Happy Wednesday, Dixie's Cuppers!
The following post is about nail polish, but it differs from the variety of nail polish I typically blab about. Today I will be showing you a UV/LED light-cure gel polish from 1Q32 Instant Gellish. I was immediately interested in this product because it claims to be tough and long-lasting like your typical light-cured gel manicures, but with only ONE STEP. In the past I have visited nail salons and received Shellac manicures that are well known for lasting at least 2 weeks. I really enjoyed those manicures because they were low-maintenance; however they required multiple steps like base coats, primers, pH bonders and cleansers to remove the sticky layer after curing.
Keep reading to learn more about this product and to see photos!
The process of prepping your nails for this polish is the same way I typically would prep for a normal nail polish. After that, the application of the 1Q32 Instant Gellish is very easy. Below I have listed the step-by-step instructions:
1. Push back your cuticles with a cuticle pusher.
2. Cleanse the nail surface with a nail polish remover to remove dirt and oil.
3. Apply a layer of 1Q32 Instant Gellish color onto your nail, and avoid staining the skin.
4. Place under a UV or LED lamp to harden and dry your 1Q32 Instant Gellish color. (My bottles said that with a UV lamp the cure time is 2-3 minutes and with an LED lamp it is 20-30 seconds.)
5. Apply 2nd layer of color and repeat step 4 to harden and dry.
6. Your nails are polished, shiny, and dry to the touch instantly.
All of the photos except for the very last one show two coats of 1Q32's QB45 which is a lovely, bright cherry red! I used an LED lamp that I purchased at Walmart, so my nails cured perfectly in 30 seconds. The formula of this polish was a bit thicker than a typical nail polish, so there was a slight learning curve with the application. However, once I got the hang of it, it really wasn't bad at all. I would also say that the brush was a bit too wide for my nail beds, but I just cleaned the polish off my cuticles before I cured it. In the end, I was extremely pleased with how my nails looked and I was beyond ecstatic that my nails were completely dry and I could get back to my day without worrying about smudging my manicure!
When comparing this product to the Shellac manicure I spoke of earlier, I would say they are equal in quality and strength, but this product seems so much easier to use because there are fewer steps.
Click to enjoy this polish in all its glory! |
Is that not the most glossy, gorgeous red polish you've ever seen?! I still can't believe that all I used was this tiny bottle of polish and an LED lamp. There was no base coat or top coat needed. The product claims to give you weeks of maintenance-free wear. I can definitely vouch for the strength of this polish and I can see how you could get a couple weeks worth of wear from it. I only wore this polish for about 6 days, and at that time it was still holding up quite well.
The directions for removing this polish are to soak your nails in the company's Liquid-Q for 5-10 minutes and rub the color off with an orange stick or finger pads. The company is located in Japan and they could not ship that product due to strict airmail regulations, so they claimed that pure acetone would work just as well. I was a bad, bad girl and peeled the polish off one evening while watching television. :O I know, I felt guilty the whole time, but I just couldn't help it. Soaking my fingers in acetone at the time didn't seem appealing. I was very lucky that my nails were not damaged in the process. ;)
Without top coat |
So what you see above and below are two very similar photos. The top one is simply two coats of the 1Q32 Instant Gellish color, while the photo below has the 1Q32.TopQ (top coat). I personally cannot tell a difference. The instructions claim that the top coat is optional, but that it can help protect your manicure and keep it shiny for a longer period of time.
With the provided 1Q32.TopQ top coat |
If you are the type of person that likes to have nicely manicured nails, but you hate that your nail polish only lasts a day or two before chipping, I would highly recommend this product. Each bottle this size is approximately $24, and that may seem a little high for its size, HOWEVER you would pay at least that much for a manicure in a salon. You can get multiple manicures out of one of these bottles!
If you are like me and you love to change your nail polish 2-3 times a week, then this product may not be for you because it is definitely meant to be a long-wearing polish. :)
If you'd like to see the HUGE selection of colors available, visit www.1Q32.com. Also, go like their Facebook Page so you can receive updates about specials they are running!
Thanks SO much for stopping by. I hope you have a great week!
--Dixie
**1Q32 Instant Gellish provided for review. Please read my disclosure policy for more information.**
If you do try removing with acetone, please let us know how it goes! I'm definitely a long polish wearer but would hate to have to buy "special" removal stuff in addition to the pricier nail polish :)
ReplyDeleteHey! Luckily, another blogger reviewed the very same product and she removed it with acetone and it worked just fine.
DeleteHere is the link to her post so you can read her thoughts on the removal (towards the end).
Hope that helps! Thanks for the comment!
Oops. Here's the link: http://ash-lillyslacquerlust.blogspot.com/2012/10/1q32-instant-gellish-yay-or-nay.html?spref=fb&m=1
DeleteAwesome! Thanks Dixie!
Delete