I fell in love with gel nails in February 2013 after wearing them in a friend's wedding. My number one pet peeve with having painted nails is when they chip. Like, I literally cannot stand them--it's a total old lady pet peeve. And don't get me started on chipped TOE nail polish. Like--girl, really?

But gels aren't cheap...here in the UK they can set you back £30 at a time. The US is cheaper, at $25-$30 a pop, but I find my nails grow pretty quickly and if I want my gels to look their best, I'd need to be going in twice a month. $60 or £60, that's basically more than my iPhone bill a month. And since I don't have access to unlimited funds (sadly), it's a no go.

So I bit the bullet and purchased a SensatioNail system. So far, I love it. It comes with a nail cleaner, primer, top coat and two colors (one sample size and one full size). Luckily, you don't need much...a very small amount goes a very long way. I learned that the hard way when I packed on a bit too much, making it appear as though I had goop all over my nails.

The Led Lamp. It also makes your teeth and white clothes glow!

Everything you get

They're relatively easy to remove as well. I just filed over the top of them and then pushed them off with an orange stick. I soaked them in Acetone for a few minutes to get all the excess off and I was ready for a fresh manicure.

The whole system set me back £70, plus another £15 for a new color and £10 for some more cleanser. So...at about £100 that's three or four gels done professionally. After that it will start to pay for itself and actually save quite a bit in the long run.

The final product in Raspberry Wine

I will keep you updated on how long they last!