SensatioNail Strip Gel Peel Off Starter Kit – Peel Off Gel Nails?!

During my early twenties I used to be obsessed with having gel or acrylic nails, the really ugly square harsh pink with thick white tips kind and they well and truly ruined my nails for years. It took at least 2-3 years for my nails to fully recover and look healthy again as I never left my nails bare, it was just one set of acrylics or gels to another and I didn’t treat them very well so it was all my own fault.

Because of this I’ve been so wary with trying gel nails again, especially on my bare nails but SensatioNail’s newest launch is perfect for someone like me that wants the longevity, high shine and pretty nails without the damage. When I got my hands on the SensatioNail Strip Gel Peel Off Starter Kit £79.99, I just couldn’t wait to give it a try.

“No more acetone/soaking! Our SensatioNail StripGel starter kit comes with everything you need to do a peel off gel manicure. This includes an LED lamp with USB lead & mains adaptor, buffer, cleanser & wipes for preparing the nails, 2 colour polishes – Raspberry Wine and a mystery bonus colour.

Our non-wipe top coat and StripGel base coat that means you can easily remove gel from nails by simply peeling it off, without damaging nails and whilst maintaining up to 2 weeks of gel manicure wear.“

The SensatioNail Strip Gel Peel Off Starter Kit contains the following; LED lamp with USB lead & mains adaptor, StripGel Peel Off Base Coat, Buffer, Cleanser & Wipes, Raspberry Wine Gel Polish, Mystery Bonus Gel Polish colour and Non Wipe Top Coat.

The directions for using the SensatioNail Strip Gel Peel Off Starter Kit are very simple too;

• Prepare the nails by gently pushing back the cuticles with the stick included and file nails to your chosen shape.
• Buff lightly all over with the finest side of the buffer to remove any shine, then wash hands in washing up liquid and dry thoroughly. Wipe the nails with cleanser on a lint free wipe to dehydrate nails.
• Apply the base coat to the nail leaving a narrow border around the edge and allow to air dry for a few seconds.
• Apply a coat of SensatioNail Original colour polish and cure for 30 seconds in the LED lamp, repeat with a second coat & cure again.
• Finally apply the no wipe top coat and do a final cure for 15-30 seconds. That’s it – you’re done!!

I was a little sceptical about the prospect of peel off gel nails as I felt like it was a bit of contradiction as I see peel off nails to be more of a temporary nail option, but obviously the main positive of having gel nails is the longevity that comes with curing the polish. I wasn’t sure if I could get the nails to last long enough for it to be worth it as I use a peel off base coat with my ordinary nail polishes and they tend to last for around 2-3 days before they start ‘popping’ off.

The SensatioNail Strip Gel Peel Off Starter Kit contains one colour polish which is advertised on the front as being the Raspberry Wine Gel Polish (a shimmery deep pink), as well as a ‘mystery colour’. The mystery colour I got is ‘Dizzy Daisy’ which is a pastel yellow and I have to admit it’s not a colour I’d purchase myself as I don’t feel like yellow suits my skintone but the Raspberry Wine shade looked lovely from the swatches I’d seen online.

I assumed that I’d have to purchase special peel off SensatioNail gel colours to use with this kit, but amazingly you can use any of the standard SensatioNail gel polish shades with this kit providing you use the SensatioNail Strip Gel Peel Off Base Coat which is £15 so you can use any colours you may already have (including the SensatioNail Express Gel colours) with this fabulous base coat.

The SensatioNail Strip Gel Peel Off Base Coat is described as being an air-dry base that helps you easily remove the original SensatioNail gel polishes from nails by simply peeling it off when ready, without damaging the nails, whilst maintaining up to 2 weeks of gel manicure wear.

There’s a lot more information I could include within this post but it’ll be a mammoth post, but if there’s anything I haven’t covered within the process, the SensatioNail YouTube channel have some really helpful tutorials showing you how to use the kit and the removal process too which I’d recommend watching but one important thing to remember, you shouldn’t peel the nails off until at least 48 hours of application in order to protect the nails… now onto my personal experience.

The SensatioNail Strip Gel Peel Off Starter Kit is very small considering it contains everything you need for a gel manicure, and the LED lamp folds into a very compact size which is perfect should you wish to take it with you when travelling.

The instructions were very easy to follow once you’ve got the prep out of the way – apply peel off base coat leaving a small gap next to the cuticles, allow to dry for a few seconds, apply first coat of colour – cure for 30 seconds, apply second coat – cure for 30 seconds then apply no wipe top coat – cure for 15-30 seconds and that’s literally it, no cleanser or wipes needed at all.

I found the whole process very quick, simple and easy to follow. I found the Dizzy Daisy colour to be more opaque than the Raspberry Wine shade which was unexpected as pastel shades always tend to be more sheer and prone to streakiness but it applied very nicely and opaque in just two coats.

Raspberry Wine however needs three coats on my nails and I have super short nails so I don’t have long whites of my nails to cover but the sheer finish could be down to the shimmery finish. I think I’d look to purchase more cream finish SensatioNail shades as I’m so impressed with the formula of Dizzy Daisy and although it’s not a shade I’d normally choose, I really like it for a summer polish shade.

I did wonder whether the peel off base coat would mean my nails would just pop off before I wanted to remove them but I haven’t had any issues with the polish removing before I’m ready and the removal process is very easy. I simply use the angled side of an orange stick to gently peel back a corner to then peel off the entirety of my polish from the nail.

I do wish the peel off base coat was quicker to dry as I found that it’s the longest process waiting for it to ‘air dry’ as it stays tacky for a long time. The SensatioNail Strip Gel Peel Off Starter Kit’s lamp is very easy to use and it automatically turns off after 30 seconds, and blinks at 15 seconds so you don’t have to worry about counting whilst using the lamp.

I am so impressed with this SensatioNail Strip Gel Peel Off Starter Kit and I the price is excellent considering you’re getting the lamp, the tools and two polish shades. I think this kit is the perfect solution for those that love the shine, longevity and flawless finish with a gel manicure but hate the lengthy removal process and I don’t think I would ever go back to using gel polish without the peel off base coat as it’s a game changer and you can purchase the base coat individually for £15 should you already own one of the standard SensatioNail kits.

I’d love to know if you’ve ever tried SensatioNail gel polish kits before? Would you like to try the SensatioNail Strip Gel Peel Off Starter Kit?

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