Le Mini Macaron Gel Manicure Kit in Grape: Review and NOTD

Some time ago, Lisa of Cosmetics Sanctuary mentioned a Kickstarter project for Le Mini Macaron Gel Manicure Kits. For backing the project, you would get a gel kit free and they shipped worldwide. I signed up at once. Every one of the kits was sold out in a matter of days and there were 542 backers.

The Kickstarter project was run by Christina Kao. It took them a while to get through all the orders because there were that many! The colour options were Grape, Strawberry and Cherry Red. I picked Grape and pledged $25.
I received my kit in May but could not play with it because of travel. Airplanes, for unknown reasons, are lethal to my nails and I ended up with nubs (which are slowly growing).
This was my first time with gel polish and I was quite apprehensive about burning my hands, breaking my nails even further, ending up with no nails at all, discolouration, inability to get rid of the gel polish, World War III....

Scroll down for more about Le Mini Macaron Gel Manicure Kit.

Inside the kit, you get:

1. A cute macaron-shaped LED lamp
2. A matching gel polish
3. Remover pads
4. Instructions
5. A nail buff
6. USB cable with charger plug

The LED lamp is shaped like a cute macaron and is the HIGHLIGHT of this kit for me. It is travel-friendly and you can charge it from your computer or a socket.
Contrary to my expectations, it was quite easy to use the kit. You buff your nails lightly - this type of polish apparently does not need base coat - and apply the polish, one finger at a time, poke it into the mini macaron LED lamp and turn the lamp on. The lamp automatically switches off after 30 seconds, by which time the polish has hardened. Voila! No need of a second or top coat. This mani stayed on for a good 10 days (some tipwear on two fingers) before I lost interest and went back to glitter.
Removal was a breeze; I soaked the nails in the included pads for a while and then lifted the "gel" with the orange stick.

Grape is a neon purple. Here are the results on my nails - this is on the fourth day, I think:

Verdict

For $35, these kits are a very good deal. You can also buy the polishes alone for $15, but I think the macaron-shaped LED lamp is the whole point here. And no, it did not burn my skin, break my nails, give me a rash or cause World War III. 
The finish of gel polish is entirely something else - like porcelain - and I was rubbing my nails across my cheeks and lips several times in public while wearing this mani. I have officially been bitten by the gel polish bug and especially love the cute LED lamp. I have been asking a billion questions in nail polish groups and now have about two dozen Gelish, Nailene and Sally Hansen gel polishes, base coats, top coats, strengtheners and removers. Can't wait to play with everything!
Go here to buy the kits and polishes from Le Mini Macaron. They ship to a number of countries and if yours is not on the list, contact them and am sure Christina could sort something out for you.