Zoya Gelie-Cure: All it's cracked up to be?

As someone with fragile nails and a penchant for growing them long, I'm always on the lookout for ways to strengthen them. I've heard great things about overlays and clear dips, but before taking the plunge, I wanted to try something a little more beginner-friendly. For this reason, Zoya's new Gelie-Cure system instantly appealed to me. What exactly is Gelie-Cure, you may be asking? Zoya describes it as a "demi-gel" that is easier to apply and remove than traditional gel, but with many of the same benefits. I was sold! I grabbed the travel kit during the Thanksgiving weekend sale, prepared to be blown away by the results, and... well, let's just say that I was not impressed. I haven't touched the kit in a couple of months, but I'm trying Gelie-Cure once more in an attempt to ascertain whether my initial experience was the result of user error or product failure.

The first step to any Gelie-Cure mani (after washing your hands, of course) is the application of the Rescue Serum, which is massaged into the nails to moisturize, strengthen, and repair damage. (I am skeptical of these claims and worry that the moisture may affect the longevity of the final result, but I'm trying to follow the instructions as closely as I can.) Zoya advises that a pea-sized amount split between all ten fingers is sufficient. I admit that I may have been ever-so-slightly too generous with it, which Zoya indicates may lead to lifting. However, I did allow the serum to soak in completely before moving onto the next step. 

Next up is the Repair Base, which is said to lock in the Rescue Serum and provide a smooth, ridge-filling base for the next step. It's fairly straightforward: apply like a normal base coat, making sure to cap the tips and avoid the cuticles. It's a little thin, but nothing that most people won't be able to handle, though I will say that the tiny brush of the travel-sized bottle can be a bit hard to maneuver. All told, I had no issues with this step. 

Now, it's time for the star of the show: Naked Gelie. I have a major bone to pick with this stuff. Not only is the formula much thinner than I was anticipating, but the brush is one of the worst I've ever seen. It's supposed to be a wide brush, but since this is a travel-sized bottle, it ends up being larger than a standard thin brush but smaller than a standard wide brush. This makes it awkward to cover the nail without overloading it with product. This happened to me MANY times. A quick tip: pop your nails under the LED lamp for a second to spot any cuticle flooding and remove with an orange stick or angled brush with acetone. Make sure to cap your tips as well.

Here's what the USB-powered LED curing light looks like in action. Nail rave, woot woot! Despite its funkadelic appearance, this step is akin to watching paint dry... literally. I promise that my application was much more even than this photo makes it look. The lamp has a built-in 60-second timer, so over-curing (if that's even possible) is pretty hard to do. Under-curing, however, can be achieved if you are an idiot like myself. I kept checking out my nails for a few seconds at a time to scope out any errant Gelie and remove it, so I assumed I didn't need to sit for the full minute when it came time to cure. I was proven wrong by smudges and marks in my half-baked Gelie. They put that timer in for a reason, people. Please do as I say, not as I do... 

Here it is after curing. Oooh, shiny! (Yes, my nails really are that yellow and translucent. No, I'm not happy about it either). You could stop here after wiping with Clear Shine and a lint-free pad, but Zoya advertises the "2-10-2" or "sandwich" method. This consists of all the steps thus far, plus some colored polish and an additional layer of Gelie. Zoya promises gel-like shine and a wear time of 7-14 days when following this method. To give it a fighting chance at lasting that long, I used a Zoya polish (Midori, one of my favorites) as my color of choice. I probably should have gone for something with a better formula, as Midori is quite finicky and requires 3 coats for full coverage... but who could resist that pretty golden green?

And here is the finished result. Is it shiny? Sure, but not any more so than the Seche Vive topcoat I usually use. In no world is this comparable to the look of a fresh set of traditional gel, but by no means does it look bad. 

And now for the wear test. How far did I get before it chipped? Just under 24 hours! The corner of my right middle nail began to peel following a hot shower. Yes, hot water and nail polish are not friends, but shouldn't something that touts itself as a long-wearing gel alternative be able to stand up to a 15-minute shower? It's not even like I was using my nails to scrub my scalp or anything. This is exactly why I stopped using Gelie-Cure after the first couple of times. A regular manicure prepped with dehydrator and consisting of Orly's Bonder base, a Zoya color, and Seche Vive topcoat will last me at least 5 days before significant chipping occurs... so why should I ever use this? Maybe I'll try it again someday minus the Rescue Serum, which I believe is the culprit. Until then, though, I'll be sticking to my normal routine: much less labor-intensive and much longer-lasting.

And until next time... peace out!