Today we are talking gel polish!!! I will admit that up until about a year and a half ago, my knowledge and person experience with gel polish was very limited. I had a UV lamp that I bought to swatch some holo powders, but after those swatches, the lamp sat in my room, gathering dust until disaster struck! I experienced a nail break on my swatching hand in the middle of a collection and I ended up getting an acrylic overlay to keep the nail attached and to prevent future breaks.
Fast forward a year and a half and I am not well versed in acrylic, builder gel, soak off gel, and lamps! When the COVID lock downs prevented me from going to the nail salon to have my overlay fills done, I started the process of learning how to do my own builder gel overlays and the rest is history!
Because I like to be a bit extra and have snazzy nails even when they are naked, I have been adding a clear glitter gel polish on top over my overlay since I originally started getting them at the salon and it has somewhat become my signature. Outside of top coat and base coat, my clear glitter gel is the most adventurous I’ve gotten with gel polish colors.
So I was pretty excited (and a little nervous) when I got the opportunity to try out the Le Mini Macaron 1 Step Gel Manicure System. I received a Le Mini Macaron Starter Kit, the gel polishes and an adorable glitter carrying case for all of my supplies.
There are so many gorgeous options for the starter kit and it was hard for me to decide which one to go with. I ultimately went with the Milkshake Starter Kit, which features a classic white and gold color scheme. The start kits come with everything you need to get those stunning gel manis!
The Le Mini Macaron set differs greatly from my current gel polish setup. First, the lamp is a mini LED lamp that cures one finger at a time. I was a little concerned with how long it would take to complete a full mani curing one finger at a time, but since it is an LED lamp, the cure time is 30 seconds rather than the 3 minutes I was used to on my full size UV lamp. I was able to do my full hand is less time than it takes me on the full size lamp. You do have to be careful when putting your finger into the lamp. The first few times I used it, I bumped the tip of my nail against the back wall of the lamp and had to reapply polish to the tip. If you are not careful, I can also see how it would be possible to scrape you nail against the top of the lamp and scratch off the wet polish.
And speaking of time savers, Le Mini Macaron gel polishes are 3 in 1 polishes with base coat, color, and top coat all in one bottle. With my current set up, in addition to the 3 minute cure time, I was also doing a separate base coat, color, and top coat. The Le Mini Macaron polishes were opaque for me in two coats and they all dried to a no wipe, glossy finish in barely a minute per finger! I got to try our 4 polishes in range of pinks, reds, and white.
My UV lamp is also corded, so I have to be near an outlet, plus is it bulky and takes up quite a bit of room on my nail table. So use and storage in my already crowded space is an issue. With the Le Mini Macaron kit, the LED lamp is USB powered, so I was able to connect it to a power bank and it took up a fraction of the space. I am also able to store the kit and the additional 3 polishes in a drawer in my helmer rather than shoved on top of a shelf.
One final thought before we take a look at the polishes I tried. Being a nail stamper, one of the additional perks of gel polish is that it is kind of like a dry erase board when it comes to stamping. If you are like me and regularly mess up when stamping an imagine, gel polish allows you to wipe off any messed up nail art without mess up the get polish base underneath. This way you can avoid the frustration of having to start a mani over again just because of a misplaced or smudge stamp (or watermarble… or gradient… or hand drawn art…).
Milkshake Kit Polish
![20200724003307_IMG_0974_1596656286897-01-01[1]](https://naileditinaz.files.wordpress.com/2020/08/20200724003307_img_0974_1596656286897-01-011.jpeg?w=426&h=426)
Each starter kit comes with a gel polish in a color that matches the kit’s color scheme. For the Milkshake Kit, the included polish is a white gel polish.
Pomegranate
Pomegranate is a classic red that’s #girlboss by day and totally #glam by night!
Cranberry Jam
Cranberry Jam is a warm, medium-dark berry pink that is perfect from girls brunch to girls night out, and everything in between!
Honey Ginger
So, have I caught your interest yet?? Maybe you would also like to give the Le Mini Macaron Manicure Kit a try?? Well I have one more incentive for you – A discount code for anyone that would like to try a kit or the Le Mini Macaron 3 in 1 polishes.
Use code TIANA10 for 10% off your entire purchase (one time use per customer).
Don’t forget to visit my Instagram here for swatch videos of all 4 polishes!
Connect with Le Mini Macaron
Nailed It In AZ 
Gorgeous colours and nail arts. I have never used gels before. Just ‘gel like’ polishes.
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