Opinions of home DIY UV Gel Nail Systems please

minicazzybee

Evening everyone!

To cut a long story short, I recently quit a 30 year habit of biting my nails and have just discovered the joys of polish/nail art etc. However, my job as a cook requires me to have my hands in water a lot, and I can never get the polish to last more than 48 hours without chipping (plus the fact that even though I wear gloves I shouldn't really be wearing nail polish for work). I have had my nails done with a UV nail gel system in a salon before I stopped biting them and was a little disappointed with the staying power, as they lifted within 4 days. But that was before they were long and the nail technician did explain they might not last as well due to my nails being super short and bitten.

So I was wondering if any of you have bought the UV nail gel kits to do at home and with what success? Superdrug and boots do systems for £70 upwards, and the price of a gel nail/Shellac treatment in my area is around £20, so it wouldn't take long for me to get my moneysworth so to speak.

Any advice or reviews would be great, Thanks. x

AbbieCadabra

I got the sensationail kit that was on special offer at boots before xmas. Still using the led curing lamp but i've switched to harmony gelish for polish now. Huge range of colours & it lasts just over 3 weeks with no wear. Brilliant!

fluffypinksoda

Hello

I went on a course through groupon to learn how to apply gel nails and then purchased the NK1 UV kit from amazon from a recommendation. I have used it twice and love it. The first set of nails lasted 3 weeks and had to replace them because my nails got long. I purchased it with the choice of 6 colours. I hope that helps- good luck!

hgotsparkle

I'm currently using the Nailene Quick Tip Gel Nail Kit (£8 on amazon) and did find it really easy, the glue it comes with is terrible and the gel does have some cracking but I think thats because I put on too many layers too quickly (in a rush to go out), Have had them on since Thursday and no sign of lifting or snagging yet.

Honeythief

I've been doing my own gel polishes at home since 2011 and absolutely love it. I started with CND Shellac and Harmony Gelish, but now I also use OPI Gelcolor, which is great because I can buy gel shades that match the ordinary OPI nail varnish shades I already own (good for touch ups if I break/chip a nail, or to give myself matching toenails).

I buy everything I need from eBay, except for the 99% alcohol and the pure acetone (both used for prep and the acetone used for removal) which I buy locally.

Getting your nails prepared properly before you put on the polish is very important for making it as durable as it should be. Remove any cuticle from the nail plate, dehydrate the nail plate and make sure it is super clean (a 50:50 mix of alcohol and acetone on a lint-free pad will do nicely), and make sure you don't go right to the sides or bottom of the nail when you're applying the polish. Getting it on skin will lead to problems like peeling.

Sealing the free edge of the nail with polish is a good idea because it looks good and helps with tip wear. Use very thin layers of polish and make sure you cure each one for the proper length of time, which will vary according to the brand you're using and the lamp you're using.

When you are ready for a change, do not pick the polish off. You'll damage your natural nails if you do that. Soak the polish off by cutting up a cotton pad into nail-sized pieces, soaking them in acetone, and wrapping them onto your nails with tin foil. Leave for about ten minutes (maybe a bit longer depending on the brand of polish you used) and the polish should just fall off. Don't scrape your nails or pry at it - if you need to leave it a bit longer in the foil wraps then do that, but don't use force.

Having beautiful shiny nails with no chips is such a nice way of looking well groomed and feeling good!

AbbieCadabra

i use the foil wraps for removal then put rubber gloves on (just the ones for washing up/cleaning) & put my fingers on a bowl of hot'ish water, the polish just crumbles off after about 15 mins (even if it's been on 3 weeks or longer).

i only really tried out a gel polish system as my nails were getting in a bit of a state being in the swimming pool for about 6 hours a week. i wanted something to try & protect them, & whilst normal polish lasts about 10 days or so on me, 2 trips to the pool & it would be peeling off so i just didn't bother any more. i love having polished nails again!

loveka

Any other reviews of these? I would buy one of the kits from Boots, either a sensationail or the one that's £35 -can't remember what it's called!

I am not very good at doing my nails, and I 'm worried it'll be a waste of money as I am a bit crack handed!

Thanks.

AbbieCadabra

loveka wrote: »

Any other reviews of these? I would buy one of the kits from Boots, either a sensationail or the one that's £35 -can't remember what it's called!

I am not very good at doing my nails, and I 'm worried it'll be a waste of money as I am a bit crack handed!

Thanks.

quite a few comments on the Sensationail UK facebook page, loads love the system but a few people seem to have problems with application/removal.

boots website will have reviews too.

the kits seem to sell quite well on ebay if you decided it wasn't for you.

Honeythief

Hmmm, I'm not sure I could recommend a gel nails kit if you are, as you say, a bit cack handed! If you can't do your own nails nicely with ordinary polish then you won't be able to do them nicely with gel polish either - the application technique is identical. And you don't want to be stuck for up to a fortnight with rubbish looking nails. At least ordinary polish can be removed and reapplied very quickly if you're not happy. Gel polish removal/application is easy but it's nowhere near as quick.

In your position, I would practise with ordinary polish until I was happy with the end result, and then see what's on the market for gels.

MrsE_2

OP - if you want to try ordinary long lasting polish to get better at application, I use boujoise 10 day polish. Can't find it in boots anymore, but I've got some on eBay. Otherwise there is a 7 day version.

loveka

That's a very good point, and is what I was thinking. I just have never been able to get nail varnish nice. I want it so I can stop biting my nails, an irritating habit Iof mine that has reappeared from childhood. Maybe I should just shell out (ha ha!) for Shellac.