Manicures are part of my stay sane plan. It’s actually part of our monthly budget…two manicures a month is a great investment and the ROI on happiness delivers every time. It may be just me, but I always feel better about life and ready to take on the world when my nails are done. Am I right? 😉
But I digress…this post is to share a new nail process I have discovered and am absolutely obsessed with – SNS. I’ve been doing gel polish for the last year and a half and while the benefits including shiny nails that last around 14 days and don’t chip are awesome, there are some drawbacks. The biggest culprit being if you wait too long to remove the polish and get a fresh mani, the polish will naturally start peeling and for this Type A maniac it results in peeling all the polish off and ruining my nails. I’m a multiple offender.
I was a little hesitant about SNS because I had never heard of it and it’s different from any nail polish process I’ve ever seen. My nail place is one of the few providing this service in Tallahassee and I was convinced three manicures ago by the nail tech who promised wonders: healthier nails, longer lasting, easier removal and no UV machine. To my surprise, SNS delivers on all fronts!
Here’s a quick run down of the process. The SNS polish isn’t actually polish, instead it is a powder that is adhered to your nails by a clear polish solution. Don’t be alarmed by how incredibly bright the powder color looks – once they apply the top coat, the color ends up looking as perfect as it does painted on the fake nail in the carousel of colors! Once you select your powder color and the nails are clean and prepped, the nail tech applies a clear coat and dips your nail in a white powder to set the nail for SNS. This is one layer. Next she applies a clear coat and dips your nail in the color nail powder and repeats two more times. The color will look matte, but have no fear it ends up shiny and gorgeous in the end. Once the powder is on, you will be asked to wash your hands without soap and return for the final steps. This includes a shiny topcoat, which is applied (sometimes two coats) and then you will wait for it to dry 3-5 minutes. After that, you will have a beautiful set of very shiny nails, no chipping and no need to expose your skin to UV rays. (My hubby treats cancer and he’s never been a fan of the UV part of gel manicures.)
I’ve now had three SNS manicures and here is my take – I LOVE it! It has yet to disappoint me. My last mani lasted a whopping 21 days and aside from the nail growth at the bottom (which wasn’t too noticeable), my nails still looked perfect after all those days. The process is simple and the very best part is the removal – much easier than gel polish. While you soak off the SNS polish the same way you do with gel, the SNS comes off more like a regular polish and leaves your nails looking better than before. I have naturally brittle nails (even when I was pregnant when nails should be their strongest) and gel didn’t help the cause. During my last SNS removal, my nails were long and much stronger than before.
Overall, I’m glad I took the plunge and tried SNS. Not only are my nails healthier, but I’ll be saving some dough since manicures last so much longer than two weeks.
Would love to hear from you about your favorite “treat yoself” routines and if you’ve tried SNS.
XO,
Ivette
Ivette Faulkner 