Gel polish or regular polish: how to choose the right one?

In life, there are two types of people: those who use regular polish and those who prefer to put on gel polish. But what is really the difference? Focus on the pros and cons of these two types of nail polish!

Regular nail polish: the essential of the beauty kit

At Looky, we use the term Lamp Free Polish to refer to regular nail polish. It's often the first product you use when you're first interested in manicures and the world of nail art.

Pros of regular polish

• You can easily find them everywhere
• It is at a very affordable price
• It is very easy to apply
• You don't need a lot of materials
• It can be withdrawn with a simple cotton soaked in solvent

Cons of regular polish

• It is less resistant to shocks
• It lasts between 3 to 5 days
• It takes a little longer to dry

As you have understood, regular polish is often an essential part of your first steps in makeup and it does not require any particular equipment.

Discover our selection of regular nail polishes

Gel Polish: manicure at a professional level

What is a gel polish?

If you thought gel polish was only for beauticians and beauty salons, good news: it's not the case anymore and you can do it yourself! With our 3 in 1 Gel Polishes, it's possible to have a salon-worthy manicure right at home. Of course, you can also book a manicure with one of our specialists if you want perfect nails the first time.

Pros of gel polish

• It does not flake easily
• The gel polish can last about 2 weeks
• It dries faster than regular polish

Pros of gel polish

• It needs to be removed in salon or with pure acetone
• The gel must be removed properly with suitable tools, otherwise the nail may be damaged
• Gel polish requires a minimum of equipment ( LED / LED lamp , pure acetone , Steam Off , manicure tool )
• It costs a little more than a regular polish (except at Looky, our Gel Polishes and Lamp Free Nail Polishes cost exactly the same, at $13.99!)

The 3 in 1 Gel Polish is a very good alternative to gel polish found in salons because you only need to have our Miracle Remover to remove it. Easy to apply, you are guaranteed to have beautiful nails for at least 2 weeks and for much less.

Discover our selection of 3 in 1 Gel Polish

Questions about the 3 in 1 Gel Polish?

How to apply 3 in 1 Gel Polish?

The 3-in-1 Gel Polish is both a base, a pretty colour and a top coat. There are only a few steps to apply it. Start by preparing your nail well by cleaning and filing it. Then apply your first thin coat of polish and cure under a UV LED / LED lamp. You can repeat this step as many times as you want to have layers of polish (we recommend two or three thin layers).

How to remove 3 in 1 Gel Polish?

First of all, it is very important to prepare the nail for the removal of nail polish. For this, you have to file the surface of the nail with a nail file. It is also very important to nourish your nails and cuticles in order to have the skin around the nails always healthy.

To remove the 3 in 1 Gel Polish, nothing could be easier with our Miracle Remover. Simply apply like a regular polish, leave on for a few minutes and peel off the polish using a cuticle stick or polish removal tool (like our Peeler Tool, specially designed to be used with the Miracle Remover!)

 Steam Off

The Steam Off works with pure acetone or Dissout-Tout. Pour acetone into the machine. Place your nails in the five holes (it is important to file the polish particularly well before) and let the steam act! In ten minutes, the polish peels off and is easily removed with a cuticle stick or polish removal tool. If you have a lot of layers of polish, it will take you a little longer to peel off all the polish.

Pure acetone

Last solution to effectively remove gel polish, you just need to soak cotton pads with pure acetone and place them on your nails. Wrap each cotton with foil so they stay in place. You can use our Removing Clips to avoid being in direct contact with acetone. After about ten minutes, the polish softens: you can remove the cotton pads and remove the polish using a cuticle stick or a polish removal tool.

In conclusion: you can use both regular nail polish and gel nail polish according to your needs! Regular polish is perfect for an express manicure or pedicure, but if you're going on vacation and want to be good to go for several weeks, gel polish is best.