During October I was kindly sent a Stylfile Gel Polish Remover kit to try at home. Being a big Apprentice fan myself and a Stylfile fan, I was excited to try the remover kit myself and see how easy it is to remove my gels a different way than using foils.
The problem with using foils is they can be tricky to apply and hold on the nail securely. This is where inventor Tom Pellereau saw a gap in the market and created this simple way to remove them. He discovered that 52% of women believe that gel polish damages the nail. I would be in this 52% if I were voting in this poll, but according to Tom this is down to poor removal.
I am up for a challenge to see how easy it is to remove, and if my nails feel damaged and brittle after removal. 2 weeks into my gel nails being applied it is time to remove them using the kit and reapply some fresh colours. I have used a normal nail polish and a glittery one, to see if the remover two popular gel nail types.
The kit retails for £16.99 which has everything needed to remove your gels.
The kit contains:
Zebra S-file, Gel Polish Remover Solution, 5x Gel remover clips, 3x manicure sticks, Almond cuticle oil and a 4-way buffer file.
Priced at £16.99 it is a reasonable figure and a good gift for anyone who likes changing their nails often.
Read on to see if it works just as well as salon removal.
I read and followed the instruction manual compiled by Jenny Longworth who is a celebrity nail tech, which are easy and simple to follow. You will need cotton pads to remove them which aren’t included in the kit which I didn’t mind as they are easy to get from any drug store or supermarket and are really affordable.
According to the instruction guidelines I need to remove the shine of my gel nails using the Zebra S file, size 1. This enables the remover to penetrate the gel under the cured top layer.
Then take a clean cotton pad and soak it in the Gel Polish Remover Solution. Place directly onto the nail wrap it around if you can and clamp securely with one of the Gel Remover clips, squeezing it onto the nail to secure it further.
Then wait 10-15 minutes. I waited 12 to just be safe.
I did think it was a slight pain how there is only 5 clamps in the kit but after thinking about it, it would be silly to have 10 because you wouldn’t be able to apply them to both your hands correctly and at once because the one hand would be restricted by clamps. Plus I feel as though having 10 would make you rush the process.
After waiting 12 minutes the big reveal happened. I had to take off the clamp, then the cotton pad. The instructions say that you should see the gel look soft and should be easy to scrape away using the manicure stick, scraping with the lightest of pressure. This worked an absolute dream!
The gel literally peeled off its self and half of it stuck to the inside of the cotton pad. I was amazed at how effortless it was to remove it. I barely had to apply pressure to my nail throughout the removal process which I was thankful for as my nails are quite brittle.
I also watched the Youtube tutorial, and it does state that if any gel is stubborn do not force it off your nail as it will damage it, and to apply a new cotton pad soaked in remover and reclamp the nail for a further 5-10 minutes. I felt like this wasn’t necessary for me as it worked the first time. I’m thoroughly impressed. I did find removing my right nails a little tricky as I am not ambidextrous but this isn’t down to the kit itself, I’m just not gifted enough to be able to use both hands accurately.
After all nails have the gel removed, I buffed my nails nails with the 4 way buffer file and treated the nails and cuticle area with the oil included in the kit. I do feel like the oil in the kit isn’t as rich as I hoped it to be but it’s still a nice treatment for your nails and I did notice the day after they didn’t feel as dry as usual.
Overall, I felt my nails weren’t as weak or felt as damaged when I previously soak them off with the old foil method, as the clamps stop me being impatient and prodding the product off. You forget they’re even on your hand as they are light weight and are easy to apply and remove. Certain nails were still a little flimsy after but as I said, not nearly as bad as removal in the past. It definitely gave me salon results and recommend this product for professional, mobile or home removal. This looks much more professional and is a lot more comfortable than nail foils and soaking your nails in little bowls.
You can get your Stylfile Gel remover products and check out Tom’s other great inventions on his website here.
Products featured were supplied by Stylfile/Grapeviners. Views are my own.
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