How To Do Gel Manicure - Madam Glam Gel Polishes, Review and Swatches

Thursday, March 12, 2015

How To Do Gel Manicure - Madam Glam Gel Polishes, Review and Swatches

Hi everyone! Yesterday we learnt how to setup a UV nail lamp. Today I'm going to tell you the application process for a gel manicure and also show you swatches of Madam Glam Gel polishes that I have.

Gel manicure is normally a salon manicure in which a special procedure is used to apply gel polishes. The whole point of getting a gel manicure done is for the the longevity of the manicure. A gel manicure if done properly can last you over 2 weeks without any chips or fading. For some people it can last even longer. And the polish retains its fresh look during this time.

How To Do Gel Manicure With Soak-Off Gel Polish

1. Clean and dry your hands. 

2. Use a fine nail block to gently buff the surface of your nails. This makes the polish adhere better (I personally did not do this as I don't like buffing the surface of my nails)

3. Use an alcohol wipe to clean the nail surface (I use a wet wipe like Dettol and it works fine for me)

4. Apply a UV base coat - like normal base coats there are special base coats for doing gel manicure. These make sure that the gel polish sticks better to the nail and hence does not come off easily. After applying the base coat cure under the UV nail lamp for 2 minutes (please follow instructions on the base coat - every manufacturer has different instructions and time requirements)

5. Apply a very thin coat of your gel polish and again cure under the UV nail lamp for the time specified by the manufacturer.

6. Apply another thin coat of gel polish and cure under the UV nail lamp (this step is not required if the step 5 gives you the desired color output on your nail)

7. Apply a gel top coat and cure under the UV nail lamp. You might need to clean up what is called as 'tackiness' that is left off during curing. With the gel polishes I have I did not notice this issue.

Note that if you get any polish on the cuticle area or on any part of your skin remove it with acetone based cleaner before curing. After curing it becomes difficult to remove.

Madam Glam Gel Polishes - Review & Swatches

Now coming to the Madam Glam Gel Polishes. These polishes come in dark black bottles with color coded lids. I love the packaging. It is important for gel polish bottles to be kept in a dark place hence the dark bottles - this prevents the polish from spoiling. The color coded lids make it easy for you to search through your stack. The applicator brush is wide enough to give you an even streak free application.
How To Do Gel Manicure - Madam Glam Gel Polishes, Review and Swatches, tutorial
How To Do Gel Manicure - Madam Glam Gel Polishes, Review and Swatches

I have the polishes numbered 142, 289 and 347. 


OMG Pink - 142 is a bright fuchsia bubble gum pink color. 

Precious - 289 is a deep brown toned polish with iridescent shimmer. I wish I could capture the beauty of this polish properly - you can see the shimmer in the swatch but not the iridescence - it looks absolutely gorgeous in person. 
Seafoam - 347 is a bright ocean blue color with a teal base. 

How To Do Gel Manicure - Madam Glam Gel Polishes, Review and Swatches, precious 289
How To Do Gel Manicure - Madam Glam Gel Polishes, Review and Swatches

All the three polishes are quite opaque. The full hand swatch that you see above is after curing the first coat of the polishes. You can see with one coat itself its quite opaque and absolutely glossy.

How To Do Gel Manicure - Madam Glam Gel Polishes, Review and Swatches, OMG Pink
How To Do Gel Manicure - Madam Glam Gel Polishes, Review and Swatches

The swatch below has two coats. The opaqueness increases, the glossiness increases and basically this is the look you get after a full gel manicure.

How To Do Gel Manicure - Madam Glam Gel Polishes, Review and Swatches, seafoam 347
How To Do Gel Manicure - Madam Glam Gel Polishes, Review and Swatches

I kept the polish for a week with no chipping or fading at all. I do a lot of typing and also have a tendency to wash my hands very frequently so I am quite pleased with the results. I had to remove the polish without waiting longer because I had to do some nail art. I am planning to get a very pale colored gel polish so that I can keep it on my nails for a longer period and do my nail art on top of the pale gel polish. 

These polishes cost $19.95 and are available online at http://madamglam.com

Removing a gel polish might seem difficult, it is a long stay manicure after all. But the truth is there is a simple trick to remove these polishes.

Procedure to remove gel polish

You will need - cotton balls, squares of kitchen foil big enough to cover your finger tips.

Take a cotton ball and soak it in acetone (or acetone based polish remover). Place it over your nail. Now wrap it up with a piece of foil. Do the same to all your nails, sit back, watch television, read your favorite magazine. After 10 minutes remove the foil and wipe off the cotton ball - all your polish should come off in one go. If not soak it for a little longer. With 100% acetone mine took less than 10 minutes to come off.

With so much acetone sitting on your nail beds you need to pamper your nails after this removal process. Wash your hands with soap and luke warm water. Then follow it up with a good cuticle cream rubbing it all over your nails.

I hope you found this post helpful. I have shared whatever I know about gel manicures and am willing to answer any doubts you may have or try out tips you might have for me. 

Follow Me On instagram | facebook | pinterest

No comments:

Post a Comment

I love to read your comments. Its great to connect with you here but its my humble request - please do not leave marketing links here. If you would like me to visit your blog just leave a text message instead of hyper links!

linkwithin