I don't know about any of you guys but I personally can't have my nails without any sort of polish on them. The thought of having bare nails actually makes me feel slightly anxious (weird I know)! So every two weeks I was spending £35 on getting my nails done until I came across Red Carpet Manicure. The kit I bought cost me £83.99 from salon services (usually £89.99 for customers that don't have a salon services trade card) You can also purchase the kit from Red Carpet Manicure website www.redcarpetmanicure.co.uk
The Red Carpet Pro kit I purchased included:
Professional LED Light (with timer function)
PURIFY Pre & Post Application Cleanser (59ml)
PREP Max Adhesion Sanitizer (9ml)
STRUCTURE Base Coat Gel (9ml)
BRILLIANCE Seal & Shine Top Coat Gel (9ml)
ERASE Gel Nail Polish Remover (59ml)
REVITALIZE Nourishing Cuticle Oil
LED Gel Polish (9ml) in You Like Me, You Really Like Me
This kit has to be the quickest and easiest way to give yourself a gel manicure ever. It takes me roughly 30-45 minutes to give myself a perfect salon finished gel manicure in the comfort of my own home. Here is the steps I take to make sure I achieve a perfect manicure.
1- Shape your nails, being qualified in Spa Manicure and Spa Pedicure this takes me very little time but for some one that is a beginner it can take a little extra time, it used to take me at least half an hour to get my nails the way I wanted, but as they say practice makes perfect :)! But please remember, when filing your natural nails only use the nail file in one direction, filing your nails like you are sawing a piece of wood will badly damage your nails and make them weak and brittle. I then check my cuticle's to see if they need pushed back and tidied up slightly. It isn't really necessary but I like to do it. But again please be very careful doing this you don't want to damage your cuticles because that will make them red and very sore.
2- I buff my nails with a white buffing block (69p form salon services) gently I only really want to remove the shine from my natural nail and smooth the nail plate out ever so slightly. I then take a lint free pad and put some Purify Pre & Post Application Cleanser on to it and wipe each nail just to make sure I have got rid off all dust from filing and buffing and to make sure all traces of oil ect are removed for the nail plate as this will help the gel stick to your nails a lot better.
3- To start your gel manicure you need to start off with a thin layer of Structure Base Coat over your nails and cure it under the lamp until the light goes off (approx. 30-45seconds). This will protect your nails from being stained from the colours of the polishes, just like you would use a base coat when using nail polish.
4- choose your colour, depending in what colour you choose depends on how many coats you will need to do. I have found that some colours only need 2 coats where others sometimes need 3 or 4 coats. Put a thin layer of polish on each nail and cure it in-between coats, if you put the polish on to thick it'll likely come off easily which isn't what you want.
5- Once you have got your polish to the colour you want on your nails it is now time for the Brilliance Seal & Shine Top Coat. Again put a thin layer all over the nail and cure in the LED lamp. Don't be shocked if your nails appear to glow a little in the lamp, you can't see it when there finished.
6- Once your nails are cured, take another lint free wipe with some Purify Pre & Post Application Cleanser and wipe all over each nail to remove the tacky layer left and to reveal a shiny and perfect gel manicure :)!
7- Finish your manicure off with a little drop off Revitalize Nourishing Cuticle Oil and massage into each finger. This stuff smells gorgeous!!
When you are ready to remove your gel manicure it is very simple. All you need is the red carpet manicure Mini Removal Kit -£2.95 from the Red Carpet Manicure Website- a buffing block and Erase Gel Nail Polish Remover.
First Buff your nails to remove the shiny top coat. Then stick a Foam Soak onto a Foil Sheet (from the mini removal kit) and soak the foam pad in some Erase gel nail polish remover. Place the soaked foam pad onto the buffed nail and wrap the top of your finger up with the foil the foam pad is stuck too. Leave all 10 foils on your fingers (or toes) for about 10-15 minutes then check to see if the polish comes off easily, use an wooden orange stick to remove the polish and if there is any still stuck on your nail, simply pop the foil and foam pad back onto the finger until the polish comes off easily. Please don't scrape your nails, this can do a lot of damage to your nails and cause ridges in your nails and also make them very weak too.
I really recommend the red carpet manicure if you are like me and like to have perfect nails all the time but don't have the time to sit in a salon for an hour and 15 minutes every 2 weeks, being a busy mum to a 4 year daughter. the polishes themselves cost £12.95 each but they last a long time. I also do my daughter's nails, she likes to have her nails done but with normal polish it last's a day and I'm always a little scared it comes off in her mouth but I don't have to worry about this when I put gel polish onto her nails, they stay un-chipped and perfect for up to 2 weeks (Just an FYI... I don't force my daughter to have her nails done, she asks to have them done as and when she wants them done)!
Below are some of the nails I have done using only Red Carpet Manicure.
