Review: No-Rub Power Gel Polish Remover For Stubborn Dark Polish & Nail Art/Glitter

So I'm super lazy and hate having to scrub my nails to get polish off. We all know glitters can be a bitch to get off, but I even have trouble with really dense shimmers. So the idea of a gel where I can just put it on and then wipe my polish off is something I'm all about. It seems like this stuff is all the rage in the polish community right now and I had to try it for myself! Sounds awesome, but does it actually work? Let's find out!

There are two formulas of this gel available: one for glitter/nail art and one for dark polish.

The whole thing sounds like a gimmick-y idea but I was curious. Thankfully, they only set me back three bucks and some change each at Walmart, so I wasn't gonna be devastated if I didn't like it. If you don't have a Walmart in your area, it's also available online via No-Rub's website, but the price is twice as much--still not super expensive though.

To use the gel, dip your fingers in one at a time. (You can, however, have the remover soaking on all five fingers at once. You don't want to dip them all at once, though--if that makes sense.) The gel is thick but still prone to dripping, so you'll want to have some sort of drop cloth handy and make sure you keep your fingers away from furniture, clothes, etc. while the gel soaks. I experienced a noticeable cooling sensation when I had the gel on my nails, but it was not uncomfortable or irritating at all. I've read other reviews that said the cooling sensation was painful or made their fingers feel numb, so keep in mind that some people appear to be sensitive to this gel.

Let it set for 45 seconds to a minute for the dark polish formula or 4 minutes for the glitter one. The polish will start to bubble up and sort of break down. I took this picture really quick, so it's not the best example, but hopefully you get the idea.

The directions recommend removing the polish using a paper towel, and while that works fine, I've found a piece of felt is the easiest and the least messy. But DON'T use cotton balls or cotton pads--they get all gummed up and messy. To remove the polish, simply press down on your nail with a folded piece of paper towel or a piece of felt and then wipe away.

I sometimes had some extra polish left over right around the edge of nail bed, especially when removing glitter, so I had to go back and clean that up with some regular polish remover. However, I never experienced any staining, even with darker polish.

I've tested both formulas and I can't see much of a difference between the two, other than the glitter gel is pink. But perhaps the glitter one is more potent? Either way, they work equally well and other than the difference in soaking time, usage instructions for each are the exact same. 

One con I wanted point out is that you will NEED to wash your hands with soap and water after this, as the gel leaves a little bit of a sticky residue behind. I normally rinse my hands with just water after using traditional remover, but that wasn't enough to get the slimy feeling from the gel off. It was just fine after some soap though.

Other than that, I was very impressed with how well these gels worked! Cleaning the gel off your hands afterwards can be a little messy, but I still loved how easy it was to remove polish. It's quick and easy, with no scrubbing whatsoever and no prepping necessary--just dip, wait and wipe away. Really cool stuff!

 Have you tried either of these removers yet? I'd love to hear how they worked for you!