You only need to do a few strokes of gel polish with a simple nail polish brush applicator.
In addition to that, gel nail polish doesn’t air dry.
It only hardens under a source of UV rays.
You need a UV/LED lamp to cure it.
So it won’t harden too early while you are still working with it.
That’s why you can correct any mistakes when painting your nails.
And if you’re not happy with how it looks you can erase the entire layer and simply repaint it.
- Gel nail polish looks beautiful and glossy
Gel nail polish looks really gorgeous.
It has a high mirror-like shine that you simply can’t achieve with an ordinary lacquer.
The colors are rich and the nails get a real salon finish.
- You can do a salon-level manicure at home
With gel nail polishes your hands will look elegant and pampered.
If you decide to do gel nails at home the process is absolutely the same as doing it at a salon.
Gel nail polishes require no fancy, super-expensive, or large-sized equipment.
You only need a UV/LED lamp, and a few bottles with color polishes, a base coat, and a top coat, and a few prep products, such as a primer, dehydrator, and nail cleanser.
All these products are affordable and you can easily buy them online.
Gel nail polishes require no special skills either. If you can paint your nails you are already skilled enough for a DIY gel manicure.
- It’s so easy to create nail art and nail designs with gel nail polish
You can paint intricate designs on your nails using several color polishes and a thin brush.
If you make an error while painting your nail art you can erase that detail with a bit of acetone nail polish remover and repaint it.
Gel nail polish is perfect for creating French manicure nails.
Before nail techs and polish lovers started using gel nail polishes they had to employ a set of special stickers to separate the smile line and to paint it accurately.
They also had to have a very steady hand and work extremely quickly because the ordinary polish dried almost instantly and it was difficult to make any corrections.
Gel nail polish lets you take your time while painting the French manicure smile line.
You can simply create it with a thin nail art brush. No stickers are needed.
Again, if you make an error you can easily correct the smile line before you cure it.
You can set rhinestones onto the nails using gel nail polish top coat as glue.
It holds the gems in place and lets you create an infinite number of pave designs.
Gel nail polish allows you to create trendy matte nails easily.
Just apply a gel matte top coat over the color polish.
You’ll get matte nails with a gorgeous velvety look and feel instantly after you cure the top coat.
- Gel nail polish covers up nail plate defects
Many gel base coats, especially rubber base coats, are dense and self-leveling and can cover up ridges, dents, and other defects of the natural nail plate.
You can create nails with a perfectly smooth surface and an ideal highlight if you use gel nail products.
Regular nail lacquers don’t offer that kind of coverage. They are very thin and all your defects will be visible.
- Gel nail polish also protects the nails
Gel nail polish protects the nail plate from environmental hazards.
If your nails are naturally weak you have a good chance of growing your nails out while they are covered with a gel nail polish.
Especially if the polish is painted over a strong and flexible base coat.
- Gel nail polish is quite easy to remove
Gels and polygels can only be removed by filing. You need a nail drill to do that.
However, gel nail polish can be soaked off.
It’s a lot like removing regular nail polish, just takes a bit more time.
So with gel nail polish, you get a sturdy coating similar to a gel but easy to apply and remove like nail lacquer.
- Gel nail polishes come in 100s of colors
Unlike acrylics or gels that often have a limited color palette, the selection of colors most gel nail polish manufacturers offer is astonishing.
You can find a color for every season, occasion, time of day, and look.
Anything you like!
Gel nail polishes are often sold in huge variety sets with 20-30 colors to choose from.
You can buy a set like that, try every hue, and see what works best for you.
You can also create nail art with these sets.
And of course, a gel nail polish kit makes an excellent gift.
Especially when this set is holiday-themed, like a Christmas or Valentine’s day collection.
- Gel nail polishes have cool effects
Gel polishes often come with cool effects.
For example, there are thermally activated mood-changing, glow in the dark, holographic, and magnetic cat-eye polishes on the market.
Other nail materials don’t offer such a great selection of gorgeous effects.
Mood-changing gel nail polish changes color according to the temperature that comes in contact with it.
It shows one color when it’s hot and another color when it’s cold.
For instance, one color can be bright and warm and another one — neutral and cool.
These colors often show up together and form a beautiful gradient because the tip of the nail is always cooler than the part near the cuticles.
Cat-eye polishes react to a special magnet tool.
They have the same effect as cat-eye and tiger-eye stones. This effect looks especially beautiful on a black background.
Glow in the dark polishes glow in a nice pastel color when the lights are out.
And holographic polishes contain holo glitter metal particles and look very festive and dazzling.
If you want to create DIY manicures with gel nail polishes you can read these guides on how to apply and remove them, and start building your own collection.
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