shellac

I am very excited about this post, and if you are a Gelish fanatic like me, you will be to! I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to connect with the lovely Irene Chao, a seasoned beauty industry expert working in the PR department at Hand & Nail Harmony (ahh-such a dream job)! She was truly the sweetest woman; so friendly, and excited to talk with me. I asked if she’d be interested in answering some questions for my blog and she was more than willing to participate. Check out the brief interview below!

1) Can you give us a brief introduction about who you are, how long you’ve been working at Gelish, and a little bit about your job?

My name is Irene and I’ve been at Gelish for a little over a month now, but my background is in the beauty industry. I previously spent 6 years working in the PR department at another beauty manufacturer in southern California.

2) I know why I love Gelish products, but what do you think sets the line apart from competing gel polish brands (ex: Shellac, OPI Axxium, etc.)?

A lot of people might not know this, but Gelish is the first brush-in bottle gel polish ever invented! The US and International patent-pending formulation proves that fact. Gelish offers up many unique colors including glitters and neons. We currently have 106 Gelish colors in total! This is the most offered by any gel-polish company out there.

Screen shot 2012-06-22 at 11.11.20 AM — **So many gorgeous colors! (Credit)**

3) What is the most popular Gelish product? What is the most popular Gelish color?

Some of our most popular colors include Gelish Sheek White, which is great on its own; but it’s also perfect for nail art .

565264239 — **I love Gelish’s Sleek White for my french manicures! 🙂**

Gelish Good Gossip is also very popular, because really…who can say no to glittery-red gel polish?

Gelish_Bottle_Color_GoodGossip — **Good Gossip**

Gelish Gossip Girl is a fun, bright pink that is also very popular. The most popular Gelish product is actually Gelish NOURISH, which is a cuticle oil that rehydrates and restores essential oils in cuticles and skin surrounding the nail. It smells amazing and works like a charm!

4) Is Gelish going to be releasing any new polishes in the near future? Maybe a Fall collection? If so, what can we expect?

Yes…There will be a new collection for Fall, so be on the lookout for that! There will be 8, brand new fall-inspired colors that will compliment any wardrobe!

day 10 burg — **Hopefully we see some some darker warm and cool colors (deep browns, purples, blues, reds, greens!) I’m already a huge fan of their Bella’s Vampire!**

5) I work in PR, and it would be my dream to work for a major nail polish company one day. What is it like working for Gelish? Do you enjoy daily, desk-side manicures? 😉

Unfortunately there’s not much time for desk-side manicures, but I’m so grateful for the opportunity to work for such an amazing company. The people here are wonderful and I truly believe in the product. It doesn’t get any better than this!

I learned so much about Gelish from Irene! I didn’t realize that they were the first brush-in-bottle polish, or that they even sold a cuticle oil (you all know how much I love my cuticle oil); Irene offered to send me a bottle and I honestly cannot wait to try it! I’m also dying to see this Fall collection!

It must be so fun working with nail polish behind the scenes-what an amazing job! Sending major thanks to Irene for talking with me- it was a pleasure!

Have you tried any of the Gelish polishes or products? Let me know your favorites! 🙂

June 23, 2012 | 0 comment

I have a legitimate obsession with fingernails, nail polish, nail products and creating the perfect manicure. It’s slightly sick. I never get my nails done at a salon because I know I can do them better.

When the Shellac craze hit, I didn’t think much of it. I was still a student, I had plenty of time to keep up with my regular manicures. Once I started working full time I found I was unable to paint my nails the usual 2-3X a week, so I booked a shellac appointment to see what the hype was about. Of course I researched the proper application technique before I went- no oil on your nails, the polish should never touch your cuticles, make sure they cap the edges, etc. So I went in all amped that I would be leaving with super shiny nails that would last for 2 weeks!

Fast forward through my appointment…it was horrible. The woman who did my nails didn’t follow any of the rules, and I honestly wanted to grab the polish out of her hand to do it myself. It was torture forking over $35 dollars for something I hated (including the color!) but I’m not one to complain. So I bit my tongue and vowed that’d be my LAST trip to the salon.

Fast forward to today- I purchased an entire gel system over the summer, UV light included…

…and now do my own gel manicures at home (my Mom, sister and roommate benefit as well ;)). I don’t know how else to explain it, but gels are so amazing! I will never go back to regular polish. If you learn nothing else from me…remember this GEL MANICURES WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE! (That’s kind of dramatic, but I promise it’s true!)

I will do a post on “How-To Do Your Own At Home Gel Mani ” in the near future, but today I just wanted to convince you with pictures. I basically photograph my nails daily, just to document the longevity of each manicure. Below are a few gel manicures I’ve done- see for yourself 🙂

Burgundy — Gelish Mini "Bella's Vampire"

I use a combination of OPI Axxium and Gelish products. You can see each manicure generally lasts two weeks- once in a while there is minor peeling in the second week, but the polish never chips, it withstands long showers, dish washing, and normal activity that a regular manicure would never sustain. The polish always remains shiny, and it makes my nails super strong- allowing them to continue growing (normally my nails are really weak). As you can see my cuticles grow out, and that’s when I’m usually ready to remove the polish and pick a new color.

I would highly suggest that if you haven’t tried a gel manicure yet, that you do so. Be sure to find a good salon and book an appointment- you will not be disappointed.

January 15, 2012 | 6 Comments

Exclusive Interview with Gelish!

My take on gel manicures (Hint: I’m in favor!)