Nails Inc Gel Effect Polish

I had heard so many rave reviews about the new Gel Effect Polish from Nails Inc, but they don't do them in my local Brown Thomas in Galway, (at least I don't think they do, correct me if I'm wrong), so when I was in Sephora I decided I'd pick one up because it was convenient. There was some really nice shades to choose from, but in the end I opted for a colour I always do. Green. Well, Soho Place to be more precise. It cost 14 dollars, so just over 10 euro, which is the most I've ever spent on a nail polish in my life, so I was really really hoping for amazing results as I know so many popular beauty bloggers love them. I'm afraid I don't share the same love for them though. The idea of the Gel Effect Polish is fairly obvious. It claims to offer a high shine glossy finish akin to a gel manicure, without the need for UV lamps and having to soak it off afterwards. This all sounds good in theory, but it just didn't do it for me.

Why? Well first off all, to me there didn't seem to be much of a 'high shine'. I applied two coats like I do with every other nail polish, and granted there was some shine, but not as much as I would expect there to be for a polish that is meant to give the same effect a manicure that was done by a professional in a salon. I also expected it not to chip that easily. If it lasted 3 days at a minimum I would have been happy. Well, I applied it on a Thursday, and by the afternoon on Friday it was chipped. And not just one or two tiny ones, I could have dealt with that. Nope, they were fairly big chips on quite a few of my nails, which was very disappointing. But then the time came for removal. I'm lazy and don't use a base coat much, and some polishes do stain my nails but I have never suffered staining as bad as I have with this polish. My nails were a horrible green/grey colour, and I instantly covered my nails with another polish so people wouldn't think I was dirty and never washed my hands.
Overall I am so disappointed with these. I know they advise on the website to use a base and a top coat, which really I don't understand, as surely the formula itself is strong enough to warrant not needing either? That all said, I won't be purchasing anymore of them, and will be sticking with my trusty Barry M Gelly Hi-Shines in the future!

Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx