Nail Battles: Gel Extensions Versus Overlays

“It’s my monthly indulgence”, says Madhavi Irani, Chief Content Officer (and my boss), when I ask her about her hot-off-the-press, brilliantly shaped and immaculately painted tips. Which gets me wondering, how many of us treat getting our nails done as an indulgence, a regular occurrence or only under special circumstances, and what falls under the category of “nails done”. Does a manicure with a coat of polish count? Do I need to get gel polish? Does it involve an elaborate set of extensions and spending four hours on Pinterest to pick the perfect nail art? I don’t know.

So, I conducted a little survey, and it turns out they all fall under this category. But what was interesting was, getting a set of fake nails came out on top. Resoundingly.

Personally, I’m a sucker for a mani-pedi with a fresh set of gel polished nails. And I’ve never gotten a fresh set of gel extensions. My interest piqued, I called a salon, Glory Again, in Bandra and was told about the different types of gel manicures they had to offer—gel extensions, gel overlays and gel polish. Intrigued, as I’m sure you are, I decided to take Nicole with me on a field trip to the salon to really understand the difference between overlays and extensions.

Watch our video to know the rest. And trust me, our nails end up looking fly AF!

After having our nails on for 2 weeks now, we’ve got the 411.

Here are our struggles and victories to help you choose what kind of gel nails you want to go for.

1. Gel Extentions

Pros:

1. You get to choose any shape, length and look you want
2. They last upto a month
3. There’s no damage caused to your natural nails
4. They’re odorless
5. They’re a lot less harmful to the environment as compared to acrylics
6. Hard-to-reach places are now more reachable!

Cons:

1. They’re quite high maintenance
2. Taking them off is not very easy, and requires a certain amount of buffing
3. They’re quite pricey
4. Putting pants and opening boxes are no walk in the park with these!

2. Gel Overlays

Pros:

1. They strengthen your existing nail
2. There’s no need to replace them, you just need to get them refilled
3. They’re super low maintenance
4. They’re odorless
5. They’re a lot less harmful to the environment than acrylics
6. Cheaper than gel extensions

Cons:

1. Limited choices, because you must build off of your existing nail, and you have to maintain the natural length of your nails
2. They need to be refilled every 3-4 weeks
3. Scratching an itch is very a lot less satisfying with these!

Want some classy nail art inspiration ideas? Check out

Nail Art Designs for Your Next Manicure now!