Nailed It! SensatioNail Gel Nail Review

This past Sunday I was gifted the SensatioNail Gel Polish Starter kit. I had been eyeing this kit and the Sally Henson Gel kit for some time now but never actually broke down and got either due to the price. 

Now by no means am I cheap...I just am pretty skeptical about shelling out 50+ dollars on something I'm not familiar with or sure if it works the way it claims.

So of course when the opportunity came up to get my hands on a SensatioNail system for free I was all over it. Special thanks Ms. Donna my amazing manicure wouldn't be possible without your generosity =)

Now outside of a couple of pictures on isntagram I had not heard much about this particular kit. But I had heard plenty about gel manicures, I mean who hasn't? They're pretty much all the rage lol. Boasting manicures and nail polish applications that last 2 weeks+, no drying time, no chipping and a high gloss shine? 

I mean what more could a girl ask for right?

That sounds a lot better than spending butt loads of time getting your nails just right designs in all only to have them get nicked, smudged or you know just totally ruined before they even have a chance to dry.....

And if thats not the case a few days later top coat or not the polish will be chipping....or is that only my experiences lol

To be fair I must admit that I am pretty hard on my nails, I wash my hands a lot and I'm pretty active which does not mix well with freshly done nails but I still think that I deserve a pretty long lasting manicure and polish application.

Even though I love nail polish, I have two whole baskets filled to the rim with polishes of every color  to prove that fact which I completely  blame on couponing (theres alway a coupon for nail polish lol) However I had gotten to the point where I actually hated painting my nails. It always just left me frustrated with messy nails.

Your probably thinking, why don't you just get acrylics, but I have never been a big fan of them. The tips always get in the way of my typing and general daily tasks and I honestly don't like how they have to damage your natural nail just to attach tips. I have requested many times in the past that my nails NOT be filled down and was told that it had to be done *insert side eye* Sure the nails looked good but when it was time to take them off my nails were left weak and brittle.

No Bueno.

So lately even with baskets of polish laying around my nails have been naked.

However all that changed Sunday night. 

***

After I picked up my starter kit you know as soon as I got home I had to start on my nails.  I just couldn't wait,  I was super excited to try it out and most of all to paint my nails with the hopes of my paint job actually lasting lol. 

The kit retails for 60.00 regularly and comes with everything you need to do a gel manicure. Inside the box is a professional LED lamp (which I believe sells for 30 to 35 dollars alone), a nail file, cuticle pusher, nail wipes, quick reference guide, 1 gel nail polish, 1 base and top coat, 1 gel primer and one gel cleanser. The kit claims that there is enough of each product to do up to 10 manicures, however since I'm only on my first application I can't vouch for that but a little of each product does go a long way =)

I was super happy that the starter kit really did give you EVERYTHING you need to do the gel manicure once you get the kit your set to go and can start working on your nails immediately.

I also liked that there was a quick reference guide included in the kit mad out of a sturdier paper. Kits no matter the type tend to come with their general huge fold out paper directions that I wind up losing or tossing just because they get in the way. 

But having this easy half fold quick reference guide that is actually cute that you can prop up on your desk or just keep handy was very pleasing. I actually used this throughout my manicure and will defiantly be keeping it around just in case I ever forget a step even though the whole process was super easy =)

Off of looks alone the only thing that I wasn't initially crazy about was the color of the actual gel polish that came in the box just because I'm not a big fan of red polish. I have however seen other kits that came with other colors so just be aware of that when purchasing. You can also always just grab another polish color from SensatioNail when you get your starter kit. 

Of course I was the most excited about the LED light above. Seriously when I took this out of the box my eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store. It looks so cool and even cooler when its working =) 

The whole manicure took maybe about 20 minutes from start to finish and there are really only about 8 simple steps for you to follow. 

First they have you start out by filing the tops of your nails lightly and cleaning them wight the solution, this is to take away the super smooth surface of the nail and give all the primer and polish something to grip to, making it less likely to chip or peel. I liked that I got to do this myself vs being in a salon. I had full control of how much my nails were filled and opted to do it super light.

After filing you apply the primer, base coat and polish while taking time out in between each application to let them cure under the LED light. Each time that you do that your nails are only under the light for between 30 and 60 seconds.

Told you it looked cool lol

I do have to admit that having the light on my fingers with the different polishes did feel weird, it didn't really hurt or anything it just felt weird,  you could defiantly tell something was going on or "working"....it just felt weird LOL. This was also my first time doing gel polish or using an LED light so maybe its something you get used to....we shall see.

After you slide on a top coat let that cure (bake lol) then your pretty much done, using the LED creates this moisture on the top coat so the directions tell you to wipe it off with the little pads in the box but I just washed my hands to get it off it was kind of sticky once I wiped it away.

In the middle of washing my hands....I actually realized I was washing my hands and yanked them from under the water expecting my nails to be ruined but...

NOT A SMUDGE IN SIGHT!!

This picture above was taken the next morning. I was even nervous waking up because when I normally do my nails even after drying for hours it seems like when I go to sleep they still get messed up even if they were "dry" but nope when morning came my nails were still perfect.

I mean waking up with perfect nails alone could have sold me but I decided to put these nails through the ringer. I have been washing dishes, typing every day and not being in the least bit careful or mindful of my manicure.

Hell on tuesday (one day after application) boyfriend and I went bowling!

Three games later and the above picture was the result. 

NOT ONE CHIP! NOT ONE SCUFF!!

I MEAN COME ON DO YOU SEE THAT SHINE?!!?

And its still like that today almost a week later (minus one small almost unnoticeable chip on my thumb)

This was taken 6 days after application

 I am completely sold on the SensatioNail kit. I think its defiantly worth the money and when you think about it its actually a smart investment. After 2 applications the system pretty much pays for itself. I mean at the salon a Gel manicure is 30+ and you have to drive to the salon and tip. 

Where as this you can do from the comfort of your own home alone or with your girlfriends hey you can make a girls night party out of it!! 

Save money, save time and make it fun. 

Aside from being super easy to do, super quick and convenient I think what I love most about the kit is that it gives your nails a flawless high gloss look I'm 6 days in and it still looks like I just walked out of the salon!

I also love that the whole thing actually protects them under the Gel from the elements and daily tasks without harming your nails.

The most important part of the process is honestly just taking your time. You defiantly want to make sure that you are painting the nail polish on evenly and avoiding your cuticle with painting and also the skin around your fingers which the directions point out. 

The small amount of chipping that I have experienced on one nail I feel was more so because I had polished off of my nail and a little onto the actual skin around my finger and when I cured (or set) the polish instead of it having a nail to attache to it had skin so the edge peeled off a little and chipped on the side of my finger when I plucked at it

Final Verdict: Is the SensatioNail kit worth your money??

YES! YES! YES! Even if your not the type to get your nails done all the time, this will save you the trip and the hassle of going to the salon and its always nice to be able to get a little girly and do your nails every once in a while and this will last unlike a regular manicure so you won't even have to worry about re applying. 

Oh and if you are the type who is nail crazy....there shouldn't even be a question at this point. Yes this is for you. Its defiantly worth it and will probably save you big bucks!! 

SensationNail has tons of different colors out and I hear that you can actually use it with regular polish as long as you use the rest of the supplies in the kit. Ill be testing that out next. 

You can check out more about SensationNail on their Instagram @Sensationailgel and Facebook 

Have any of you ever tried SensatioNail or other gel manicure kits? Let me know if they worked and how you liked them. As always if you have any questions feel free to ask below or on instagram I'm always here to help. 

I hope you enjoyed this post and that I motivated you to go grab one of these for yourself its defiantly a great investment and fun to do.

Until Next Time, 

XO Deanna