Red Carpet Manicure Gel Nails Starter Kit

I have never been the sort of girl to go and get my nails done every other week, even though I'd like to be.  I've had my nails done professionally once in my life, I had acryllic extensions and they were a pain in the arse, so I never had them again.  I do, on the other hand, love to paint my nails.  I hate how my hands look with bare nails, so spend way too much time and money painting my nails every colour known to man.  

Recently, gel nails seem to be having a bit of a moment, but I wasn't keen on paying over £20 for mine to be done, so I thought I'd give it a go myself.  I spotted the Red Carpet Manicure Starter Set on offer on Beauty Bay just after Christmas, so I went for it.

The starter set includes everything you need to apply and remove a manicure apart from one of those 4-way nail  files, which I already owned.  In the kit you get:

• LED light which can be battery powered, plugged in to mains electricity or plugged into an USB port
• Purifying cleanser
• Sanitisor for maximum adhesion
• Base coat
• Red Carpet Reddy LED Gel Polish
• Top coat
• Cuticle oil
• Gel nail polish remover

Unfortunately, when my set arrived there was no Red Carpet Reddy polish included, so I popped out and bought Caramel moments, a pale nude.  When I let Beauty Bay know something was missing, they immediately sent one out to me.

The basic routine is: file/buff nails, cleanse them with the Purify cleanser, apply the max adhesion liquid then apply a coat of base coat and cure it under the lamp.  Then apply two coats of polish and a top coat, curing after each coat.  You then use the cleanser to wipe over the nails which gets rid of any tackiness and makes your nails super shiny!  The last step is a few drops of cuticle oil.

It takes me about 25 minutes to do a full manicure, and I can do a mani/pedi in less than an hour.  Even though it takes longer than a normal nail-paint, as soon as you finish your nails are done and there is no fear of smudging.  I also find that this lasts about 10 days chip free, I usually change mine every two weeks on my fingers, and once a month on my toes.

Removal is pretty easy; I apply the Erase gel nail polish removal to a cotton pad, press it to my nail and wrap foil around it for 15-20 minutes.  When you take it off, the polish flakes away.

I love the opaque high-shine finish, and it amazes me how long they last! I love them!  I already have my eye on so many other shades - Walk of Fame, Coral Wishes, Re Luxe a Little and Parisian Chic are all on my wish list!