Orly's Smart Gels

Hi all, Did this year go fast or what? I was determined that before the year was over I would finally try my home Orly Smart Gel System. I only bought it 2 1/2 years ago! Is that procrastination or what? 

I have the the starter kit. This includes:

Cleanser
1.7 Fl Oz / 50 mL
Nail Tip Primer
.18 Fl Oz / 5.3 mL
Base + Top
.18 Fl Oz / 5.3 mL
Cuticle Oil
.18 Fl Oz / 5.3 mL
Remover
1.7 Fl Oz / 50 mL
Pocket Removers
20 pk
Lint Free Nail Wipes
20 pk
Pusher & Remover Mini File/Buffer
Step-by-Step Instruction Guide (which includes a DVD)

The polish I picked was Crawford's Wine, which was a very good holiday shade. I followed the instructions and was amazed by the shine and once I finished the surface was durable. 

I put this polish through some pretty hard paces in that I did not use gloves ( on purpose) to do some pretty heavy pre-Christmas cleaning. They lasted a full week before anything even chipped. Under normal circumstances, I think they would have lasted two weeks. 

Removal is the down side of gels. I think it is a bit rough on the nails. I had a hard time not picking, even though I knew it would be bad for my nails.

My only wish is that the Gellie Bean LED does not have a timer. I believe the Orly LED light does have one. 

 
 One thing I learned from the DVD was you can put your lacquers over your gel and use a non-acetone remover to remove the lacquer and the gel polish will be safe and sound. I used Beauty Secret's Non-Acetone from Sally's Beauty.

I did a carved design with Revlon's Golden. I painted a coat on my gels and then with a brush and the non-acetone polish remover carved swirls out for a Baroque look. I added some red dots for some interest. 

A shot of Revlon's Golden.

 

That's it for today. Take care-Terri