Let’s Hear It For Gel Manicures!! Yeee Haaaa!

I am a girly girl. I love pedicures and manicures! I love spa days and well, all things girly girl!
Since I hang out with the now Six YEAR Old Alice during the week manicures are basically a waste of money because I will chip my polish off within hours. Happens every-single-time! So then I started getting gel manicures. LOVE them! LOVE gel because I really do get a month of wear. Except, well, I’m cheap. So it has to be a special occasion before I get a gel manicure. Hey! The kid and I have other stuff we want to do! Like movies, painting, and going out to lunch together!

Enter the do-it-myself gel manicure! Now, in the beginning, it’s going to be a little on the pricey side with the polish: base, color, and top coat. Then add in the lamp to cure the polish. BUT!! In the long run you are going to save so much money!! The fact that my daughter does her nails as well, means the supplies paid for themselves very quickly!

My GEL MANICURE Hints and Tips!

Do yourself a favor and get a GOOD UV Nail lamp. Getting a good UV lamp that’s large enough to put your entire hand in, is important and cuts down time because you don’t have to do your thumbs separately. It’s a little thing but it does cut off time. (I know… I am very impatient! But I have to store up my patience for the 6-year-old!)

Shape your nails and push back your cuticles before you polish! However, if at the end of week one or two don’t be afraid to file your nails with the gel polish on, just add a light coat of gel top coat to make sure the polish is sealed around the tips of your nails.

This UV lamp is one of the best I’ve ever used and I’ve had several!! This one from Anself has made all the others pale in comparison. First, it is sturdy, well-built without being heavy. The lamp has 4 different timer modes. 15, 30, 60 and 90 second modes. The base plate slides out for pedicures but I found my foot fits in without having to remove the base plate.

The lamp remembers the previous timer setting so as soon as your hands or feet make contact with the base plate the lamp comes on. Super easy to use!!!!! I can fit my entire hand (yup, thumb too) inside the machine at the same time. I LOVE that feature!!
I tried my hand at a French Tip, not too bad I’ll get better with more practice. Loving the red on my toes though!
I love, love, love this machine. The inside does not get hot. Your hand stays cool while the polish cures. Thoroughly and totally loving this lamp!!

If you are worried about the UV just grab a pair of fingerless gloves like I use and no muss no fuss protection or use a heavy duty sunscreen. 

Base coat. Make sure it’s a GEL basecoat. A thin even layer, cure for 90 seconds. For me the extra cure time makes all the difference in how long the polish lasts.

Color again, (remember the bottle should say gel color, light cured or something to that effect). Cure after each coat is applied.

Top coat. Cure 90 seconds in the UV lamp. Now, it may not need it; however I always let my final coat go two rounds of the 90 second curing. It may not need it but, like I said my color lasts a month without peeling or chipping so I’m going to continue with what works for me.

Wipe off the final coat with a good polish remover to take off any sticky residue and your nails will immediately be strong, super shiny and beautiful!!

Since it only takes a few minutes you have no excuse not to add additional top coats to your manicure when you have obvious grow out. It will make the whole manicure last that full 30 days!!

Now instead of sitting at the nail salon I can splurge for a new color of polish! Check out my next purchase!! Is that red glitter amazing or what?! Even the light pink is soooo pretty!!

WHINES

Nope. I love having my nails and toes done. I can do it myself much cheaper AND at 1 a.m. when I can’t sleep. Let’s see you do that at a salon!! (Well, and not get carried off by the Po-Po for breaking and entering!) This lamp is perfect for me!!
What’s YOUR favorite pampering activity!?

[ReviewDisclaimer]

Updating my blog’s SEO has officially entered the same category as cleaning behind the refrigerator. Necessary. Noble. Slightly horrifying. 🧹✨

Because nothing says “fun afternoon” like opening a five year old post and discovering half the images have vanished, three links lead to businesses that now exist only in memory, and somewhere deep in the code lives a font choice I definitely made during a caffeine spiral.

Welcome to my glamorous life.

Recently, I decided it was time to “freshen things up.” You know, a light polish. A little dusting.

Instead, I uncovered what I can only describe as The Ghost of PBnWhine Past.

This sneaky little phantom floats through my blog at night deleting pictures like a Victorian librarian with a grudge.

“Oh, you liked that step by step craft tutorial with helpful photos?”
Poof. Gone.

“That product review with beautifully staged shots?”
Vanished into the ether.

Now posts look like:

Step 1: Do the thing
Step 2: [image missing]
Step 3: Trust me

Very helpful. Ten out of ten. No notes.

And don’t get me started on the links.

Nothing keeps you humble like clicking a reference and landing on:

Error 404: This business has retired to Florida.

Apparently half the companies I worked with have closed, rebranded, or transformed into something called “Crypto Spoon AI Wellness Collective.” Time is wild.

So here I am, updating old posts like an archaeologist with Wi-Fi. Replacing images. Fixing links. Adding keywords. Whispering sweet nothings to Google like, “Please notice me. I have snacks.”

It’s not glamorous work, but it does make the blog faster, prettier, and easier to find. Which means more crafts, more reviews, more giveaways, and fewer digital tumbleweeds rolling through the pages.

Speaking of goodies…

While you’re visiting, check the sidebar for the current giveaway at
👉 https://peanutbutterandwhine.com

Because nothing pairs better with freshly polished SEO than free stuff.

And since we’re sharing treasures… have you tried Freebie Flow yet? It’s basically a treasure chest of random freebies and wildly discounted finds. Use code PBNWhine10OFF for 10% off:
👉 https://freebieflow.com

Also, please tell me you’re using Rakuten. Getting paid to shop feels delightfully rebellious, like cookies before dinner but financially responsible:
👉 https://www.rakuten.com

So if you see me muttering at my laptop and chasing imaginary ghosts with a broom made of metadata, just know I’m not losing it.

I’m “optimizing.”

Which is blogger for: battling invisible spirits, resurrecting broken links, and bribing search engines with fresh content.

Totally normal behavior. 😄