Gel nails at home

MrsE_2

Bought the SensatioNail kit from boots. Got the bright red set, I'll use that on my toenails & I'll buy the pink with my boots points (instore - as they charge delivery for store delivery!!!!).
I'll get some rubbing alcohol & acetone. Foil & cotton wool pads.
Anything else?

kittyboo18

lushlifesaver wrote: »

I got a Sensationail set for Christmas (with two colours) and I LOVE it! It's a nice excuse to spend sometime on me and I'm getting pretty good at it.

In fact I've been purchasing more colours etc and there's so many nice ones!Plus they've been giving away free accessories with each colour AND often have 'flash' sales where colours are reduced from £12 to £6

I always hate paying to get my nails done as I find they usually chip more quickly but sensationail lasts ages even with everything I put my nails through working on the bench at wheelchair rugby tournaments!

How do you find out about the flash sales please?

Pennylane

I am so pleased to find this thread as I considering buying a gel nail kit. There's one on Amazon for £75 which is recommended on a few sites I looked at and comes with 4 different shades.

I had my nails done for the first time ever and I love them. It cost £29 though so it's not something I could afford to get done every few weeks. They look beautiful.

I would prefer not to have such a gap above the cuticle though. The girl explained that if the gel touches the cuticle it comes off. Is this correct and if people on here do their own gel nails, do they go right to the cuticle?

She also said I need to go back to have gel removed but I understand, from people on here, that I can do it myself.

AbbieCadabra

the gel polish shouldn't come into contact with either your cuticle or the skin around your nail, it can cause lifting of the polish & also increases the risk of an allergic reaction (as i understand it).

i don't push my cuticles back as they are pretty small anyway, there's hardly any gap between polish & cuticle. just down to practice, i've been using normal polish for decades!

i initially looked into kits on amazon & ebay but after i'd done a bit more research, decided against them as some of them aren't 'official' brands as such & ingredients can be a bit hit & miss (quite a few ingredients are banned but still end up in cheap/copy polish from china/elsewhere).

i pretty much stick to harmony gelish which is a well known brand & remove with d-solve branded acetone/magis foil wraps.

arbroath_lass

kittyboo18 wrote: »

How do you find out about the flash sales please?

Sign up for their emails or check on Facebook.

arbroath_lass

Pennylane wrote: »

I am so pleased to find this thread as I considering buying a gel nail kit. There's one on Amazon for £75 which is recommended on a few sites I looked at and comes with 4 different shades.

QVC sometimes have a Red Carpet kit and Sensationail do kits at around the same price.

iammumtoone

Decided to take the plunge and get a set. I want to be as mse as possible to start with in case I don't get on with it. I have ordered lamp, varnish, top and base coat. It is the extras I am getting confused with, which are necessary and which aren't.

What is everyone's routine and what products do you use? If I follow the advise I need to do the following but would appreciate some recommendations on products to use without having to buy the brand names and if every step is really necessary?

Remove cuticle -just orange stick? do I need a product?
Dehydrate nails -with what??
Primer - is this needed? Some sites say yes some no
Base coat
Varnish two coats
Top coat
Remover sticky stuff - will witch hazel do - I have this
Lint free wipes
Cuticle oil to coat with when finished? Is this necessary? Which one?

To take off
Acetone
Cotton wool
Foil - is kitchen foil ok?

Anything I have missed?

Thanks

bossymoo

iammumtoone wrote: »

Decided to take the plunge and get a set. I want to be as mse as possible to start with in case I don't get on with it. I have ordered lamp, varnish, top and base coat. It is the extras I am getting confused with, which are necessary and which aren't.

What is everyone's routine and what products do you use? If I follow the advise I need to do the following but would appreciate some recommendations on products to use without having to buy the brand names and if every step is really necessary?

Remove cuticle -just orange stick? do I need a product? Depends on hands, my cuticles are not too bad
Dehydrate nails -with what?? Rubbing alcohol, antibac gel
Primer - is this needed? Some sites say yes some no I don't always but it does last longer for me if I do
Base coat
Varnish two coats
Top coat
Remover sticky stuff - will witch hazel do - I have this use the rubbing alcohol again
Lint free wipes
Cuticle oil to coat with when finished? Is this necessary? Which one? Simple almond oil, rehydrates the skin and cuticle for stronger growth, all the rubbing alcohol is quite drying, as is acetone

To take off
Acetone
Cotton wool
Foil - is kitchen foil ok? Just perfect

Anything I have missed?

Thanks

A good tip I was given is to do both your thumbs first. Depending on the lamp it may be easier than trying to get your whole hand in. So two thumbs together, then I do my left fingers together, then my right.

Follow all the prep steps (removal of old polish, file to a good shape, lightly buff the natural nail, wipe with the alcohol, then off you go) as this really does make a difference.

Don't be disheartened if you don't get a full 2 weeks wear the first time. I've had mine 2 months now and I'm up to about 10 days, and my application technique has really improved. I find some sunscreens (p20 in particular) can affect how long it lasts too. A shame as I like the once a day ones for my kids but putting it on them doesn't help my manicure.

But the plus is, I get to change the colour sooner, lol.

Enjoy!

iammumtoone

Thanks that is really helpful.

I will leave the cuticle remover and primer and invest in them later. I found a cuticle oil in my make up draw, it looks like it was a cheap one but sure it will do for now.

Does anyone know a shop where I can get rubbing alcohol from? There are lots on ebay but it all seems to be sent via carrier (i am assuming it is not permitted to send by normal post). I am not at home in the daytime to accept carrier deliveries, I can only get RM as I can collect these from the sorting office in the evenings.

AbbieCadabra

i don't know what rubbing alcohol is so can't comment on that but i was under the impression you can use generic 99% Isopropyl Alcohol as cleanser, that's what i'll be buying once i run out of my branded stuff. not sure about buying locally, there are the wipes available on ebay (smaller package size so should fit through letterbox) but most of those are 70%, not sure if they'd be suitable? do you have a sally's non-trade near you at all?

i've been doing DIY gel polish since just before xmas, i use the sensationail led lamp with Harmony Gelish polish now. it easily lasts 3 weeks without any chips or wear (even using swimming pool regularly) & it's only the re-growth that shows. sensationail polish only lasted 10 days & i wasn't too keen on their colours. i never buff my nails before application either, be very wary of over buffing (before or after) as it can be really painful & cause a lot of damage.

i've used a few brands of cuticle oil (NSI, China Glaze) but now only use CND solar oil which is specifically for nail & cuticle. it really does keep the nails in great condition & makes a difference when it comes to removal.

tried a few removers now, branded & plain acetone, & D-Solve is by far the best for me. absolutely brilliant stuff! heat really helps with removal too. i use magis foil wraps, put my hand in a plastic bag (freezer bag type) & then into a bowl of pretty warm water. i use glitter a lot which can be a pain to remove, but i rarely have any issues with removal using this method.

normal polish, with seche vite base & top coat, used to last about 7-10 days on me, which is pretty good. if normal polish doesn't last well on you, there's no gurantee gel will be a vast improvement as it's all down to your nails, if you have 'oily nail beds' you'll only get limited wear anyway.