Well, I really want to give Nutra Nail’s Gel Perfect 5-Minute Gel-Color Manicure a bad review, but I can’t help but take responsibility for why I don’t like this gel polish. It chips as fast – if not faster – that normal polish on my hands.
Yes, I am a habitual nail biter. Well, it’s not so much that I “bite” or “chew” on my nails, it’s more that when I’m nervous or really concentrating on work, I put the edges of a single nail between my teeth and kind of just let them sit there. (Ya, I know, that sounds super weird, but I promise you do it – or have done it – too and would have just as much trouble describing it as I am having now).
Anyway, back to the gel-color…
My use of it stems from girls weekend, you remember our Mrs. girls trip right? Well, on one of those nights, someone brought up gel polish or shellac and it jogged my memory that I’ve been meaning to try it. SO, the very next weekend, I went to Walgreens and bought Nutra Nail’s Gel Perfect 5-Minute Gel-Color Manicure in PASSION (a fall-perfect red hue).
Well… here’s my bullet point breakdown:
THE GOOD
1) It’s relatively easy to apply if you slowly, carefully follow the lengthy instructions.
2) It DOES dry super, duper fast. Faster than the promised 5 minutes.
3) The shine is really GLOSSY, which I love and does make it look more professional.
4) It doesn’t smudge or get scratched as easily in general use.
THE BAD
1) IT CHIPS just as easily as regular polish, and even easier along the sides when it comes to biting your nails (e.g. Remember “tips” or “fake nails” and that thick crusty hardener they use over your entire nail to create them? Well that same crusty edging happens with these and it flecks away fairly easily).
2) You have to buy special remover to get it off and to fix any smears or mess ups. I chose the cheaper option by just buying 100% acetone instead of the brand-name gel-polish remover.
3) There were very limited colors at Walgreens … only 3 in fact … but apparently there are 34 colors in total … too bad they weren’t at the store for me to choose from.
4) They really just don’t look that different from regular polish+top coat. $4-$8 for regular polish vs. the at-home gel for $15 … don’t see the point in paying more for this. It just doesn’t make enough of a difference.
MY RULING
If I gave this polish a passing grade it’d be a C-minus. So I suppose that’s a FAIL for a beauty recommendation. Maybe a little unfair, but if you’re like me, you would’ve been buying this mainly just so your at-home manicure looked professional and lasted longer without chips. It’s DOESN’T.
I’ll stick with my favorite Essie polishes (especially this base coat) and Sally Hansen anti-chip top coat.
mrs. and the misc. 
I tried this stuff a long time ago and had the same problem with not being able to find more than three colors in ANY store in my area. My biggest issue with it, though, was getting it to dry. Once five minutes passed, I looked in the directions and it said if it hadn’t dried, that you should run your nails under cold water. I did and they turned WHITE (I used the pink). It looked like I had painted my nails with super glue (which makes sense, since it turns out that’s basically what the secret ingredient in this stuff is). That was pretty much it for me. I took it off after that and gave it away.
And I LOVE Sally Hansen’s anti-chip top coat! That stuff is so good.
It does make sense that the “secret ingredient” is super glue because that’s exactly what the “activator” smelled like! Crazy! Thanks for telling me. Yep, no longer purchasing this polish … and you know what?! It has a “money back guarantee” on the box so i think I might try that (if it doesn’t matter that the receipt is loooong gone).
Ha! Guess I should have given the “money back guarantee” a try. Hope that works out for you!
Perfect timing — this morning I was standing in the store, reading this box over, and wondering if it was really going to be the game-changer in nail polish for me. I’m so rough on my nails anyway that I’m not sure anything would keep polish from chipping. Guess I’ll keep on using my old top coat and try to be more “dainty” — no guarantees! I do appreciate the review of it — saved me some time/effort!
Joan, I’m happy to help! I def. wanted to save everyone money on it since it’s $15 a box and kind of hyped right now. I’m rough on my brittle nails and was hoping this would be my “game changer” … unfortunately, it’s not. 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
Good to know! I don’t bite my nails but I’m super rough on them. Usually after I paint my nails, it all chips off in the shower when I wash my hair. Won’t waste my money on this!