Turn Any Polish into Gel Polish with Gelibility

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Hello Loves.  As you know, I have been desperate to get my hands on a linear holographic gel polish.  I have a fun product to show you today that has ended my search.  Gelibility is a gel polish system that allows you to turn any regular nail polish into soak off gel polish.  Sounds too good to be true, right?  Well, it is true.  Not only does it work, but I put it to the test. :)

What exactly IS Gelibility?  Gelibility is a soak off gel system that comes with a base gel called Stick It! and a mixing gel that doubles as a top coat called Fix It!  You also get the cute little mixing tray pictured above.

How does it work?  It really couldn't be much easier.  You start by mixing equal amounts of your favorite polish and Fix It! in the mixing tray.  The instructions say to use the polish brush to mix and apply the mix to the nail so that you don't accidentally franken your bottle of Fix It!  I found that about 6 drops of polish to an equal amount of Fix It! will do one hand.  Once your mix is ready, the rest is basic gel polish application.

1. Prep the nail for the base coat
2. Apply a thin coat of Stick It! to the nail and cure for 120 seconds UV or 60 seconds LED.
3. Using the polish brush, apply a thin layer of your mix.  Cure for 120 seconds UV or 60 seconds LED.
4. Apply a second coat and cure again.
5. Apply a third if needed and cure.
6. Apply a thin layer of Fix It! as the top coat.  Cure for 120 seconds UV or 60 seconds LED.
7. Cleanse the tacky layer with gel cleanser or 90% isopropyl alcohol.

Ok, ok...I know what you're thinking.  Is it really that easy?  How does it wear?  Does it feel like a traditional gel polish?  What about removal?  Don't worry.  I've got you covered.

First, let's take a look at my Gelibility manicure.  I decided to use one of my favorite holographic polishes for fall - Girly Bits Aulds Lang Wyne.  This is a gorgeous wine colored holo with a strong linear effect.

Want to see the Gelibility version?  Of course you do.  As you can see, the linear holographic effect is still quite pronounced.  Mixing the polish with the gel did dilute the color and effect a little.  I ended up doing three coats to bring the polish back to its original depth.

I realize that I didn't take those two photos in the exact same pose, so here's another shot of the Gelibility version that shows the linear holographic effect a little better.  See, its still there!

Finally, here's a side by side comparison between Auld Langs Wyne and the Gelibility version.  You can see that linear effect is reduced a bit when mixed with the Gelibility, but it's still linear enough for me!  The unaltered Auld Langs Wyne swatch has a layer of top coat to make it a fair comparison.  ;)

Now that you've seen the results, let's talk about application.  There are a few things I should note.

• First, the mix ends up being quite thick and doesn't really feel like your average gel polish.  It applies ok and leveled ok, but it just felt a little different.  
• Second, the mix will start to dry out so you have to work quickly.  I found that mixing one hand at a time is the best bet.  When I mixed for two hands, the mix was way too thick and goopy by the time I made it to the second hand.  I ended up tossing it and remixing for the second hand.  Also, be sure to position the tray so that it is well away from your lamp to avoid accidental curing.
• Third, you might want to toss the little mixing tray.  I found it very difficult to clean.  Mixing on a piece of foil is much easier since you can just ball it up and toss it when you're done.  ;)
• Finally, while Gelibility recommends using the polish brush to mix and apply, I would use a gel brush instead if you have one.  If not, use an old polish brush if you plan to use the polish again as a regular polish.  Putting the brush with the uncured gel mix on it back into my polish bottle just doesn't sit well with me.  I worry about allergic reactions to the gel if I use the polish again without mixing it.

Let's move on to the wear test.  Immediately following application, the cured gel mix felt a little springy.  It wasn't wet or even dentable, but it did feel...rubbery...maybe?  I'm not really sure how to describe it.  I found that this feeling disappeared a few hours later and the gel mix was quite strong.  I put the mix through my regular 2 week wear test on my Cinderella hand.  You know, the hand that I am horrible about neglecting and tend to beat up much worse than my photo hand.  I'm happy to report that it wore really well.  At 13 days it was still going strong and tip wear was minimal.  The shine stayed strong too.  I did pick up a tiny chip on the corner of my index nail on the 14th day, but that was at the two week mark so we don't have to count it.  ;)  You can see it in the photo below.

You know what comes next.  Removal.  I buffed the shine and used my Nail Mates for my removal.  I'm happy to report that while the removal did take a bit longer than my average soak off, the gel/polish mix soaked off clean.  My removal took 25 minutes.  The first photo is before buffing.  The second shows where I buffed to remove the shine.  The bottom left shows the gel immediately after removing the soak off caps.  The bottom right is after I pushed off the bits of gel and applied cuticle oil.  I was able to push them off gently with my thumb nail, so that's a plus. 

So, there you have it!  You really CAN turn regular polish into a two week soak off gel polish manicure with Gelibility.

One more thing before we call this one a wrap.  Several people recently asked if I have tried mixing regular polish with soak off gel top coat to turn it into gel polish.  I have read about that method and I have heard that it works.  However, I have not personally tried it and I don't think I will.  Here's why:  I'm not a chemist.  I don't know what goes into the Gelibility formula that makes it work the way it does with regular polish.  I don't know if regular gel top coat would work the same way.  I do know from working with pigments that mixing them into a gel top coat can cause curing issues.  Some pigments such as those made from iron oxides will prevent the gel from curing at all.  I also know that improperly cured gel can lead to painful contact dermatitis.  I'm personally not willing to risk it.  I'll stick with Gelibility for my holographic gel polish fixes until a holo gel polish is available.  :)

Want to try Gelibility for yourself?  You can buy the Gelibility starter set on Amazon. You can also purchase the set or the individual components directly from Gelibility's website.  :)

~Michelle

*The Gelibility system featured in this post was provided by Gelibility for my honest review.  This post uses Amazon Affiliate links.  Purchases through these links generate commissions that help fund this site.