If you’ve been a long-time reader of Project Vanity, you might still recall when Liz used to do #ManiMondays. As a nail polish fan, I used to look forward to those posts because I didn’t know much about other brands besides local ones like Caronia, Bobbie, and Chic. Nowadays though, it’s rare to see Liz wearing any kind of nail color, and I get it. Manicures take time to do and need to be properly cared for - sporting chipped nail polish is the equivalent of having smudged mascara or eyeliner and not fixing it.

Gel manicures are a great option for people like me who want to be able to enjoy wearing nail polish and not worry about ruining them with everyday activities. Gel polishes are chip- and even scratch-resistant (to normal activity), and they stay super glossy even 3 weeks after initial application! To be honest, I wouldn’t have believed all these claims myself had I not been able to try them out at the newly opened Ayumi Japan Eyelash & Nail Art salon in Eastwood Mall.

A local franchise of the famous DOT1101 Salon in Japan, Ayumi is actually best known for their Japanese eyelash extensions, which use the exact same materials and techniques as in Japan. If you’ve seen Japanese actresses or tried any Japanese mascaras (like the cult-favorite Heroine Make), you’d know that the Japanese take their lashes very seriously and make the best treatments for them!

I skipped trying the lashes (for now) since it takes more time to do them, and I was mostly interested in their gel polish services. Even here, everything is from Japan to ensure top quality. Candy Hernando, Ayumi’s owner, tells me that the local technicians are also trained by their Japanese counterparts. So I settled into one of the cozy La-Z Boys and allowed myself to get pampered!

They have regular polish options as well as special gel formulations like Diamond and Titanium. The gel polishes can last for as long as a month, I was told, so I opted to try this for both manicure and pedicure. I also requested for silver glitter over the pink base color to add a bit of sparkle! It took about 2 hours to do both my hands and feet as each layer of polish needs to be cured using a LED lamp. Each exposure is only a few seconds long, and allows the polish to harden while maintaining a super shiny finish.

I went home admiring my perfect manicure, and marveled at how I didn’t need to worry about ruining the fresh application even as I rummaged through my purse. I washed the dishes, laundered some clothes, compulsively hand washed, and carried on with my normal activities to see how they would affect my nails. A piece or two of glitter would snag a bit and eventually came off, but you would never have noticed as the polish stayed completely intact. I even had to trim my nails because they were getting too long, and apart from the obvious nail growth, my manicure stayed shiny and chip-free! I took the photo below three weeks after I had them done!

I can definitely believe that gel polish could last for up to a month, but whether or not you would actually want to wear them for that long is a different question. My nails grow super fast, and the half inch of bare nail is very obvious. While waiting until I had time to go back to the salon, I decided to try removing them with some regular polish remover. The polish didn’t budge or even get smudged.

Ayumi uses soft gel formulas, which means that they are designed to be soaked off for removal. This makes them less damaging than hard gels, which need to be filed off from the nail. After using an emery board just to remove the glitter, a little foil packet was wrapped over my nails to soak the polish for 10 minutes. It’s much neater (and hygienic) compared to other places that use cotton and aluminum foil for removal. Obviously, this will make it difficult to use your hands to do anything, so better pop on your earphones and listen to the Project Vanity podcast while waiting.

This time, I asked for an ombre French tip inspired by my favorite nail artist, Betina Goldstein. It’s just clear gel polish with two tones from the same color family! I also got regular polish for my pedicure, and it has stayed shiny and chip-free even after 2 weeks of wear. So if you’re not ready to commit to using gels (which require a return trip to the salon for removal), Ayumi’s regular polishes might be a better option.

Another concern about using gel polishes is the need to use curing lamps to set them. Regular nail polishes just require air exposure to harden around the nail, while gels require exposure to UV light. Yes, it’s a much faster process with longer-lasting results, but that also means short but more intense (than normal) exposure to those skin-damaging rays. LED lamps also use UVA rays like the original UV curing lamps, though they cure in seconds rather than minutes. Body sunscreen is something you should ideally already apply everyday, so make sure to reapply a waterproof formula before getting your nails done. There are also gel polishes that don’t need to be cured with a lamp at all, but they honestly don’t last half as well as lamp-cured gel polishes do.

So, are gel polishes the answer to my quest for fuss-free nail color? Yes and no. I’m honestly still in awe of their ability to survive anything and everything - you would have to damage them deliberately for any kind of scratch or dent to form. It might lift a little from prolonged soaking in water, but it won’t chip unless you pick at it. However, it’s a bit of a hassle to need to have them removed professionally. If you can’t find the time for a salon appointment, you’re pretty much stuck them. I would definitely want to get these again though! If I had tried them for my wedding, I wouldn’t have needed to worry about fixing my chipped polish the night before.

Ayumi Japan Eyelash & Nail Art is at Eastwood City Walk 1 in Libis, Quezon City. They have other locations available, and their price list is viewable online. You can also contact them on Instagram to book your appointment.