MANI MONDAY: INSTA GEL

Fact: Ever since Sally Hansen's Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips first hit drugstores, the brand's maintained a number one spot as my go-to for all things nail art related.

Bold statement, I know, but I stand by it. In addition to being readily available at just about any pharmacy or beauty shop (we all know manicurious cravings come at strange times), Ms. Hansen offers a wide range of products for those of us who feel somewhat insecure about our nail artistry or simply don't have the time to recreate Monet's Water Lilies in nail polish.

So when hearing the brand launched a line of at-home gel manicure strips, we obviously flipped out. And after a weekend spent testing out the kit, we can officially confirm the product did not disappoint. First of all, the process pretty much took the length of one Friends episode (The one where they go to Barbados, if you must know), and required very little concentration. Thanks to trial and error, I learned to not skip out on prepping and cleaning the nails (the strip won't stick unless the nail bed is free of all oil and completely buffed). Also important to note that though the strips come in 24 different shades, the process requires using an LED light , so you must purchase the starter kit before getting into the neon and glitter tones (Sidenote for nail art fanatics: If you happen to already own an LED light for at-home gel manis, that will definitely work too). But don't let that dissuade you-- the LED light will continue to work for dozens of manicures at least. The best part? The strips remove much easier (and with much less acetone) than standard gel polish. 

Combining the lasting shine of the gel manicure with the ridiculously easy stick-on strips, Sally Hansen's Insta-Gel strips is pretty much a marriage built to last--or just until the next high-tech manicure launches.

Order a starter kit here ($29.99) and don't forget to enter to win a free insta-gel kit here!