Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I had one gel manicure before Christmas and I LOVED it. But I didn't want to spend $40 every two weeks. So I started researching Gels and Shellacs. I loved my gel manicure, so I decided to go that route. Sally's had a cheap UV mini light for $20, or a nicer one for $60. I didn't want cheap, but I thought $60 was a bit much. So I took to the internets! I landed on this one because it had good reviews, and was a VERY reasonable price. I am VERY happy with it. I ordered it on a Thursday and it came the following Tuesday. I use the Gelish brand of gels because that's what is most readily available to me, at Sally's. Be sure to read all of the instructions on applying the gels before you start. When I had my professional manicure, I noticed that after she had applied a top coat, she wiped my nails with something on a paper towel. I found out that it was rubbing alcohol. The gels leave a sticky "residue", and I learned last night that you need to wipe the base coat with the rubbing alcohol after curing it to get rid of that "residue". (I thought that it just hadn't cured, so I looked it up.) And then you also have to do the "residue" removal after the top coat. The UV light apparently does require a longer cure time VS an LED light. 1 minute for the base coat, and 2 minutes for both the color and the top coat. But the whole process took me about an hour, which is as long as I'd spend on a regular polish home manicure, only to have it chip after 2 days. Another tip is that with dark colors, I used Gelish Bella's Vampire, I had to apply 3 coats because you have to be sure to apply each coat VERY VERY thinly. Otherwise they won't cure properly. All in all, a great buy, and a great system!