Editor's note: see an update of how the manicure wore after seven days after the jump.
Gel manicures are all the rage at salons, so it makes sense that someone would make an at-home version. That's exactly what Nutra Nail has done with the release of its UV-free Gel Perfect Gel-Color Manicure ($12). While the brand markets the manicure as a five-minute deal, in reality, I found that the whole process takes just a bit longer than your average nail polish time.
After thoroughly pushing back cuticles and filing the nails, steps that are essential in making this manicure look clean, polish activator (which is essentially nail polish glue) is applied to each nail on one hand. Colored gel polish comes next — I used Passion, a candy-apple red — and then the color brush must be cleaned off immediately with a special antistiffening solution that comes in the kit. Then, the same process is repeated on the other hand. Once the polish sets, which takes practically no time at all, you repeat this whole process over so that you've painted on two layers of color. See more when you keep reading.
