Meet-And-Greet with Jennifer Lynn at Tips and Toes

I've been seeing this tarp about Gel Polishes on Tips and Toes Greenbelt for quite a while now. And I can't help but wonder "What do these gel polishes look and feel like?" They must be ooey, gooey, and soft. Definitely not the best nail polish for me since I'm pretty careless with my hands. In fact, I can't even make my nail polish last for more than a week!

I recently got a complimentary mani/pedi session courtesy of Jennifer Lynn at Tips and Toes Greenbelt. Finally, I got to see for myself what these gel polishes are actually like.

Tips and Toes is probably one of the first and oldest nail salons on this side of Makati. Up to now, they're still alive and kicking in the nail spa industry despite the emergence of hipper nail salons in the metro. It's because their rates are competitive, service is great, and they have a bunch of friendly and skilled nail technicians to boot. They've built a good following amongst it consumers, that's why they're still holding their ground in the nail salon industry. IMO, the place is pretty old, and people might be more attracted to brighter and bubblier nail salons out there. As for me, I'm after the service and affordability. :)

Choose from their wide array of nail services and packages.

Apart from nail services, they also offer eyelash extensions, facial parrafin, massage, nail art, and waxing services too :)

I'm not the best person to ask about nail polishes because as you can see, I don't feature enough nail polishes and nail art tutorials in my blog. For one, I'm not fond of wearing nail polishes. Secondly, I don't have awesome- looking nails because I bite them. But right now, I'm more motivated than ever to take care of my nails. I think I've neglected them long enough! Expect to see nail spa and nail polish reviews soon!

For nail aficionados out there, you should give these gel polishes a try!

Contrary to my perception, these gel polishes are not soft at all! They look pretty soft in pictures, but in reality, they feel more solid than traditional nail polishes! Check out the nail plate featuring all the shades from Jennifer Lynn's UV Gel Polish line. The shades are all available at Tips and Toes.

Application is much different than how you'll apply regular nail polish. I've documented my whole experience here. So read on, and enjoy! :)

FIRST STEP: Your nails will be cleaned first, then the nail technicians will apply the following in order: Bonder (middle; First one) Base Coat (on to the left of Bonder; second one), and Top Coat (on to the right of Bonder; after the nail polish)

Jennifer Lynn's friends, Jade and Norah. :) (aka 'colored polishes')

Nail Technician applying BONDER. It lets the rest of the gel polishes adhere to my nails.

After the Bonder, you have to bake your nails in UV light for 3-5 minutes to let it dry quickly.

Nail technician applies Base Coat.

After the Base coat, you have to bake it again in UV light. You have to repeat this baking process layer per layer. Why? Because that's how it is. Haha. :p Kidding aside, I think it's because the nail polishes were formulated for UV light drying. UV light is even used in dental procedures to hasten the recovery of open wounds from any dental surgeries, and speed up the drying process of teeth fillers and the likes.

Anyway, after 5 minutes of baking, the layer magically becomes dry and solid. I was even hesitant to touch my freshly- baked nails for fear of messing them up, but my nail technician challenged me to scratch something just to prove that these gel polishes are one of the best inventions in the planet. I scratched my head and true enough, the polish DID NOT CHIP! Uhmazing....

Same procedure was done to my feet.

Here's NORAH, a beige shade with olive undertones.

And JADA is a mint green shade.

One of my nail technicians said that the gel polish can last up to three weeks without chipping. And if my nails grow, the gel polish will expand to cover my nail growths. Kewl.

Manicure+Jennifer Lynn UV Professional Nail Polish- P650.00

Pedicure+Jennifer Lynn UV Professional Nail Polish- P750.00

*Currently, Tips and Toes offers the cheapest UV Pro Gel Polish services in the Greenbelt area

Manicure+Pedicure application time: 1 1/2- 2 hours

Jennifer Lynn UV Professional Gel Polish maintenance:

1. Don't apply regular top coats to restore luster. If the color becomes dull, just rub your nails on your clothes and voila! Your polishes are looking shiny and new again.

2. Don't attempt to remove with acetone because you will just fail. Haha. I was advised that the gel polishes can only be removed by a special remover. If you want to change your nails' color, make sure that your preferred nail salon has a gel polish remover. Or better yet, go back to where you got your gel polishes.

Albeit pretty expensive, I still think these gel polishes are still worth it because in the long run, it's going to save you a good amount of time from retouching your chipped polish. But it's something I'd have on my splurge sessions. But if you can afford to spend on mani/pedi services, indulge with Jennifer Lynn UV Professional Gel Polishes.

How about you? Have you ever tried UV Gel Polishes? What are your thoughts?