This is a salon-style product for people set up to cure gel polish at home or in a salon, meaning anyone with (or willing to buy) a UV/LED lamp and the supporting GelColor system products. It's a poor fit for someone who just wants to paint their nails and walk away, since without a lamp the polish will not cure or dry at all.

The differentiator is durability through chemistry rather than through a thicker coat of the same kind of lacquer: because the color layer is a UV/LED-curable gel rather than a solvent-based polish that dries by evaporation, it hardens into a flexible, chip-resistant film that holds up for weeks instead of days, at the cost of needing a lamp and a proper removal process instead of just polish remover.

Prep and clean nails, then apply OPI Bond-Aid pH-balancing agent. Apply the GelColor base coat and cure 30 seconds under a UV/LED lamp, then apply two thin coats of I Cannoli Wear OPI, curing 30 seconds after each coat. Finish with GelColor Super Gloss Top Coat and cure 30 seconds, wipe away the tacky surface layer with N.A.S. 99 cleansing solution, and massage cuticle oil into the nail and surrounding skin. A UV/LED lamp is required at every cured step; this product will not set on its own.

Pros:

• Genuine gel durability (up to 3 weeks) rather than the few days typical of air-dry lacquer
• Intelli-Brush applicator is designed to reduce cuticle flooding and streaking compared with a standard flat brush
• HEMA-free formula, relevant to people who've developed sensitivity to HEMA in other gel systems

Cons:

• Cannot be used without a UV/LED lamp; there is no air-dry option with this product
• Full system (Bond-Aid, base coat, top coat, cleanser) needs to be purchased or already on hand for correct application and removal
• Soak-off removal (typically with acetone wraps) is more involved than simply wiping off lacquer with remover