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Did you get some time for yourself for Mother’s Day? A little respite to rejuvenate and refresh? Having three young children, moments like those are few and far between. I have to make them count! One of my favorite “me time” activities is giving myself a manicure. Before I had children my nails were always perfectly polished. I often changed colors several times per week. That all stopped when my first baby was born. Not only did I not have time to paint my nails, there’s no way I’d ever have enough time to let them dry!
If you can paint your own nails and can spare an hour (or less!) you can give yourself a gorgeous manicure that will easily last at least two weeks without chipping. The Red Carpet Manicure (RCM) Pro Kit is a fast, safe and easy to use at-home LED gel manicure system. Now, you can shell out the money to get a salon manicure every couple of weeks or for the cost of 2-3 gel/shellac manicures you can do them in the comfort home for years at the same price! Personally, I find it relaxing. If I can find a quiet block of time, I can give myself and mani and grab a show on Netflix at the same time!
I’ve tried other gel systems but Red Carpet Manicure is my favorite. The colors go on very smoothly and often times I can even skip the second coat. They have over 90 shades to choose from too! I completely fell in love with Coral Wishes:
Coral is a hot trend this year and this particular shade is SO pretty! I love how shiny the finished results are. Even after one full week, my nails were still looking freshly painted! By two weeks there was a little bit of grow out and the polish was starting to lift ever so slightly at the cuticles. I’m a picker but knew from past experience how much damage it can do your nails if you don’t remove the polish properly. This is one of my least favorite things about this type of polish — you have to soak it off. It takes some time and patience, none of which I had so I went into a salon and paid $7 to have it removed. I knew if I didn’t, I’d pick it all of and ruin my nail beds. I’ve been missing it since it’s been gone but haven’t had time to paint my nails again but I’m dying to try the matte topcoat which gives a matte finish (rather than shiny) to any color . I’m thinking maybe matte black next time!
Here’s a pic of my nails two weeks after my manicure:
As you can see, no chips! Just a little bit of grow out and some slight lifting at the cuticles.
The Red Carpet Manicure Pro Kit includes:
- Professional LED Light – LED Gel-Curing Light (AC Power Cord Adapter Included).
- Prep – MAX ADHESION PREP
- Structure – BASE COAT GEL
- Brilliance – SEAL & SHINE TOP COAT GEL
- Revitalize – NOURISHING CUTICLE OIL
- Red Carpet Reddy – LED Gel Polish
- Purify – PRE & POST APPLICATION CLEANSER
- Erase – GEL NAIL POLISH REMOVER
- RCM Instructions Card
I’ll quickly walk you through the steps so you can see how easy is:
- Clean your nails with a lint free pad or cotton ball with “Purify” pre-application cleanser
- Buff nails with a fine emery block to take the shine off.
- Swipe the “Prep” liquid onto your nails
- Paint a thin coat of “Structure” base coat gel onto your nails and cure under the light for 30 seconds
- Paint a thin coat of gel polish on your nails. This nail polish went on surprising well with a single coat! Cure for 45 seconds.
- Paint on a thin coat of “Brilliance” seal & shine top coat. Cure for 45 seconds.
- Rub nails with a lint free pad or cotton ball.
- Finish by brushing “Revitalize” nourishing cuticle oil into the cuticle area.
The only trick is to keep the layers as thin as possible. It’s the most difficult with the base and top coats because the polish is a bit thicker and harder to work with. You must also make sure not to get any polish on the cuticle area because once the polish is cured under the light it’s very difficult to remove. This manicure system is surprisingly easy to work with. If you can paint your nails, you can do this!
Red Carpet Manicure recently launched 52 shades of professional lacquer ranging from nudes and light pinks to the brightest of spring hues. I haven’t tried these but if gel isn’t your thing, these polishes are probably worth a try! You can find out more about Red Carpet Manicure at www.redcarpetmanicure.com.
A complimentary product/service was provided for this review, however, all opinions expressed are my own. I was not compensated in any other way. See Mommies With Cents disclosure policy for more details.
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This giveaway is open until May 22, 2014 at 12:01 am EST to U.S residents.
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I have two younger siblings are have prom coming up and I’d love to be able to do their nails and spend that time with them before they’re gone off to college and start their own lives.