Review: Vinylux Mani at Pyara

You guys, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I leave for Paris TONIGHT!! AHHHH!!! I don't have anything queued up for the rest of this week or for next week, but I do plan to be posting some photos and updates of what I've been doing, so please stop by my blog to check out my adventures!

Second, I wanted to announce the winner of my Bergamot giveaway...congrats to Elissa of Style Wire! I'll be in touch via email about your prize. :)
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Before I go, I wanted to share my experience with the new Vinylux manicure at Pyara Spa & Salon in Harvard Square. They invited me to try a complimentary mani so I could share the results with you all. I'd never tried Vinylux before so I was eager to see how it was different than regular nail polish. Vinylux claims to offer a week of wear with no chips, which sounded fantastic to me! Click through to hear more about my experience.

day one of my mani

I had never been to Pyara before even though it's right across the street from my office. It's a beautiful salon and very relaxing... I would definitely go back! I chose the color 'Rock Royalty' from Vinylux's fairly extensive shade chart which looked much more purple in natural light than it does indoors and in my photos. I thought it was a great fall color! 

My manicurist explained to me that the polishes need no basecoat and use a special topcoat that cures daily in the sunlight so it continues to harden and keep the polish from chipping or becoming dull. The lack of basecoat made the mani go a bit faster than one with regular polish, which is good for girls in a rush!

Two of my nails actually chipped a bit the same night I got them done, which was kind of a bummer, but overall, they did last for a week with mostly minor chipping. I usually get about 4-5 days out of OPI polishes and 5-6 days out of Essie, Chanel and Zoya polishes {always using a base and a top coat} before I repaint my nails, so I was pleased with the staying power of Vinylux. The most positive aspect of the Vinylux mani was that my nails stayed shiny for the full week without reapplying any topcoat - this is never the case for me when I paint my own nails or when I get them painted at a salon! They usually lose their shine after a day or two. The negative was that it seemed much harder to remove with regular nail polish that most polishes and took a bit of elbow work to get all the color off.

Here's how my nails looked after 8 days of wear:

left hand

right hand - my dominant hand

Overall, I would definitely get a Vinylux mani again - the cost was the same as a regular mani and the color selection and staying power was pretty good. I wouldn't pay more for a Vinylux mani or stick to it exclusively because I do like the colors that other brands offer, but I was pretty pleased with the results! Thanks to Pyara for giving me the opportunity to try and review Vinylux. :)