Ever since I discovered the wonders of Shellac manicures, I’ve been trying to find the best at-home alternative for soak-off gel polish manicure systems to cut back on the $50 salon service every two weeks. I came across this Red Carpet Manicure Pro Kit ($79.99 USD- there is also one for $59.99 USD so let’s take a closer look at this kit!
The entire kit comes nicely packaged in a single box and includes (almost) everything you need to get started right away (I’ll talk about this soon). All the elements are neatly placed in cardboard holders in the box to protect the different components (there are LED lights in the lamp and you wouldn’t want them to break in shipping)! Overall, the packaging is great and would be perfect for gift-giving too. Now, here is what is in the package:
Professional LED Light
Soak-off gel polish can be cured with either LED or UV light, but I prefer LED lamps because they cure much faster and the bulbs last longer. Very happy to see that Red Carpet Manicure opted for LED lights!
RCM Prep
This dehydrates the nail to promote maximum adhesion of the gel product to the nail. This product does not need to be cured under the lamp.
RCM Structure
This is the base coat gel. They recommend 2 coats, however I usually only do one coat and find it works very well. It is a lot thicker than most base gels I’ve tried from other brands, which makes it a bit more difficult to do a thin layer, but it works very well. This product needs to be cured for 30 seconds.
RCM Brilliance
This is the super-shiny top coat; literally it gives a gorgeous lacquered finish that lasts the life of your manicure… probably one of my favorite things about gel polish manicures is how shiny and brilliant they look! I do one layer of this product and cure for 45 seconds.
RCM Revitalize
After the nail has been cleaned with the RCM Purify, this nourishing cuticle oil is placed on the nail bed to return moisture to the nail and hydrate it again (the process can be quite drying to the nails)- it makes them look super healthy like a salon manicure. This product does not need to be cured.
RCM LED Gel Polish
This kit comes with Red Carpet Reddy, a beautiful red shade. Red Carpet Manicure has many different shades for sale (and even some limited edition ones) for $9.99 each. I do two thin coats of this polish and cure each layer for 45 seconds.
RCM Purify
This is the pre- and post-manicure cleanser. It cleans the nail to prepare for products before using RCM Prep, and also removes the tackiness from the nails after the entire manicure is finished.
RCM Erase
This is the acetone-based remover; after a few weeks your manicure will start to grow out, so you’ll want to take it off and re-do it (or if you’re like me and want to change the color all the time). To remove the manicure, you will first buff off the shiny topcoat with a nail buffer, then saturate a small piece of cotton and place it on the nail and wrap each fingernail with foil. Leave for 10-15 minutes, and when you remove it the gel will be dissolved and can easily be scraped off with an orange stick.
The entire process takes about 10-15 minutes and lasts at least 2 weeks. Your nails are instantly dry and hard after you’re finished- you can literally dig into your jean pockets or go and scrub dishes and your manicure will look absolutely perfect. The best part? You can totally put your own nail polish on top (I swear the gel manicure actually helps prolong the wear of regular polish too! I’ve gone 5-6 days without any chipping with regular nail polish on top), as long as you use a non-acetone nail polish remover to remove it afterwards. My only wish is that the lamp had a 30 second “beep” or something like that, but it’s really not that big of a deal since only one of the layers (the base coat) is cured for 30 seconds, and the rest cure for 45 seconds (the lamp automatically shuts off after 45 seconds).
The price is amazing, for less than the price of two salon Shellac manicures you can have your own at-home system that is good for probably about 15-20 manicures.
- Price: $79.99 USD for this kit ($29.99 USD for the must haves kit and $3.99 USD for the Accessories if you don’t own them)
- Availability: ULTA, Drugstore.com and other retailers
