Gel Manicure Miracle: It Stays On!

I hate getting a manicure. There I said it. I like having nice nails but the price…and I don't mean the actual price.

Everything in New York is expected to be expensive, but you can get a neighborhood mani/pedi for under twenty bucks!

Still, a pedicure is one thing – you can read, talk on the phone, text, answer emails… Not so with a manicure.

It is literally watching paint dry – the metaphor for the ultimate in boring. I have too much to do. I invariably leave before they are completely dry, and smudge them.

Or even if I have managed to wait long enough, it isn't two days before they are chipped, what with all the typing and housework. A midlife woman with hands and nails that look like a wreck — not recommended.

So the new Red Carpet Manicure really was a revelation for me. My friend Ildi had gotten a gel manicure because she had a bunch of job interviews coming up and she knew she wouldn't have time to keep running back and forth to a manicurist. So she shelled out the bucks – they can be upwards of $30 around town.

So she was very jealous of my Red Carpet Manicure home kit. There are several tips, pushing back cuticles, buffing and then special base coats, polish and especially the gel top coat. So no, none of your regular nail polish will work. But you put you hands under the LED light about three times for about 30 - 45 seconds for each coat — and you're done!

It's so shiny and pretty. And this gel manicure lasts!

Biggest caution: Do not get it on your skin, because it will lift and it's easy to peel off. Which I did. The nails where I did manage to "color inside the lines" have stayed on for over a week! This is a miracle for me. And Ildi is jealous.

I foresee gel manicure parties with my friends.

The full system Red Carpet Manicure can range from about $58 to $80 depending on what light you buy: The Pro:45 Light is $49.99 while the Portable LED Light is $19.99. I have the portable one (uses batteries, not the plug) and it was fine.

But I did order 3 more Red Carpet Manicure nail polishes – Fake Bake, Drop Dead Gorgeous, and The Night is Young — at $9.99 plus shipping and handling, it was almost $40! That was tough, but I'm trying to amortize. Generally I'm not one for gizmos. But the length of time it lasts without chipping while you type, do dishes, whatever, plus how often I'll use it works out to pretty affordable. I decided it's worth it.

Actually I can't wait to try it on my toes.

Beauty products that work:
Top 10 Finds for 2011
Lush Lashes
How to Get Red Carpet Skin Over 50
BOOM!sticks & BOOMSilk
Sugar and Your Skin