I’ve grown my nails again! I have a very love-hate relationship with my nails. When I’m even a tiny bit stressed, they’re the first things to go. I nibble away at them until I have little stumpy 14-year-old-boy fingernails. Not too pretty. When they eventually grow again, I’m like a proud mum. I use a cuticle oil pen from Nails Inc. which I probably use more than an actual pen (worrying, considering I’m a student). I use ridge filler, base coat and top coat every single time I paint my nails. And then they chip, and I die inside.

I’ve got gel nails a couple of times in my life. Once was for prom – where they despaired at my chewed little fingernails and gave me acrylics as well for good measure, and once as a birthday present to myself on my 20th birthday when I was feeling a bit spontaneous. It took a long time, it was (usually) expensive, but it was worth it. No chips! Now, I’m not keen on spending money (as we know), so I went searching for a DIY version that was quick, easy, and most importantly, cheaper than a salon version. I scoured ebay, finding only slightly dodgy-looking kits with like 60 pots of glitter, a UV lamp, base and top coat for £70. I began to lose hope. But then one of my favourite shops on Earth came to my rescue. If you live in the UK, you might avoid Boyes, mainly because it’s just a bit random – you never know what you’ll find in there amongst the knitting patterns. I never, ever avoid Boyes, and I got lucky this time. I picked up this Technic Pro Gel Nails kit for £30. I was reluctant at first – £30 is a trip to the cinema and a pizza with my friends, or Broadband for a whole month. I don’t part with my cash lightly. But this kit comes with many advantages. For one thing, the two polishes that come with the kit are pretty colours. Like, really pretty.  They don’t have weirdly philosophical names. They’re just “Deep Red” and “Pretty Pink”. Simple. Another huge bonus is that these polishes don’t need a gel base or top coat. They work by themselves to give you up to 10 days of chip-free shine, and then they’re super easy to dissolve with gel polish remover. Which is also provided! Along with nail cleanser (necessary to remove oils from your natural nails). And, best of all, you get a cute little UV lamp that’s powered by mains electricity (I can never, ever find batteries when I need them). And look how shiny my nails are! That’s the whole point, really.