Gelish Manicures

Hello ladies! Happy Lunar New Year! A season of festive, blessings and joy for all Chinese folks around the world! In Singapore, we get two full days of public holidays but well, its back to work on the third day (there's 15 days of Chinese New Year, herein referred to as CNY). So in anticipation of CNY, I did my nails!

Typically, one would choose a red family (pink, brown, red, purple etc) color to celebrate this festive season marked with red as the auspicious color. But, I've decided to go with a favourite with all ladies - the tiffany green in gradient! What you see there is gelish by NailHarmony. 

Why choose gelish?

(1) They last for about 3 weeks without chipping or becoming very dull

(2) They dry almost instantaneously (30 secs - 1min) with Gelish UV Lamp -- may be longer with mass market UV lamps

(3) makes your nails harder, at least for the 3 weeks!

(4) Perfect for people who have to do household chores yet would love pretty nails for a special occasion!

Why NOT gelish?

(1) the application and removal process requires the buffing of nail beds which may thin your nails and cause brittle nails after gelish soak-off if not done correctly or over-filing occurs

(2) the soak off process is inconvenient and contains longer exposure to strong nail polish removers for a good 5 to 10 minutes

(3) Exposure to UV lamps may be harmful if used too often

(4) Its thick and you'll realise that your nails can't "breathe" with all the gel - a pale dull whitish nail bed color is what you get when you remove it all. It could be due to the removal process too.

(4) It is so expensive!

My recommendation is for you to do gelish for approximately max 3-4 times a year (that'd last you a good 3 months at least!) 

Here's a few tips to choosing your gelish manicure:

(1) choose a bottom color shade your nail bed color, this will allow your color to last a little longer without being too obvious that your nails have grown! 

(2) Don't just choose 1 color due to the nail growth reason and of course try something different since its not going to chip. Choose something that you'd want to see for at least a month! 

(3) Some designs are not as nice with Gelish due to its limited color and texture of the application. It requires more application skills than your normal nail polish! Do consult your manicurist and choose an appropriate design.

(4) If you feel the top coat is too rough due to glitters or shimmers, you can request for the manicurist to file the ridges of the top coat and reapply the gelish top coat until you are satisfied. However, do bear in mind that the more times this step is repeated, the thicker and more unnatural your nail becomes.

Shellac vs Gelish?

Shellac does not require the buffing of nailbeds and the soak off is a little easier and faster than Gelish. However, it is not as hard wearing as Gelish and has lesser base colors.

Now, you've probably read enough, do enjoy your gelish manicure and mail me some beautiful nail pictures that resulted from your gelish manicure and I may share with the rest too! 

-enjoy a little pampering-