A Month Later....

Here is my first post with polygel on my nails. I wanted to swatch an old favorite, Maybelline Tassled Taupe. It's a great formula and has a lovely shimmer.

If you haven't heard the hoopla, google Gelish Polygel and you will get both industry information and a lot of Youtube videos.

Having had issues with my nails just getting long and then needing to be wacked off because of a crack or a break, I've tried every nail strengthener, but nothing really can protect my nails from the beating they take. I had looked into acrylics, but the application process is far too invasive: too much filing down of my nail. I did want some gel stuff, but soaking off polish felt like a super drag. I haven't done acrylic dip, but since I change my polish a lot and with acetone, the videos didn't seem promising. I tried some non-acetone remover and it was just so awful. Ugh. 

So, I gave up.

When I heard about Polygel by Gelish, I thought, it's cheap enough to get into, they make it look so easy and they really seem to have a system that is workable until cured. Ok.

Went to Nail Tech Supply (awesome) and picked up a trial box ($70 by the time shipping was done). and promptly procrastinated for three weeks.

Then I just jumped in. Closely following instructions. Using my eBay/Amazon procured supporting products and an ELF brush, I applied it.

The slip really smells awful, but I guess if you work in a salon with acrylics it must smell nice, because all the youtubers sniffed it and pronounced it nice.

It's been a solid month and I am on a fill and some days out I think I am only still just getting around the filing side of things. It's still a work in progress, for sure.

The result:

Don't get me wrong, I'm not crowing about the result, but this is the first time I've looked at my nails and they are starting to get there. While far from salon perfect, it's a huge step forward and the first time I wanted to photograph my nails since applying this stuff.

The thing to remember that beneath the Polygel are my nails. Period. There are no extensions, nothing. I look at these as support. Even though I see videos of people doing forms and things, I just don't see that as a thing right now, if ever. I really just like not having to worry about breaks as much.

But of course, there are new worries and learning curves. 

I did have some lifting after the first application. I use a crystal file and a higher grit no-number one I got with a bottle of harmony bonder. So I watched a youtube video and saw how to get rid of the lifted section and reapply. That was at week three, and the only hinky part was just seeing the lift.

Because you use a slip to keep your brush from sticking, you need to use it with tact: it will dissolve the Polygel and it will get all over your skin. Of course using my non-dominant hand has been a flexing of nerves and muscles that just didn't have to think quite so hard, but it's just like painting my nails, but not. It really doesn't move like they say, and you can manipulate it, though I have no acrylic application experience, I did try to make it super thin and that might have been an issue.

So every time I change my polish, I tweak the filing, smooth things out, etc. 

The goal is to have uniform nails that can stand up to some light abuse. They don't need to be long, but I would like to eventually get a length and shape that works for me a little better for swatching.

I will post more about this, but my goal is to continue to swatch and work the side of the street I enjoy. 

Polygel is very strong. Well, I guess that is relative, no? I do know that I jammed my thumb into the roof of the car moving something and that would have been an automatic break, so nice!

I will probably find another brush, I'm using an ELF smudge brush found at Big Lots!, so it's not a total win. Next will be my ELF concealer, a more precise brush. If I need a better brush, I am sure there is a video that will cover it.

Thanks for reading my little nail polish journal!