L'Oreal Extraordinaire Gel-Lacque Gel-Color in All Shine On Me
(retail: around $7.99, 0.39 oz)
L'Oreal Extraordinaire Gel-Lacque 1-2-3 System Primer and Glaze
(retail: around $13.99, two 0.39 oz bottles)
Now I realize that both the Primer/Glaze and nail colors retail for less at other retailers, but at my CVS the Primer/Glaze duo retails for $13.99 and the nail colors retail for $7.99. There are 21 shades in the gel-color range, which you can view here.
My CVS safety-seals the heck out of certain products (which is awesome) but I didn't want to remove that packing tape before taking these photos, for fear of destroying the box.
IMPORTANT: Notice on the box above that the only claims this product makes are "perfectly shaped and volumized nails" and "rich, ultra glossy color". There are no "up to 10 days of wear" etc. claims on the box. In fact, no claims about wear at all.
All Shine On Me
I purchased the color All Shine On Me because, in the store, it looked like a very good dupe for the new Essie Spring 2014 Resort Fling Collection shade Under The Twilight.
Even though I was disappointed after noticing that the box makes no long-wear claims and only claims to give you "perfectly shaped and volumized nails" and "rich, ulta glossy color", I had to test this for wear. Because that's what "gel" polishes are known for, right?
Below are photos taken on each day of my testing period. I apologize for the color variance in these photos--I took some of these pics with my phone and I was more concerned with capturing the wear than representing color-accuracy, so some of these pics were intentionally blasted with light. The very last photo below is best representative of the actual color of this nail polish (and comparing it to Michelle's swatch of Essie Under The Twilight, it does seem like a nice dupe for that shade!).
One coat Primer, two coats gel-color, one coat Glaze
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Day Two: Still looking good. Shine level is same as day one. The little "chip" on my middle finger isn't actually a chip--it's just the reflection bouncing off the bottle. No chips or tip-wear on day two.
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I was never going to show you my left (dominant) hand because I've got some serious nubs going on right now (my nails break so quickly on my dominant hand). But when the severe chipping started to happen in the middle of day three, I had to show you. This only got worse as the day progressed, and the same thing started to happen on my right hand by the end of day three. For the record, I didn't do any heavy cleaning, gardening, etc. during my three day testing period. I did a lot of typing (as I normally do), loaded dishes in the dishwasher and did normal around-the-house types of activities, but nothing heavy-duty.
As you can see, this system did not give me a long-wear manicure. I have had much better luck with regular nail polishes used in combination with Orly Bonder (my holy grail base coat) and either Seche Vite or NYC Grand Central Station (my holy grail top coat). I've even had better results using no top or base coat at all, when it comes to certain polishes (Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear polishes and Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro polishes wear beautifully on me for 5-7 days even without top or base coat).
In terms of application, the Primer was average (no issues) and easy to apply but the gel-color I purchased was quite sheer and streaky on the first coat. I definitely required a second coat, and the second coat was a bit thick and goopy to apply. The Glaze does add volume to the actual nail (as promised) and it's thick in the way that Seche Vite is thick to apply (I actually love thick top coats so this was a good thing for me). Also, all three products dry very quickly after application, which is another bonus. Removal was extremely easy (just like a regular creme nail polish) using regular nail polish remover.
I have heard from several of you who have been using the Primer and Glaze with non-L'Oreal nail colors, with great results. I will certainly try this in the future and write a blog post if I find a winning combo.
FINAL VERDICT: The L'Oreal Gel-Lacque System makes absolutely no claims about extending the life of your manicure, and no promises of "up to ten days of wear" or anything like that. All that this system claims to do is give you "perfectly shaped and volumized nails" and "rich, ultra glossy color" so I must judge it based upon those claims. My nails did appear a bit more "volumized" due to the thickness of the Glaze (top coat), but nothing extraordinary (which is fine by me because I'm not after thick-looking nails). As for giving me "perfectly shaped" nails, I didn't see a change in the shape at all--just a slight change in thickness. I did experience "rich, ultra glossy color" but only for about 2-1/2 days before things went south. I'm disappointed that the word "gel" is used in the name of this product because I think, for some of us, that word implies that you're going to get a long-wearing manicure. But, again, I can't criticize this system for not giving me a long-wearing manicure since it never claimed to do so.
Do you own the L'Oreal Extraordinaire Gel-Lacque 1-2-3 System? If so, how has it been working for you? Have you tried using the Primer and Glaze with other brands of polish? And if so, what type of results have you experienced?
The products featured in this post were purchased with personal funds. For more information, click here.
WOW, only three days. No thank you. P.S. how did you fair with revlon gel shine? did you ever to a full main with there top and base coat??
ReplyDeletexoxo Joanna
good god my spelling. sorry :/
DeleteLol I understood what you were trying to say :) And I actually haven't tried the Revlon yet. I'm so lame!
DeleteI have been wondering about this set...it seems more like deceptive marketing to me
ReplyDeleteI was a bit bummed because I assumed incorrectly that long-wear was a claim. :(
DeleteThis was a kit I was planning to skip. I use gel polish about once a month if not more. But after the fact it didn't last more than 3 days. It's a skip for me. I know it doesn't promise wear time but for me personally I expect long wear!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I was really hoping for better wear, and I even prepped my nails beforehand, removing all oils with acetone, etc. :(
DeleteI also have this and have had very different results- mine lasted 8 days and still looked awesome (except for nail regrowth lol)! I haven't tried the base/glaze with any other brands but I also purchased the Rimmel gel-like color system and did not like the shiny top coat on other brands.
ReplyDeleteI an SO happy to know this worked so well for you!!! That's fantastic!! Thank you so much for sharing. :)
DeleteI think you just saved me about $20, thanks
ReplyDeleteWell it looks like it's working well for others, but maybe it's a body chemistry thing? I don't know, but if you end up trying, keep your receipt! :)
DeleteThis is a pass for me as well. First of all, for the price, I would expect longer results. Second, I agree that although it doesn't claim long wear, most consumers would expect/assume it would be. Thirdly, I can get longer results using regular nail polish too, just like you said, and the color selection was sort of boring in this line anyway. Thanks for your in-depth review, G!
ReplyDeleteYou are so welcome, Carol. I had such high hopes for this but it just didn't "like" my nails I guess. :(
DeleteTotally agree with you Carol, couldn't have said it better!
DeleteThanks for the review. I wondered if it really lasted longer than anything else. At that price I want it to be a sure thing!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! If you do eventually try it, just keep your receipt! ;)
DeleteI loved it! I work in retail, and my hands and nails take a beating! Super shiny and it did make my nails thicker. I will touch my nails up for week two!
ReplyDeleteThat's wonderful!! I'm so glad to hear it works for you!! I so wish I could say the same :(
DeleteI've noticed many brands throwing the gel name around without actually being UV cured. Seems to me it's just regular polish with base coat and a good top coat. I already have that.
ReplyDeleteThe polish itself does have more of a gel-like consistency than regular polishes, but I do think the key here is the top coat. I can't wait to try it on other brands... maybe I can get this to work for me in some way! :)
DeleteI am not impressed with these results but I do hope that you play around with other brands of polish with the base and top coat and let us know how you make out! I do love a thick looking top coat the way UV gels look and I can get them with a cocktail of top coats!
ReplyDeleteI definitely will, Robin! :) You'll be the first to know if I find a winning combo!
DeleteNot impressed. It's such a pretty eggplant color but the shine and the wear aren't so hot. It makes me love the NYC top coat all the more! Since I started using that I barely get any chipping or wear unless I'm doing something like repotting plants or forget to put gloves on while scrubbing the tub.
ReplyDeleteI also got much longer wear out of these - at least a week, and I generally remove normal nail polish after 3 days for chips. Looks like this one isn't going to be for everyone if seeking long wear, but it is definitely possible. I love how shiny they end up, and the super-fast drying time!
ReplyDeleteThat's fantastic!!! And I agree... super shiny and very fast dry-time!
DeleteI'll continue paying $25 for getting my nails professionally gel manicured with results lasting 2 weeks...I can't believe you haven't tried it yet!? It really is worth it!
ReplyDeleteI know, I'm so lame! Lol. But it's hard for me to commit to one polish for two weeks since I'm constantly reviewing/swatching polishes here for the blog. I think that's the ONLY reason I haven't tried it yet. :(
DeleteI've been loving this bc/tc combo with the accompanying polishes or other brands. I've been getting far better wear with these than anything else I've ever used. I've had manis last five days with minimal tipwear. I'm ready for a change by then, so I can't speak to longer than my five days. But I'm totally sold on this base and topcoat!
ReplyDeleteThis nail polish actually worked for me. I had it on for 14 days without any chipping. The difference is that I used Revlon's Colorstay base coat and top coat. Hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteCND the brand behind shellac offers a similar product called Vinylux. It's a base coat plus polish system that doesnt need a top coat. It's supposed to hard via uv rays from natural sunlight. I ordered a few days ago and can't wait to try it out. Bonus a lot of the color offered are dupes for their regular shellac gel colors.
ReplyDeleteDo you think the dry time might put this one in the gel like category? My biggest issue is waiting on the nails to dry. If it makes it super fast and I am able to go my own way withing 5 minutes that would make it worth it to me. After 3 days I want to change polishes anyway!
ReplyDeleteTry a quick-dry top coat like Poshe or Glisten & Glow HK Girl. I almost always do my nails a few minutes before bed and they are totally dry by the time I go to bed. Yesterday I did my nails while my husband went in the grocery store to get a few things, and they were dry when we got to our friends' house.
DeleteI can normally get 5 days of wear before I see any chipping and I can be pretty rough with my nails. Lately this and the sephora formula X kit have been my go to because I can have nice looking polish for a week minimum. Only downside is that this only works with the Loreal
ReplyDeleteOnly three says! Yikes!
ReplyDeleteI bought this kit the same day you started posting your nails on IG about it. I decided to wait for your review to finish to give it a try. I am probably going to return this kit :(
ReplyDeleteI gotta say, my results were phenomenal with this kit. I was quite skeptical to change my brand of UV free Gel Kit only because I've been doin them myself for close to 18 years. I work with my hands on a daily basis. I am a hands on Nurse and a part time mechanic. I've always used at home Gel UV free kit or at home Acrylic kits for one purpose. To Extend the life of polish. with typical polishing, 1-2 coats I'm usually picking at my nails by day three due to chipping, rubbing or wear. With my standby Gel kit, which requires any or no polish on top of the gel and a clear coat to seal, I'd usually get a good 5 days before rubbing on the tip of my nails occurred and about 7-10 days before I'd be dying to get it off. With this L'Oreal Kit, I'm already at day 5 and they look just as amazing as the day I applied it. I bought the dark gray color due to limited options at my local supermarket but I'm a french manicure queen so currently my nails are dark grey with pink sparkly tips (sally hansen) I topped off with a clear coat and. I. am. Impressed.
ReplyDeleteExcited to see how long it lasts.
I'm also going to start experimenting with othwe polishes as well as the step 1&3 by themselves.
A tip from a long time Gel user, consistency. If there's not an approximation of equal parts of base and set then you'll run into integrity issues. too hard, too soft, not sealing well... I know the step 3 is a little..goopy so don't go crazy with it. just let it sit barely across your nail, minimal brushing (like your polishing) and you should get much better results.
I am glad I read this before I opened the set I bought last night. $20+ was a lot to pay if I am not going to get better result so thank goodness for your review. I was looking at the new Sally Hansen gels but they didn't have a color I liked at Walgreens so I thought I would try the L'Oreal version on impulse. Looks like I will be getting a refund today!
ReplyDeleteI did find that it last better as a pedicure. Mine last for two weeks
ReplyDelete