What I’m about to say might shock those of you who have been hanging with me for a long time (thank you, by the way). But since becoming a mom, I hardly do my nails anymore. I’m sad about it, honestly. But the reality is I just want to sleep whenever I have a free moment from parenting or working.
(Side but slightly related note: I wish I could tell you how often I think about the fact that I once wrote a blog post saying I never leave the house with chipped nails and neither should you. Okay, 2015 Joey. What the heck did you actually have going on in your life? She’d *apparently* be horrified to know that not only do I infrequently do my nails these days, I also leave my house with chipped polish pretty much any time my nails are done.)
Shortly after my son was born, I gifted my (ridiculously large — seriously, no one human being should have that much nail polish) regular polish collection to my teenage niece. I was a parent for like 0.2 seconds before I realized that there was just no chance I was risking a regular polish mani in this war zone. Not even with my beloved fast drying Seche Vite top coat.
I knew right away that gel would be the only way to go for me. At least for the foreseeable future. I prefer gel, anyway. I also kept all of my dip powder stuff, but I didn’t take the time to do dip nails all that often even before I was a parent.
Doing a gel manicure takes nearly no time at all. But removing a gel manicure is a whole different story. I do really love the Aliver Gel Polish Magic Remover — and as easy as it makes the removal process, even that is a bit more of a commitment than I’m willing to make these days. And there’s no way I’m sitting around with aluminum foil wrapped around my fingers for 20 minutes. Nope. No way.
Peel off gel base coat: Here’s what you need to know
I had high hopes, but I was equally skeptical. I didn’t really do any research before I decided to try myself, which is really unlike me. I didn’t want to be swayed, honestly. I wanted to will it to work because how perfect would that be? It seemed like the perfect solution if it really worked. So did it?
How to use a peel off gel base coat?
I bought this peel off gel base coat from Sally’s. I’m sure there are proper instructions somewhere. I didn’t follow any proper instructions. I just went with my gut. I used the gel primer that I always use when doing a gel manicure in hopes that would help in some way. Writing this now, I’m not actually sure what I thought it would do, but I’ve used the peel gel base coat several times now, and I’ve used the primer each time.
Once I have the primer on, I paint one layer of the peel gel base coat. The layer is somewhere between generous and thin — I would say to use the typical amount you would use for any normal base coat.
Unlike a regular gel base coat that will cure under a light, the peel gel base coat does need time to dry. I usually wait about 90 seconds after applying to go in with my gel polish. I then polish my nails like I normally would with a gel polish. Usually two coats of color and one coat of top coat, curing 60 seconds in between each coat.
I used the ASP Make it peelable base coat from Sally’s. Other options that can be found on Amazon: Makartt peel off base coat, Beetles Gel Polish Peel off base coat — all of these options have great reviews.
How long does a peel off gel base coat last?
This is what you really want to know, isn’t it? It’s what I was most curious about. Truthfully, the results vary, but I typically get a normal wear out of the manicure. For me, that’s 5-7 days. I’m on a computer too often to deal with the click clacking that comes with too much growth, so I’m happy with that wear time. I’ve also gotten 14 days out of a manicure. I have, however, also had a manicure peel up within 72 hours.
I think it depends on a few things:
- Gel brand & how it’s applied (Thick layers? Thin layers? All the way to the edges? Capped?)
- How precisely the peel base coat is applied. I’ve found I get the best results when the base coat and the gel polish are evenly applied — meaning that the gel polish covers the same areas that the base coat does.
- How much time my hands spend in water. I’m a mom, so I spend a decent amount of time washing dishes and cleaning — that doesn’t seem to compromise the wear time at all. I did, however, one time soak a bunch of stickers off of cups, and the polish did start to peel up when I started to pick at the stickers. I completely expected that though.
- If I take care of the manicure like I would any other manicure with daily lotion and cuticle cream application.
How to remove a gel manicure with a peel off base coat?
I usually wait until I notice some lifting and then just go right on in and peel like normal. Some will come off all in one piece, others won’t. It’s kind of hit or miss. I have had to go in with a cuticle pusher a few times to start the peel when I was impatient and wanted to change the manicure before any lifting began. I will say this: before the polish is ready to peel, it’s pretty difficult to peel which is a good thing or a bad thing depending on what you want.
If you think you’re going to use a peel gel base coat to swatch a bunch of polishes for content with quick removal in between, think again. Peeling the polish immediately or even shortly after application is nearly impossible.
Will a peel off gel base coat damage my nails?
I have not experienced any damage. At all. In fact, I was certain on the occasions that I had to essentially pry the polish off that I would see some evidence of damage. But that hasn’t been the case in any circumstance. My nails are stronger and healthier than they’ve ever been. I’m sure that’s mostly due to supplements I’ve been taking and the fact that I don’t keep my nails polished all the time anymore — but also to the fact that when I do polish my nails, I use a peel gel base coat.
Closing thoughts: is a peel off gel base coat worth it?
In my opinion, yes. The peel gel base coat seems to be the solution to this season of life for me. If you want to be able to do your nails and keep them looking nice for about a week but also remove them easily, a peel gel base coat is the answer.
Happy painting, friends!
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