Sephora by OPI gelshine Starter Kit

from Sephora.com

At my salon I've been working with OPI's Axxium gel system for over a year now, and while I have had my fair share of issues (there is a steep learning curve for doing a gel manicure on others), I have always loved how my nails look and perform with gel on. I never had any interest in enhancements that lengthen my nails, such as sculpted gels or acrylics, so the more natural gel manicure was the best option for me. However, Axxium is pretty hard to do on yourself and cures via UV light, which takes more time per coat than LED.

from Sephora.com

That's why I decided to invest in a very portable and efficient at-home gel system of my own, and since I trust the OPI brand, what better buy than the Sephora gelshine Kit. I saved up for a while, calculated how much/many times I would need to use it before the cost surpassed the money I saved on a paid manicure, and finally bought the whole starter kit for $159 at my local Sephora at Polaris Mall.

OPI gelshine in Break a Leg Warmer

For the price you get the LED curing lamp (fits 4 fingers or two thumbs at a time), remover, cleaner, cuticle pusher, top coat, base coat, and a color of your choice. The color selection is a bit limited at this time, but I confess to wanting just about all of them anyway--no love wasted there! For my color I chose a medium grey called Break A Legwarmer, which has been the talk of my salon who are fans of gels. In fact, three of us have used my system now to get a lovely fall mani!

OPI gelshine in Break a Leg Warmer

My first application was, well, terrible, so I must explain that those with no experience may need a few tries to get the real optimal results from these products. I didn't shake the color coat well and it turned streaky, sheer, and shrunk away from the tip of my free edge, BUT that application still lasted a whole week before I removed them (they were still adhered to the nail very well) and tried again. My second attempt was much better and really is on-par with a professional application.

The whole kit and individual colors are available online and in stores (even most small stores in JCPenneys), so if you love darker fall colors, want them to last, and have a gift for smudging polish while it dries, I highly recommend trying out gel nails in general. That said, Sephora by OPI is a very good gel manicure system, so I will keep testing out colors for every season. Keep an eye out; I just got Metro Chic and put it on a friend! Pics of that to come.

OPI gelshine in Break a Leg Warmer

 Available at Sephora.com, publicity photos courtesy of their website.

OPI gelshine in Break a Leg Warmer