Before we get started, allow me to declare my prejudice straight up. I’m no fan of fake nails or French manicures. That strip of white at the tip reminds me of pole dancers and brides. Which is not a particularly pleasing combination, unless you’re a bridegroom.
Anyway, I’ve recently discovered there are fake nails and there are, ahem, nail enhancements. What I’m currently sporting are most definitely the latter: the length is all mine, they’re not bizarrely thick and they look about as fake as they do when I apply a coloured polish.
That’s why they’ve become the envy of friends with sadly bitten down nail beds and dutifully polished hands alike. In other words, they look good. Even better than I’d hoped for when I agreed to try Bio Sculpture Gel nails at Stairway to Beauty in Sydney’s CBD.
What sets these gel nails apart from the rest is three-fold. Firstly, the product is natural so it’s free of smelly acrylic and doesn’t require major roughing up of the actual nail to adhere (phew, mine are very thin). Secondly, my manicurist Lauren doesn’t apply a fake white tip, just a coat of the clear gel over the natural nail that is cured under 18 watts of UV light. But it’s the third step where things get really interesting.
Having chosen my Colour Gel shade (2064, a creamy pale pink with a peachy undertone), the nail technician applies two layers of the slightly sticky permanent polish. Another quick curing, then she layers on the top coat for shine and it’s back into the UV dryer again.
Yes, it looks just like I’ve had a regular buff and polish but it’s supposed to last around three weeks. That’s potentially 20 days longer than it usually takes for me to chip my polish so we’ll see.
Interestingly, in that final two minutes under the UV lamp my nails harden to a totally dry, glossy finish. Lauren tells me they’re good to go and I happily plunge into my bag to retrieve my ringing phone before we part. You’d never usually catch me risking a chip like that straight after a regular manicure.
On the subject of other manicures, this one includes filing down the length and pushing the cuticles back before the Bio Sculpture Gel process begins. But that’s it: no soak and no lovely long hand massage. Not that it matters. My hands still look pretty and polished 10 days later. No chips, no smudges and they don’t require filling just yet either.
Oh, and I’ve also painted them a couple of different shades in that time. Just because I can. The original colour remains so long as you use the Bio Sculpture® Acetone Free Nail Polish Remover and choose a darker shade. Alternatively, freshening up the base colour is as easy as using any top coat for a hit of shine.
So, what’s next? Well, I’ll be going back for my first touch-up next week and after that I’ll decide whether to keep them for another round. If I don’t, they’re simple enough to soak off in the salon or at home and I’m not worried how my nails are faring underneath.
But I probably will have them done again, say before a holiday or the start of the silly season. For someone who chips her polish as soon as she even looks at a keyboard, it’s certainly worth it to have party-ready nails without a second thought.
