Hi Beauties,
Today’s review is going to be on Opallac gel polish. I was first introduced to this product at the end of last year by a friend and decided to test it out myself. I ventured online and bought myself the starter kit and a few colours to get me underway.
I’m not the type of person to usually get my nails done on a regular basis, but just whenever I feel like it. I was a bit apprehensive to use this kit at first as I am not the best at painting nails and didn’t know how complicated the gel application process would be.
Gel starter kit:
The kit includes the following products:
- Gel 7watt LED lamp
- Base coat
- Top coat
- 3 gel colours
- 2-in-1 shine and soak solution
- Remover wraps
- Nail file
- Buffing block
The kit also came with a step by step instruction manual, which also included illustrations throughout the manual – this made it super easy to follow.
Firstly, you are instructed to clean your hands and buff your nails ready for application. After your nails are prepped you are ready to start the process. As suggested, the base coat goes on first which you apply a clear layer of the lacquer onto each nail and put it under the LED light for 90 seconds. This step is as easy as it sounds, although I find that this can be the make or break of how your nails are going to turn out. I made the mistake upon my first application, by applying a lot of product as I didn’t know whether I should apply a thin layer or build the product up.
As I initially applied too much product I found that it tended to drip and spread onto my skin whilst I had it under the LED light, which in turn hardened on my skin and I couldn’t get it off. Due to this, I have learnt to apply a very thin layer of base coat in order to prevent it from spreading to my skin. Other than that minor mishap, it was a fairly easy process.
Next, it was time to apply colour. You are instructed to apply 2 layers of colour (or more) depending on your desired look – although 2 layers will usually suffice. After each layer of application, you are to cure it under the LED light for 90seconds each coat. Similarly to the first step, this step is easy – given you have a steady hand.
One of the last steps is to put on the top coat, which is used to seal the colour. Similarly with the base coat, only a thin layer of the top coat is necessary. It is also instructed to cure this product for 90 seconds.
Once the above 3 steps are completed, the last step is to wipe over you nails with the shine and soak solution to get rid of any stickiness. Once this step is completed, your nails should be dried instantly and you’re ready to go on about your day. It’s that simple.
As you can see from above, the steps involved are fairly simple and can be done with ease by people with little to no experience doing nails.
The thing I love about this product is that you can have salon finish nails without going to a salon (what a bonus!).
So now that I’ve gone through the process, what are my thoughts?
PROS:
- Everything can be purchased in one kit
- Inexpensive for the product you are receiving
- Easy to use
- Great range of colours available
- Available to purchase in store and Online
- Can get your nails done under 30mins (depending on each individual
CONS:
- Too much product can lead to a bit of mess
- A few products needed to get started
- Can start to peel off after a few days – dependant on application
- Can ruin your nails when taking the product off
The above pros and cons are based on my personal experience using the product over the past 6 months.
Price:
RRP $99 – for all the products you get, this is a reasonable price in my opinion. Opallac tend to have a few sales throughout the year, along with Priceline – so you can grab it a reasonable price.
Colour range:
Opallac offers a range of different colours as well as types of colours available, these can be split into the following:
- Core gel polish – 27 colours
- Sheer gel polish – 3 colours
- Sparkle gel polish – 21 colours
- Colour changing gel – 4 colours
Longevity:
Overall, the products claims to last up to 14 days. In my opinion, the product has never lasted 14 days but lasts well over a week to a week and a half – which is still really good in my opinion! It also varies, dependent on how each person looks after their nails.
Removal:
I find the removal process to a bit tricky and time consuming. You firstly need to file down your nails to get rid of the shine then use the shine and soak solution on the nail wraps and apply to your nails for 2-3 minutes. It usually doesn’t work too well for me and I just end up peeling them off which ruins my nails a little bit. This is my personal opinion, but I’m sure if you do each step properly it will work well. I believe the nail removal wraps are an ingenious idea and assist with the removal process quite well, without having to use the usual cotton balls and foil = A+ in my opinion!
Overall thoughts and suggestions:
Overall, I really enjoy using this product and will continue using this product to do my nails in the future. It not only makes my nails look nice and professional, but assists with the growth as well. I would recommend this product to anyone and do have a few suggestions which may better the product in the future.
Suggestions:
1. Possibility of offering nail tips. I love using the gel polish but I have short nails. I would love if there was an option to buy nail tips and glue from the website and give my nails a bit of a boost.
2. Battery operated LED light. This is only a personal preference – it would be good if there was an option to have a battery operated light – which is handy if you are going away and wanting to do your nails on the go.
Example of it on my own nails (Colour: Dear Sheer)
About the product
Where can I get this product in Australia?
Opallac Website
Priceline
Judging panel:
Lasting-power: 7/10
Formula: 9/10
Colour availability: 10/10
Value for money: 9/10
Overall rating: 8.5/10
I’d love to know if you’ve tried the Opallac gel polishes and what you’re thoughts are!
Stay beautiful,
Alyce xx
*DISCLAIMER: all opinions are my own and all pictures were taken by me. I am not sponsored in any way and the links posted are NOT affiliate links.
AlyceBeautyBlog 