There is always debate about which nail polish is better, gel or regular. There are pros and cons to each. This post will dive into both and explain the benefits and the downsides.

Gel Nail Polish

Gel nail polish is preferred by many because it lasts much longer than regular nail polish. Generally you’re lucky to get a week of wear out of regular nail polish whereas gel will stay on up to 3 weeks. Gel nail polish is also much shinier than regular nail polish and the shine doesn’t dull throughout wear. However there are some downsides to gel nail polish. It tends to be more expensive. This is why I buy my gel nail polish on wish, but generally speaking, going to the store to buy gel nail polish, it will cost you about $9 a bottle. Some say that this cost is outweighed by the fact that you only have to paint your nails every few weeks as opposed to every few days. However, in order to get started with gel nail polish at home you are going to need a kit. The basic necessities would be a light, which looks like this:

and you’ll also need a top coat, and rubbing alcohol. That is the very basics, but most people like to also have a primer and a base coat as well as the specifically formulated cleanser and remover. This can get pretty pricey. A kit with all of this would cost you around $4o. The process of doing gel nails is also longer than regular nails. You start by buffing your nails, you then prime them to make sure they are clean for the polish. After that, you apply a base coat and cure it for 30 seconds in the light. Then you take your gel polish and apply as many coats as you see fit, curing for 30 seconds in between each. After you’re satisfied with the color you’re going to want to use your top coat to lock it in and increase the shine. Then you have to cure this for 30 seconds as well. After you’re all done with all of that you have to use a cleanser, I use rubbing alcohol instead because it basically does the same thing but it’s a little cheaper. And then you’re done. Now if this all seems a little much to you, there’s an easier option for you.

Regular Nail Polish

Regular nail polish is sort of self explanatory but let’s discuss the pros and cons. The pros would definitely be cost and the fact that the process is much quicker and easier. However, you are going to have to wait for your nails to dry, this is pretty inconvenient if you have other things you need to do because waiting for them to fully dry takes around half an hour. Also another con is the lack of shine, even with a nice top coat the shine dulls pretty quickly. Finally, the biggest con is wear-time. Generally with regular nail polish my nails are chipping that day or the next, but gel is specifically designed not to chip.

Now that you know the pros and cons it’s up to you to decide what works best for you.