Gel nails at home

iammumtoone

I think rubbing alcohol is the common name for Isopropyl Alcohol.

The wipes are a good idea thanks they won't be subjected to the same postal guidelines. I checked there is a sallys within driving distance to me (never knew that) just need to find out if they sell to the public.

Thanks for your helpful tips on the best brands. If I get on with this system I do intend to buy branded products but want to try the cheap versions first so I don't waste money if I don't like it.

I think I must have oily nails normally polish only lasts 2-3 days on mine. I never expected diy gels to last 14 days, if I can get 7 days wear I will be happy with that.

I am off to boots to see what I can find, my kit has arrived and I am eager to get using it but can't until I find some 'sticky stuff' remover.

bossymoo

That is really helpful AbbieCadabra, thanks!

Regular polish never lasted more than a couple of days for me but I get 7-10 days easily with the gels.

Let us know how you get on, iammumtoone, if you bought the starter kit it already comes with a small bottle of the cleanser. If you bought separates, then I've heard you can use the antibac gel hand rub too... But not tried it myself.

iammumtoone

I now have gel nails :j

Thank you so much AbbieCadabra I went to Sallys and got some red carpet cleanser, whilst I was there I picked up the remover as well, for 3.95 its not much more than pure acetone and I am sure it will be kinder to my nails.

For a first attempt I am very impressed, I used a light colour which is almost nail colour so it doesn't show mistakes which is good as I did get some on my skin. I love the look of it and the fact it will not smudge. I will definitely keep using it, the more I do it the better I will get, next time I will attempt a darker colour.

Do you take off and re-apply straight away? I was thinking of giving my nails a couple of days break before re-doing, or is it not necessary?

bossymoo

:beer: brilliant!
I went for a pale colour too. Then I wished I'd put something more funky on so I don't mind changing it sooner than 2 weeks - more variety!

AbbieCadabra

well done!

i normally leave it a day before doing my next manicure, but i've got a repair on 1 nail at the moment so couldn't risk leaving it more than a few hours in case i caught my damaged nail. i've re-done gels the same day before & it didn't cause any issues. just see how your nails are after the 1st removal, mine look a little rough after being in the acetone, but then i use a manicure scrub & apply cuticle oil. give them 30 mins & they're back to being ok again.

just be careful if you get any gel polish on the skin, wipe it off straight away. it can cause lifting as your nails grow & there is a possibility of an allergic reaction too (i'm sure it's only a small chance, but best to be to be safe than sorry. apparently, if a reaction occurs, it's unlikely that you'd ever be able to use any type of gel polish again! :eek: I don't mind admitting that I'd be devastated if that happened to me as i love having strong, coloured/sparkly nails again ).

AbbieCadabra

don't know if anyone one will really want to see these, some are more successful than others!

very 1st attempt, dark red sensationail with a normal glitter top coat accent (not a great photo), pinkie was the beige sensationail with full glitter (just trying everything out at once, i have no patience!)


glitter overload, all from ebay, in sensationail clear top coat


one of my favourites, gelish make you blink pink mixed with a little carnaval hangover, holo glitter


ink nails silver base & blue glitter


gelish starburst with blue holo glitter


current one, another favourite, been on about a week so some re-growth showing, gelish carnaval hangover, pink & purple holo glitter

bossymoo

Ooh Abbie, love the purple and blue glitter! Tips please, I have the nailine glitter tubes, and it says you can mix with gel colour on a bit of foil, but how to you glitter just the tips? How do you get the graduated effect?

<very excited all of a sudden, lol>

AbbieCadabra

holographic loose glitter from ebay, here & here.

mixed into a few drops of gelish simple sheer (or any other uv/led clear/top coat) on a piece of foil. apply with one of these brushes.

you can sort of dab it on the tips to get more solid coverage, then drag/dab a little down the nail to get a gradient look. run your finger over the free edge to make sure you haven't got any bits sticking out, then cure as normal.

most people seem to 'burnish' (sort of dabbed & rubbed into) loose glitter into the sticky layer, but i prefer this method as you shouldn't get any glitter coming off when you apply the next layer on top of the glitter.

once glitter on & cured i'll apply a layer of simple sheer (can also use top coat, just trying to save on that as it's more expensive!), cure, then a final top coat. glitter can leave a bumpy finish (not too much when using fine glitter) so 2 coats on top are usually required.

it can be a bit of a faff & take a while, but i don't mind as i love the finished result! you can never have too much sparkle after all

iammumtoone

AbbieCadabra they look great, it will be a while before I am good enough to attempt something like that.

Mine chipped today (lasted 3 days) I wasn't bothered as it gave me chance to practice taking it off. I was worried if it would come off ok, it wasn't too bad to get off I needed an orange stick to help scrap some bits. I put my wrapped nails under one of those heated microwave packs, I think that might have helped. I wasn't very impressed with the state of my nails afterwards but a few coats of cuticle oil later they are looking back to normal. I will re-apply tomorrow.

My nails do seem softer than usual, is that normal?

AbbieCadabra

mine are only softer for 30 mins or so after removal, after that they are ok again.

what brand of polish are you using? sorry if you've already said, so many posts on here now!