1Q32 Instant Gellish, yay or nay?

Happy Friday, folks!

You know that I'm a die-hard nail polish fan and that my first ever experience with gel nail polish was a bit of disappointment (because of the application and not the product itself). Well, I'm happy to say that I have found a gel polish that has actually made me pretty happy.

This is 1Q32.BabyQ 'Instant Gellish'*.

I think this may be QB45 - that's the number on the bottom of the bottle. You can see that I cut the stilletto down to a manageable length. It was a bit of a shame, but I couldn't type properly.

The enclosed paperwork stated that 1Q32 was a one step gel polish that did not need you to buff the nail, use a primer or apply a base coat before application. Further to this, it was supposed to be hard wearing, scratch proof, long lasting and did not have a sticky layer after curing under a UV/LED lamp.  This product was supposed to be as easy as applying normal nail polish and extremely easy to remove.

I am a sceptic...so of course I had to try it out.

I started with clean nails with the cuticles pushed back. I used an acetone soaked cotton pad to remove any oils and debris and then applied one layer of the polish.

I cured the nails for two minutes under a 36w UV lamp, applied a second coat and then cured it for the same amount of time. Had I been the owner of an LED lamp, the curing time would have been about 20-30 seconds.

After application I used a DRY cotton pad to shine the nail - there was no sticky layer to remove. That was it - no topcoat was necessary although I was supplied with one.

I was actually impressed about the ease of the application. Only one bottle was necessary (this means you can keep costs down with no need to purchase primers, cleansers or top coats) and this was something that I could do very quickly.

What about removal though?

After doing manicures on models for an editorial photo session I was working on two days later, I noticed that I had filed the surface of my thumb and index fingers so badly that they no longer shined. The other nails were perfect, but I wanted a new colour so I decided to remove the polish. I soaked my nails in acetone for less than ten minutes (using those wearable thimble things that you can put acetone in) and this is how they came out. I didn't have to scrape anything, I actually just pushed the lifted polish right off my nail.

Now that I find myself busier undertaking manicure work, my regular nail polish manicures don't last anymore. I didn't want to wear other gel polishes that took longer to apply or to remove, so personally I was really happy with this...other than the red staining that was left behind.  I had to use a buffing block to get rid of it.

Overall, the pro's of using 1Q32 Instant Gellish were:

• Application was faster than the steps of a regular nail polish manicure because there was no base coat or topcoat needed, although I would use one to avoid staining with more pigmented colours
• Good shine without a topcoat
• No sticky layer, therefore no need for further bottles of product
• No buffing of the natural nail to apply
• Removal was quick and easy, no buffing of the shiny layer to remove
• The website has a wide variety of colours, including my favourites - glitter!
• Smelled slightly of 'Play-doh' after curing (lol!)

As nail polish hoarder, I generally shun gel polish, but more recently it has become a necessity. I'd definitely wear this brand again because, for me, the ease of application and removal is a big selling point. To combat the staining (which could be because of the lack of base coat), I suppose you could use the top coat as a base.

If you do visit the website, keep an eye out for the special offer - two BabyQ polishes with the purchase of a mini-UV lamp which cures one finger at a time.

Have you heard of or tried this brand? If so, how did you find it?

xx
* This product was sent to me for review.