While I love the look of polished and manicured nails, they rarely have the endurance I’m looking for. Salon gel manicures are great, but costly, coming in at around $30 per manicure. So I jumped at the chance to try out a DIY alternative from Sally Hansen. The starter kit alone gives you 10 manicures at a fraction of the professional price.

The application method was simple.

1. The Sally Hansen Salon Gel Polish Starter Kit comes with everything you need in your color of choice. I chose Wine Not, the perfect red for the holiday season.
2. After cleaning the nail of oils and dirt with the included nail cleansing pad, I pushed back my cuticles and filed my nails a bit, just as I would while doing a regular manicure.
3. The kit includes 3 polishes–a base coat, color, and a top coat. I applied a thin clear base coat, placed hands under LED lamp for 30 seconds, applied the color Wine Not and set color with the LED lamp for 30 seconds again.
4. Finally I applied the clear top coat and sealed it with the LED lamp and repeated the whole process with the other hand, finishing the entire process in 20 minutes! A quick swipe of the finished nail with the cleanser pads perfected the manicure.

The results were a beautiful glossy manicure that has yet to chip and can rival a salon gel manicure. Makes for a great holiday present for any woman that loves a manicured nail (or for yourself)!

Sally Hansen’s Salon Gel Polish™ is a professional at-home gel system that delivers the salon experience at a great value. Compared to regular nail polish, this gel polish gives you high-gloss, mirror shine color that lasts for up to 2 weeks without dry time, chipping and smudging. It’s never been so easy to get a salon manicure at home – saving you time and money! Get up to 10 gel manicures in a starter kit!

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Sally Hansen via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Sally Hansen