Cosmar Quik Nails Brush-On Gel Nails Kit

           Well...this will probably be a kind of boring post. But I am still excited, because I finally put gel on my nails! I've been meaning to do it for a long time, to help strengthen my nails. I notice that they'll grow fine, but then bam...they crack for no reason. I was too scared though, because I did read that even if you're gentle and careful, nail enhancements ALWAYS ruin your nails in the end. 
         But today,  I saw a little crack in the corner of my thumbnail, and that pretty much made my mind up for me. I cut the crack off and then put the gel on. Here are my naked nails right before:

Sorry for the dry cuticles...no lotion or anything. :(

And here they are after:

I used Cosmar Quik Nails Brush-On Gel Nail Kit, and each nail has three coats of gel.

I bought the kit for three dollars, thanks to clearance and extra care bucks.

It does come with tips and glue, but I left that stuff alone because they scare me. I just washed my hands, dried them thoroughly, and starting applying the gel to my natural nails. I didn't buff beforehand because I have thin nails already, and I didn't want them thinning further. 

And this is to show how thick they ended up, which wasn't thick at all. 

    So far, I really like them! They were easy to put on, and it took me about thirty minutes to do all my nails. The gel was clear and thin, so my nails still look like mine, just way shinier and healthier. I also love how much stronger my nails are. They still have a bit of give though, which is good. The bad news is that some of them feel...ridge-y. Most of them are super slick and smooth, but a few of them have like vertical ridges. I think that's user error though...hopefully with practice, I'll get more consistent and nicer results.  The ridges are removable with a buffer, but I'm going to leave them there. Just when I put on polish, I'll use a ridgefilling base. 

  My plan is to wear the gel for a week, leave it off for a week, and then reapply it for the next week. By giving my nails frequent breaks and not buffing them, I'm hoping to grow my nails out without weakening them.  But we'll see how that works out. 

 I'm leaving my nails colorless for today, so I can keep an eye on them and see how they hold up. I still have to finish my hair, and that's generally the ultimate test, because there're mad steps involved and my nails can take a bit of a beating from the process. But I'll have something on for tomorrow. 

And that's all I've got on this glorious Saturday evening. I hope everyone's having a fun and thoroughly productive weekend! ^_~

ETA: LOL, my nails are no moah. I went to go rinse the conditioner from my head, and after I was done, I found these:

Ring Finger

Index Finger

I wasn't rough at all either, but what else should I expect from a $10 marked down to $3 kit? LMAO. 

Since I can't return the kit (clearance, plus I bought it ages ago), I'm just gonna soak these two off and replace them. My other fingers still look good, so hopefully, they'll be fine for the week.