For a year, I had exclusively gel (or shellac) manicures. I blogged about the subject here.
I loved the durability. It was nice to leave on a long business trip and not worry about chips.
Not having to sit and wait for polish to dry (and then still managing to smudge a nail after, like, ten cycles at the dryer) was terrific.
The color choices at my neighborhood nail salon were great too.
But then it stopped working for me. After five or six days, the polish would lift off the edge of a few nails, like it hadn’t completely bonded. Or it would chip.
If I were in town, the salon would do a fix for free, but too often I’d be traveling when it happened. I began finding it hard to justify the price of a gel manicure when the service only lasted as long as a basic manicure.
The manicurist would tell me she had to cut my nails because they were so thin.
So we’re on a break. At least until my next long trip.
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OneChicklette 
So pretty, but yes, hard to justify the expense when I know it won’t last even as long as when I use cheap polish and distractedly paint my nails while watching TV.