My Gel Lamp: Abody UVLED Nail Lamp 9C

If you're interested in DIY-at-home gel manicures (and not the "no-light" sorts of gel) then you probably already know that you MUST use an appropriate light in order to complete the manicure. My brother gifted me this Abody UVLED Nail Lamp 9C this past Christmas and I'm downright giddy to post about it here on the blog because I love it! Here's what it's packaging looks like:

The packaging is really nice and simple. It's easy to read and let's you know all of the important deets: the left bottom corner has little icons and says "sunshine, non-harmful, non-blacken UV/LED, 24W Power." Some lamps out there are either UV or LED but this one is both, if you're into that sort of thing. The lamp itself is so light--I doubt it's even one pound--and shaped in a half circle/dome. From straight on it looks like this:

The top is a glossy clean white with a power button (the only button on the light) and two LED lights. There are actually three ways to use this lamp. First, you can simply put your hand in the dome to activate the lights for however long you want. Second, you can tap the power button once for 30 seconds of light. Third, you can tap the power button twice for 60 seconds of light. If you press the button to activate the light, then the light will turn off after it hits your desired 30 or 60 seconds.

The underbelly of the lamp is where all of the lights are, obviously. My lamp has 15 lights in a U formation and is tinted pink. Abody sells these lamps in green and blue though too, in case you're not into pink. My brought gave me the pink one and I really like it.

That's a lot of lights! In order to make the lights actually work though (i.e. light up) you need to plug in the power cord. There's a spot on the side of the lamp where you can plug in the cord. It's the little boxy area in this photo:

It's a pretty standard power cord. I saw online that Abody also sells lamps with a USB option that would plug into your computer. I don't have the USB so I don't know how well that works.

All in all, I am SO pleased with this lamp. It's lightweight and easy to transport. It's not clunky and doesn't take up much space at all. And it works! Plus, it's big enough that you can fit your toes in there if you want to do a gel pedicure. Abody also sells a version with a digital timer on the top instead of the power button. I think that version is called the "9S" lamp. If you need some more info on gel polish, check out my Gel Q&A post.