Anybody who knows me knows I luuuuuuuuuurve me some pretty nails. A little over two years ago, I splurged on an OPI GelShine kit from Sephora, and it’s turned out to be worth its weight in gold. Weekly manicures with no dry time, and up to ten days without a chip? Yes please!

The problem with my GelShine kit is this: it’s a pain in the ass to travel with. Also: each polish sets me back $21, which is a steal in comparison to a single CND Shellac with my nail girl at $40(ish) plus tip. (Sometimes, a girl has a to treat herself.)

Just before Easter, I visited a different salon for a CND Shellac service and left with the ugliest manicure I’ve ever had. EVER. I was torn between two colours and the esthetician suggested layering the lighter pink over the darker pink. “It’ll look gorgeous, I do it all the time,” she assured me.

SHE LIED.

It was bumpy and lumpy and didn’t even cover my whole nail. Even my male friends thought it was ugly. Frustrated, I took it off within 48 hours and silently berated myself for not busting out ol’ GelShine. And of course, I was in CB and didn’t have my box of polish or my GelShine kit. So I went to Walmart.

Anytime I buy polish, I reach for Essie but for some reason I felt drawn to the Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy. The shades were pretty, the price was amazing and the promise didn’t sound half bad. If I can get a full 24 hours out of a regular polish manicure, I’m happy. So far, I’m four days into Gel Envy and I’m officially in love.

I couldn’t choose a shade, but since each polish is under $7, I picked up three – Cardshark (a light, opaque pink), Beginner’s Luck (a sheer, shimmery pink) and Winning Streak (a vibrant lilac) – all great colours for spring. I also picked up the clear top coat. You don’t need a base coat as each shade contains base and colour in one – perfect!

Before I began, I wiped each nail with 100% acetone to ensure all of my god-awful shellac was gone, and gently buffed my nails.

Two coats of Winning Streak on my toes made for a gorgeous pedicure, while I added a third coat of Cardshark to my manicure to ensure full coverage (I think two coats would have done it). My favourite thing about Gel Envy? It dies super quickly! Yay! I finished with one layer of Diamond Top Coat and went about business as usual.

The application is fairly smooth, and the brush handle is easy to hold. My only complaint is that I found it hard to get the “right” amount on the brush – ending with either too much or too little – but I’m sure I just need a few more manis to get that perfected!

Four days in, I have very minimal chipping. Admittedly, my application was half-assed as I painted my nails in bed while watching a movie with an energetic five-year-old bouncing around.

Have a favourite polish? I’d love to hear about it!