If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you might already know that I recently purchased a new toy… the Gelish 18G LED lamp! It’s been on my wishlist for a very long time, and I finally broke down and bought it. The price tag is a little steep and is what kept me at bay for so long, but now that I have it I’m not sure how I survived without it!
I originally started out with the Thermal Spa UV lamp, which is a great lamp at a very reasonable price. I used it for about 2 years and never had to change the bulbs, so it served me well. The 2 minute cure time was the only downside. I almost always apply 3 coats of color, and with a base and top coat I would have to cure each hand 5 times for 2 minutes each time. This lamp does fit both hands, but I always ended up doing my hands one at a time anyway. Then I upgraded to the Gelish Mini Pro 45 lamp, which cures the polish in just 45 seconds, but it only does four fingers at a time, so I had to cure my thumbs separately.
The 18G lamp fits all 5 fingers at once and the curing times are lightning fast! It only takes 5 seconds to cure the foundation, 20 seconds for lighter colors, 30 seconds for darker colors and 20 seconds for the top coat. Oh yea!! So now it only takes up to 2 minutes to cure each hand instead of 10.
This lamp is pretty high tech. It has 3 buttons on the back where you can set it to cure for 5, 20 or 30 seconds. It has a motion detector and detects when you slide your hand or foot into the opening and automatically turns on. It has a little shield that you slide down over your hand to keep the light inside the lamp and from blinding you. The lamp beeps when it turns on and off, so if you aren’t paying attention you know when it’s done. I usually watch TV while I’m doing my nails so this is nice.
The bottom plate is magnetic and pulls right off for easy cleaning. Below is a picture of the inside with the bottom plate pulled off.
I read in some reviews that people complained about the length of the power cord, but this lamp has the longest cord of all the lamps I’ve tried/owned. I think the biggest downside is that the lamp doesn’t have an on/off switch, so you have to unplug it if you want to completely turn it off. It also gets a little warm when in use, but not to the point of being uncomfortable.
I’m completely in love with this lamp. It’s going to make swatching so much faster and easier… I feel a swatch-a-thon coming on! If you’ve been debating about whether to buy it, my recommendation is “JUST DO IT!!”