Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy in Jokers Wild

Hey everyone!

I recently learned about the Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy nail polishes ($7.99). They seem to be fairly new. I tried looking up reviews and could not really find a lot, so I figured I might as well just give them a try myself. This is the first polish I picked up- Jokers Wild. I had been looking for a nice orange polish. All the names are casino related, which I think is super cute. The other two polishes I picked up, but have not had a chance to try, are Wild Card (bright blue) and Casino Light (neon yellow). See? Cute names!

I LOVE the look and durability of gel nails, but I really dislike having to soak them off with acetone and the hefty price tag that goes along with them. These Gel Envies do not need to be cured under a UV lap, and also do not need to be soaked off! Hallelujah! I think they still are not look as beautifully shiny or squishy looking as actual gel polishes, but for a cheaper and faster fix, they come preeettyyy close.

These still need UV light (so just the sun) to harden, though, so you should not store these nail polishes near direct sun light or high heat.  I read online that these polishes have a base coat already in them so you do not need to apply one; however, I did not want to chance stained nails, so I went ahead and applied a base coat, OPI Natural Base Coat, which did not interfere with the application of the Gel Envy polish. I applied 3 coats of Gel Envy.  The coats need to be fairly thick in order to become opaque. My first coat was way too thin, the second coat was thicker but still looked a little streaky, and the third coat finally covered the nail to my liking. Jokers Wild turned out to be a bit darker than the color in the bottle, which I didn't mind too much. These nails are with 1 coat of the top coat.

In order to get the gel look, you need to buy the Colorstay Gel Envy Diamond Top Coat. This is also cured with UV light (but you do not need a lamp!) and gives the polish a very glossy look. It also level out any bumps or bubbles that may have occurred in the color coats. I am actually a little skeptical about whether or not the color Gel Envy nail polishes are really necessary because the gel-like look seems to come more from the Diamond Top Coat. I may try the top coat with just a regular polish to see if the results are the same.

I am a little disappointed with the drying time. I felt like since this needed UV instead of just air to dry, it took a bit longer than what I am used to. In fact, after I had applied the color coats, let them cure, then applied the top coat, let that cure, I still managed to create a bit of a dent one of my thumb nails. I could have sworn the polish was dry! I was actually able to smooth out the dent slightly by gently rubbing the polish with my other thumb. The longer drying times might just be due to the fact that it really cloudy over here today. I have read that people typically found this polish a fast drier.

But! What I did really like about this is the smell is not as strong as many of the other traditional polishes I own. I sometimes find myself coughing from all the fumes after doing my nails. I also really like the brush! It's wide and applies the polish really smoothly and nicely to my nails.

Over all, I like this very much! I do not think it is an exact replacement for gel nails done under a lamp, but I am really happy with the results. Perhaps to get a more gelly look, I might apply 2 layers of the top coat next time. I cannot wait to try the other two polishes I own and if they are as nice as this one, I might consider buying more!

Let me know your experiences with this polish! Hope you enjoyed reading!