Wet 'n' Wild 1 Step Wonder Gel

Let's just call this a Throwback Thursday post, as it will include a mani I wore at the end of January, weeks before the big trip that I just caught up on all my NOTDs from. Today's focus is the new-ish Wet 'n' Wild 1 Step Wonder Gel line, which is yet another "gel without a light" offering from a mainstream brand. The selling points here are a) it's only one step, without the need to buy a matching topcoat like other "no light gel" lines, such as Sally Hansen Miracle Gel, and b) low price for a gel-like polish, $4.99.

The first shade I chose to try from this line was Lavender Out Loud, which I picked because it seemed like a good basic dusty lilac creme. Since the bottles are opaque, picking a color means relying on the labels which seem like they're meant to represent the color inside or just opening the bottle to take a peek.



If you choose to peek, you'll see a wide but not too wide flat brush.



There's a difference between 1 Step and one coat; I used two coats of Lavender Out Loud for full coverage. The color was a decent match to the label color, and the shine was good without topcoat (which supposedly is not needed, as that would be a second step).





I wasn't able to give the first shade a good wear test, so I tried another shade, Bye Feluschia, a hot pink shimmer. I did two coats, then added Bonita Big Dipper, a silver holo glitter topper, on some accent nails. I did do a top coat on the accent nails, figuring they weren't really part of the wear test anyway. Here it is in a warm-toned room light (my lightbox was not with me when I did this mani).



The color of this one wasn't as close a match for the label as the lilac was. Maybe due to the shimmer? Here's the color in natural light coming in a window.



The advertising material for this line touts up to 2-week wear. That wasn't happening for me. One day later, I was missing pieces. One, on my left index finger, was the fault of a peelie, but other nails weren't looking pristine.

Left hand after one day:



Right hand after one day:



Moral of this story: I'm not giving up my topcoat. I don't know that this formula is enough better than something like Wet 'n' Wild Megalast to justify the price. Though it's still cheaper than a lot of brands, so if they come out with a color I like I might buy another from this line.