Back in August Polish Insomniac
posted about at-home gel nails, something I had been thinking about trying, but just hadn't gotten around to. At that time, Sally's was running a special on the
Gelish mini UV light and the
Gelish starter kit, so I went for it. I am SO glad I did!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib29HCfSU7rYF2XkvcRuet5qjhdHSz4sItzM2vtByW6Aur_EgDcXlSnpfEUIWtrMeW0HTZ1-R1y2wdHK0ihLtux1Jj0U-Zs2SkKJ4vnzWP4jSVY__f3VvWWLzz-lSWp8FGlOmePZf_Aoo/s400/Gelish.jpg)
Here's my first try at a full mani- this is two coats of
Harmony Gelish Star Burst![](http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=sassay-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B003VMV7D8&camp=217145&creative=399369)
. I actually purchased Star Burst on Amazon because it seemed to be the cheapest option for full-sized bottles.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE47faO1PvCNG9nat4F-g-Q8pIdz_G8kG9KmLd8M5RGPQ6YC7rYaKlrUgYkiAnlJ0c1nduadvmH4g3aIUh8qet82HMFmZb7-QLSn2_HX2tt-LjH3muIsKWKR2UbTk_3lDAeoCoSMrFhIU/s400/light.png)
And this is the
light. I read all the reviews on this light and it seemed like a great way to go to begin.
A few tips:
1. One thing I read was that even though the light uses batteries, it is better to use a power adapter because the strength of the light goes down as the batteries go down. But if you use a power adapter, the strength of the light is constant and it works much better. So that's what I've been doing- we have tons of power adapters lying around from toys, so I just grabbed one of those and just plug it in each time I use it.
2. It's not really necessary to use the Gelish Cleanse.... once I run out of the starter bottle, I'll use the higher percentage Alcohol and it will work just fine- I think it's 90%. You just don't want to buy the 70% Alcohol because it won't work as well.
3. I use an old t-shirt for my lint-free cloth to wipe the cleanse across my nails- you do it twice- once before you start, and then at the end to remove the sticky residue that remains after curing.
Have you tried at-home gel nails? I am having fun! I do have to say I practiced a bit using it to mend tears before I tried a full mani. I followed Loodie Loodie Loodie's
tips for using gel polish to mend a tear.