Sally Hansen Salon Gel Polish Starter Kit

Sally Hansen Salon Gel Polish Starter Kit ($69.99) is an easy, at-home gel manicure kit that comes with all the essentials you need for a chip-free, glossy manicure that lasts 2 weeks! The kit comes with a 1 LED Lamp, a Gel Base Coat, a Gel Nail Color, a Gel Top Coat, 10 Nail Cleanser Pads, Acetone Remover, Cuticle Stick, File & Buffer and an Instruction sheet. 

The starter kit comes in three shades, Wine Not, being the one I tried out. 'Wine Not' is a gorgeous plummy red with fine shimmer. The box has instructions on how to apply and takes you through each step of the manicure. Here's how I used the kit, step by step.

• To start with, prep nails well so there's no residue. You can use any remover, but keep in mind that the acetone remover that comes in this kit is a tad drying.  
• Push cuticles back and file if you have to. The kit comes with a nail file, buffer and a cuticle stick.
• Apply an even layer of base coat and cure under the LED Lamp for 30 seconds. The lamp is self-timed, so it goes off after 30 seconds! 
• Apply one coat of polish. 'Wine Not' is a rather opaque shade, so I applied only one. You could apply two coats but be sure to cure under the lamp in between coats for 30 seconds.
• Finally, apply the gel top coat and cure again for another 30 seconds. It is very important that you let your polish cure for the whole 30 seconds or else you'll end up with a thick, goopy mess that starts to peel off almost instantly. 
• Once done with your top coat, polish and base coat, be sure to wipe your nail with a nail cleaner pad (provided in the kit) to remove any residue. 
• Removal can be quite a pain as you may have to wrap your nails with a cotton pad saturated with acetone remover, cover it with a silver foil and let the remover do its thing! I find that the acetone remover that comes with this kit works best for this and is much quicker too. It is a tad drying so be sure to slather on hand cream afterwards!

As for the results, I absolutely love the shiny, glossy finish of this manicure. 'Wine Not' has subtle shimmer running through and when combined with a gel top coat, the result is just fabulous. My manicure started peeling just a little around the tips after about 9 days. You could get longer wear depending on how long polishes generally last on you!

Overall, the kit is fairly easy to use even for a noob like me and the results are pretty flawless if you take the time out to patiently do each step. It isn't very time consuming and the convenience of a gel manicure at home is quite nice. While its not something I'd do on a regular basis, it is a great option to have when I'm traveling or at times when I can't be bothered to paint my nails every 3-4 days. That being said, if gel manicures are something you'd do all the time, this is something you must try. The gel polishes are also sold separately and come in 16 shades!

What are your thoughts on the Sally Hansen Salon Gel Polish Starter Kit?

Disclosure: The products in this article were provided by PR for consideration. All opinions are my own. For more information please refer to my Disclosure Policy