Nail HQ Hydrating Primer Review

I have been trying out another Nail HQ product this week. This time I tried their 'Hydrating Primer' which you apply on your nail before any colour or base coat. The primer cleanses the nail ready for the polish application and it also contains ingredients which are nourishing for the nails to keep them hydrated and healthy.

Using a primer before your base coat ensures that the nail is clean, this means that the polish will bond to your nail more effectively to prevent peeling and flaking. The primer also helps to hydrate the nail before you apply your polish which means your nails won't feel as dry and damaged when you take your polish off.

I have just been using this primer with regular nail polish but it is also suitable for use with artificial nails. I would definitely recommend using a primer like this before applying artificial nails because these are more likely to cause damage. Using this primer would prepare your nails nicely and leave a nourishing layer to protect your natural nails from whatever you apply on top of them.

This product retails at around £6.99 which is a great price for a good quality primer that you can use for every manicure. The bottle will last you ages so it is definitely worth it and from now on I shall be including it as an essential step in my manicure routine as preparing and nourishing the nail before a manicure is very important!

I love all of Nail HQs treatments and I would also really recommend their top coat! You can check out their other products here: http://www.nailhq.co.uk

Have you tried any Nail HQ products yet? Let me know @KathleenEmilyy on Twitter and Instagram and +Nail Art by KathleenEmilyy on Google+.

Fuse Gelnamel Starter Kit Review

Fuse Gelnamel is a one step gel nail polish which combines the convenience of regular nail polish and the quick drying, chip free effects of gel polish. The starter kit includes one bottle of nail polish, a mini LED lamp, cleanser, lint free wipes, a cuticle stick and a buffer. They have managed to fit a lot of useful kit into a tiny box so I think this would make a cute little gift for anyone who enjoys painting their nails! 

  

To use the kit you must prepare your nails by pushing back your cuticles, buffing the surface of your nail and then using the cleanser and a lint free wipe to clean the nail. After preparing the nail, all you have to do is apply a thin coat of Fuse Gelnamel to the nail and cure under the LED lamp for 30 seconds and repeat this on all 10 fingers.

This polish does not require a gel base or top coat and claims that you only need one coat of polish which makes application a lot faster than a full gel manicure. I did find that the glitter polish that came in my starter set did require more than one coat to fully cover the nail. You must cure the nail under the LED lamp between each coat and you have to apply the polish in very thin layers. After the first coat it left a sheer coating of glitter, the second coat was acceptable, however I prefer full glitter coverage so I applied three coats just to be sure.

The application process was fairly quick but because the lamp is so tiny you have to complete all steps on one nail and then cure before moving onto the next. However, I found it easy enough to start preparing the next nail while the last nail is curing inside the lamp so it wasn't much of an inconvenience for me.

The colour of the actual polish is lovely, it has a combination of silver glitter with bigger pieces of pink glitter so overall it gives a soft pastel pink look. I thought that the polish would leave a rough surface on my nail as there was no top coat to smooth over the glitter but my nails actually feel very smooth and glossy so you really don't need a top coat!

Overall, I do really like this product and I will definitely use it again when I need a quick gel manicure. If you buy this product expecting the results of a salon gel manicure then you will probably be dissappointed because without a base and top coat you won't get the full strength for chip free resistance. However the Gelnamel polish is certainly stronger than regular nail polish so if you want something that lasts a bit longer but can't afford a salon manicure this would definitely suit you. I also love that the LED lamp is so small because that means you could fit it in any bag which makes it great for travelling and taking on holiday.

You can buy the Fuse Gelnamel starter kit from Boots by clicking here.

Have you tried the Fuse Gelnamel kit yet? Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @KathleenEmilyy and let me know what you think!