SEPHORA by OPI gelshine™ At-Home Gel Colour System.

Gel polish manicures are the way to go. Seriously. A gel polish lasts two to three weeks with no chips or wear. Nail color looks glossy from start to finish. These pricey gel polish manicures were once only available at the salon, but are now at the ready for home use. The best kit I have tried to date is definitely the SEPHORA by OPI gelshine™ At-Home Gel Colour System.

SEPHORA by OPI  gelshine™ At-Home Gel Colour System is a complete at home gel polish system. It contains absolutely everything you need to create a flawless gel manicure from start to finish. From the rich, glossy gel colour, the advanced LED lights, to all the essentials to prep nails and remove the gel before your next application, this kit includes it all. Sephora by OPI's patent-pending formula cures in just 30 seconds under the innovative light, for an instantly dry, smudge-proof manicure. It does not get any easier.

Like I said, it is easy to use. I was surprised at how easy the whole system works. I mean, I have watched my manicurist do it dozens of times on me, but seeing all the products and steps still seemed complicated. Then I saw the wonderful step by step illustrated flip chart that the kit includes. They thought of absolutely everything for the system.

The system includes:

• gelshine™ Base Coat - the first step in the gel polish manicure
• gelshine™ Top Coat - the final step in the gel polish manicure
• Gel Colour - you get to pick a color to come with the kit!
• gelshine™ LED Light - the most important part of the system that cures the polish

• Nail Pads - to use with the remover
• Removal Nail Wraps - it takes a while for the polish to be removed, so these wraps make it easier
• Nail Cleanser - to use pre-manicure
• Buffing block - nails needs to be buffed before gel polish can be applies to make it adhere better
• Nail & Gel Colour Remover - to remove the gel polish
• Brush-On Cuticle Oil - to soften cuticles
• Cuticle pusher - to push cuticles back before using the polish

You have a pretty good choice of shades too. There are 18 available right now with hopefully more to come soon.

I have used the system on both myself and daughter. Both of us experienced super glossy nails that lasted three weeks.

The price may seem expensive at $159.00, but in the log run, this system will actually save you so much time and money. I promise it is simple to use and worth every cent. Shop for the SEPHORA by OPI gelshine™ At-Home Gel Colour System exclusively at Sephora.

COVERGIRL Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Gloss.

Finally. COVERGIRL has gotten into the nail polish game and just launched a line of nail polish, or as they are calling it, Nail Gloss. If you wondered why they have waited so long, I think the formula says it all. This is a game changer. Introducing COVERGIRL Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Gloss.

Just looking at the bottle, I knew it was going to be good. First, just look at the packaging. The bottle is a very heavy glass, with a large square cap. It is very Chanel-esque, if I dare say so. The brush is very full, with bristles long and firm enough where they don't flop all over, but easy enough to easily apply the polish.

Now look at the formula. Just by looking at it, you will notice is is not too thin, nor thick. It is almost a gel-like liquid.

What is super special about the formula is that it is an all one formula. No base coat or top coat is required. No. I'm not crazy. The colors can last and stay glossy for as long as 7 days, with zero topcoat required.

I am the first to admit, and I have said it her many times; I suck at doing my own nails. I cannot give myself a manicure, and have depended on the same manicurist for years. I did want to try this and check it out for myself, so I took the COVERGIRL 7 Day Challenge. I painted my nails with this new polish and took a photo of my nails every day for seven days.

I need to say that the polish was very easy to apply. Like I said, the formula is almost gel-like, and applies very smooth and even over nails. It was a simple two or three brush stokes to get full coverage. I actually did two coats with the shade I selected, Smokey Taupe. The polish dried to a super glossy finish fairly quickly too. After about five minutes, my nails felt dry, but were still tacky. I was comfortable enough to use my hands after twenty minutes, when the polish was fully set and totally dry. Already I was impressed.

So onto the 7 day challenge. How do you think I did? How do you think it lasted? Take a look below.

The images speak for themselves. The glossy color lasted on my nails for 7 days, with just one small chip that happened shortly before I snapped the final picture. My nails looked beautiful and glossy for the week. Seriously, when is the last time that you could apply a drugstore polish and have it last for a week? Not just last, but last with full glossy shine and no top coat? It's a first for me!

I need to disclose that I have gel overlays over my natural nails. I am not sure if this affected the challenge for the better or not, but I felt it important to note. I did not apply any base or top coat, as stated.

Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Gloss is for sale at drugstores and mass retailers right now, for about $5.49 a bottle.  There are 15 shades available right now, and a full 45 shades will be for sale come January. When all the shadea are relased next year, I will be back with a complete list of shades and of course, more pictures.

M·A·C Carine Roitfeld Underfire Red Nail Lacquer.

From the beautiful smokey eyed girl Carine Roitfeld and the M·A·C collection bearing her name is this beautiful Nail Lacquer that is more than perfect for the season.

The shade is named Underfire Red and it is a creamy deep blood red shade. It is a shade that will easily take me from fall to winter when wanting a very dark red nail shade.

Underfire Red and the rest of the Carine Roitfeld Collection is available at all M·A·C locations and online at maccosmetics.com now.