Nutra Nail Gel Perfect UV Free Gel-Color

I had been eyeing Nutra Nail Gel Perfect UV Free Gel-Color for quite a while at the store, and finally decided to buy it on a whim. I don't know about you, but whenever I buy something on a whim I immediately Google it to see whether or not I am capable of discerning good products by some sort of beauty divination skills. According to Google I chose poorly. I almost turned around right then and there to return the thing, but then I noticed one of the major complaints was that the activator bottle was essentially nail glue. One of my thumb nails has a split in it that's too far down to clip. I figured if I didn't like the system, I could maybe at least try out whether or not nail glue would help with that situation. Plus, I picked the color Orchid in honor of the 2014 Pantone Color of the Year Radiant Orchid, so I felt super on top of things there.

Nutra Nail boasts that their product will be ready to go with a 5 minute dry time. I decided to really put it through the paces by doing my nails 20 minutes before I needed to leave to go to a Super Bowl party. I followed the instructions and grabbed a few paper towels, unscrewed all of the bottles, removed my nail polish completely, and got ready to rumble. It isn't mentioned in the directions, but I knew from reading about actual gel application that it really helps to wipe your nails down with rubbing alcohol (or vinegar in a pinch) before you start the process. Nail polish remover can sometimes contain other ingredients in it that can linger (especially if it boasts to have other properties, like it will strengthen your nails) and hydrate your nails. I then proceeded to paint one hand with the Activator, waited until it dried a little but was still damp, then applied one coat of color. I noticed if the Activator wasn't tacky the color would flood and water down, so I made that a priority. Then, as instructed, I switched hands. In between layers of color you're supposed to swap the brush in the color for the brush in the cleaner. Before I put the "new" brush into the color I would make sure to wipe off as much cleaner as I could so it didn't thin the color down and it worked really well. I also made sure to wipe off the excess polish from the brush so the cleaner would work a bit more effectively. You repeat these steps until you have two coats on each hand and then finish off with a top coat of Activator.

Everything dried rock solid within 5 minutes and they were SHINY! like gel manicures are. My nails felt really glossy and thick, like I was wearing acrylics, but not as pretty (or painful - I just can't handle those beasts). I was pretty pleased overall, and let out a huge sigh of relief that I wouldn't have to run off to the party with jankity nails.

That's some real, authentic running out the door blur right there!

But how did this hold up, you ask? That was a major test for me, since part of what you pay for with a gel manicure is  a long lasting manicure. I painted my nails on Sunday. This is what they looked like Thursday.

That's clearly not the best wear time. I didn't touch my nails up at all in those four days, but I think my standard manicure lasts longer than this one does. By the end of Sunday night I had started to see crack lines in the polish. I get those in normal polish, too, as the nail bends and flexes, but it usually takes a lot longer than that because the polish isn't as rigid. When this stuff starts getting crack lines in it, it will eventually peel off at that line because of how rigid it is. Also, I'd like to note how difficult it is to get this stuff off. They (conveniently) sell a remover for this, but I found that the tinfoil fingertip method worked just fine. All of that aside, I was going to reuse this set for when I didn't care about longevity, but needed to get a mani done quickly, but I looked a lot closer at my nails and they were left with a rough finish, similar to when you have acrylics removed. I've been working for months to get my nails back in shape and was *this* close, so that pissed me off. I'll be holding on to the activator for my thumb nail until it grows out, and I might see if the polish works like normal polish without the activator, but I'm not going to mess up my nails again. I'll be passing from now on.

Have you ever tried this product before? What do you think? Ever have one of those products that is kind of a win/lose situation?

Colleen is testing it out at Twitter @bevilledeggs.