This past December I did something I thought I would never do – I wore the same polish for two weeks. Fourteen days! The polish in question was Gelish MINI I Skate, You Skate, We All Skate which is a soak-off gel polish from their Winter 2014 collection called The Bill Chill.
I have been using Gelish since last July because my job was wreaking havoc on my hands and I wanted something stronger than nail polish to protect my nails. I usually use the Foundation and Top It Off as a kind of base coat for my regular polish and soak it off every seven or so days.
With that being said, I have only worn a full Gelish mani (which consists of a layer of Gelish Foundation, then two or three layers of Gelish color, topped off with a layer of Gelish Top It Off) two or three times. It’s actually something you get better at in time – my first full color manicure was a disaster! Gelish applies completely different from regular nail polish, but I’ve got the hang of it down as, as evident in the pictures of my wear test! I had no chips and no lifting, which is AMAZING.
How I Applied my Gelish manicure:
- Lightly buff nails with a 220/280 file.
- Use cuticle remover – you will want clean nail beds to ensure the gel does not lift.
- Remove any traces of polish with acetone. Resist the urge to apply moisturizer or cuticle oil!
- Wipe your nails down with Nail Surface Cleanse (or Isopropyl Alcohol).
- Prep nails with PH Bond
- Apply one very thin layer of Foundation and cure (45 seconds my LED lamp that I purchased during Sally’s Black Friday Sale; your time will vary based on your lamp)
- Apply two layers of Gelish MINI I Skate, You Skate, We All Skate, curing after each layer.
- Apply one layer of Top It Off and cure.
- Wipe away tacky surface with Nail Surface Cleanse (or Isopropyl Alcohol).
- Finish with a generous layer of Nourish or other cuticle oil
Following the steps I listed above I was able wear this gel manicure for two full weeks with zero lifting! (The pictures were taken on Day 13 but I removed the manicure the next day). I’m glad I used I Skate, You Skate, We All Skate for this wear test – the deep green was perfect for the holidays. Would I do this again? Yes – next Christmas! Anyone who works retail knows how tiring the month of December is!
Would you try this at home?
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