After Years of Harsh Gel Manicures, I’m on a Healing Journey—This New Polish Range Is Like Skincare for Nails

It all started when I decided to get acrylics in Louisiana. That's a sentence I didn't think I'd ever write, and while nothing worthy of a Cormac McCarthy novel occurred during my time in the Deep South, irrevocable damage was done to my nail beds, and that, my friends, is something worth crying about.

You see, for the first time, but certainly not the last, a nail technician removed my gel manicure with a drill, whittling down my nails till they were more flat than sphere-like. While some removed them properly, using the soak-off method, the damage was done: I was getting gels and nail art applied nearly every other week, and what I was left with underneath was thin, brittle and peeling nails, which were incapable of growing without breaking off.

"Nail damage from gel manicures typically occurs when the nails are not properly prepped or the gel is applied or removed incorrectly," replies celebrity and session manicurist, Sophia Stylianou, when I speak to her about the sorry state of my talons. "Over-buffing the natural nail, using low-quality products, or picking at the gel can all weaken the nails over time."

She adds that it's essential to do your research beforehand to ensure your manicurist is prioritising nail health. "Always check that your manicurist is fully qualified, professionally trained, and uses high-quality products," she explains. "A good manicurist always prioritises hygiene by sanitising their tools, uses high-quality products, and never applies gel to nails with contraindications, such as damage or infection. They also never rush the removal and respect your choices. However, when gels are professionally applied and removed by a trained manicurist with high-quality products, there's no reason you can't wear them back-to-back without causing damage."

I quit getting my nails done cold turkey around six months ago, and while I expected it to be a quick fix, it's taken a surprising amount of time to get my nails back to their former glory, and I have quite some way to go. I've been using a range of nail strengtheners like Mavala Scientifique K+ Nail Hardener and O.P.I's excellent cuticle oil, which have stopped breakage in its tracks, but I found that I was missing having something on my nails, even if it wasn't gel. I figured it was time to return to good, old-fashioned polish.

Still, there's nothing old-fashioned about Manucurist's Active Smooth All-In-One Care Polish range, which has just launched three new shade extensions. Marketed as a CC cream or make-up for nails, these polishes come in a range of neutral, skin-like colours, and aim to smooth ridges, blur imperfections and even out the surface of the nail. This seemed like the solution to many of my woes—a sheer, glowy veil of colour to make me feel "polished" enough for every day... And no trips to the salon.

But what really sealed the deal for me was the fact that this collection is essentially like skincare for your nails. With up to 75.5 per cent plant-based ingredients, it's packed with active ingredients like castor fibres, hexanal, AHAs, and vitamin E for long-lasting, strengthened nails. As it turns out, Manucurist founder, Gaëlle Lebrat Personnaz, created the range for people like me, who are struggling with their nail quality.

"I wanted to create a hybrid polish—half treatment, half makeup effect, that works like a CC cream for the nails," she tells Marie Claire UK. " I saw firsthand how traditional gels were damaging nails. Many of our customers came to us after experiencing breakage, brittleness or allergies from aggressive salon techniques. That’s why we created gentle, high-performance alternatives. Active Smooth is the perfect in-between when you’re giving your nails a break or building them back up."

I've been using the Active Smooth range for a few weeks now, and I have to say that I love it. It perfectly bridges the gap for those who are on their nail health journey, but who still like them to look "pretty". I'm partial to the Active Glow in Grape, which is a lilac, or the Active Glow in Cranberry, which is more of a coral and suffuses my nails with a pinky sheen. And when I want something a bit more reminiscent of the trending Soap Manicure look, I'll opt for something skin coloured like the Active Smooth 01 or 02, which are two nude-y tones that make my hands look lovely and lengthened. There are also two new shades for darker skin tones.

Crucially, though, I feel like I'm doing something good for my fingernails when I wear these. It's now been nearly six months since I started using them, and my nails are feeling much stronger and are growing beautifully. Plus, I haven't noticed any new noticed any peeling or breakage. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to brave gel again one day (with a reputable technician, of course), but in the meantime, these are bridging the gap beautifully.