We all know how much I love to paint my nails as evident below.


I think it's obvious I have a certain affinity towards reds and pinks I think it has something to do with my very pale skin and my love for the vintage and lady like, women in the 1950's were such lovely creatures. Whenever I'm having "one of those days" you know the ones were you hate all the clothes in your closet and no matter how many hair styles you try nothing seems to to look good... and then ...you add a little polish and everything just feels a little bit better.

Well several months ago I heard some of my favorite You Tube Gurus taking about how they were just in love with this new nail varnish from OPI (I love how they use the word varnish). You can view their videos here I LOVE LOVE their makeup tutorials.


So what is it? Well, unlike horrible traditional acrylic nails (which ruin the nail bed, chip easily and never, ever, look natural), a gel manicure looks exactly like a normal manicure and is removed without affecting the nails whatsoever.

The application process is the same as a classic mani: first a base coat, then two-three colour coats and a top coat. What makes it last is that the products are polymer-based and 'cured' between stages under a little UV lamp for a couple of minutes. This dries them immediately (honestly, like rock-hard immediately), keeping them super glossy and smudge-proof, plus the application is thin, not thick like acrylics. And you can paint over them with normal nail polish if you fancy a changing , and remove it too, since the OPI gel doesn't wipe off with normal nail polish remover. Also OPI makes matching polish so you can have matching toes or if you wanted to wait a little longer inbetween visits to the manicurist you could polish atop the poduct and it will be a flawless match.


Here's a little video on the application process.



and as you saw in the video you can even get a french tip. So after seeing all this I just had to try it out myself only problem was that it wasn't real popular round these parts yet. I think I called a billion or so nail salons and most people hadn't a clue about what I was even talking about. Finally after my hopes began to dwindle I found one salon. Q Nails at 276 East 900 South in downtown. It's a small shop and the girls there are so cute and the owner Mookie sp? was super knowledgeable about the product .

On my first visit I tried STRAWBERRY MARGARITA. It's obvious I'm not a hand model but you get the idea.

Now I got just under 3 weeks with this first try. I think this was due to several factors.

1. My nails grow like weeds, I am not kidding so fast.

2. A couple weeks earlier in my unsuccessful search for the OPI gels I tried putting the stuff they put glitter toes on with on my hands. I thought it would be kinda the same, boy was I wrong it totally ruined my natural nail. They were so weak ,thin and cracked so in lou of this I didn't judge my first try with my OPI's to harshly.

On my second try I got the full 3 weeks and them some. Plus I really loved the color BIG APPLE RED. So I think it's safe to say I might just be hooked. I had the same nail tech both times and she was fabulous. If your interested her name was LaTonya and you can reach Q Nails at 801-363-0170.


However since the product is extremely new to our area it is a bit pricey. I would tell you to shop around but just know that right now the product is just real hard to find.

At Q Nails you'll pay:

$30 for a new set
$20 if you have the same color filled
$ 5 for removal

I'm hoping that over time and with more popularity the price will go down. If your looking to go the DIY route and save your self some money in the long run you can purchase the products on amazon.

Here's what you'd need:


Bond Aid pH Bonding Agent
OPI Axxium Soak Off Gel Base
OPI Axxium Soak Off Colored Gel Lacquer
OPI Axxium Soak-Off Gel Gel Sealer
N.A.S 99 Nail Spray
Gel UV Light Nail Dryer

You can buy these products in a starter kit excluding the light here for about $130 and that includes 6 different colored lacquers or if you prefer you can buy it individually. The colored lacquers will run you about $15 to $20 dollar a bottle.

Either way if you love to polish your nails you should defiantly give it a try. And if you come away hooked don't say I didn't warn you.

xoxo,