Gel nails at home

iammumtoone

AbbieCadabra wrote: »

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!

Mine were softer for a lot longer than 30mins but think they are starting to get back to normal now.

I used red carpet, next time I will try red carpet top and base with millennium nails colour. I brought a bulk lot complete with lamp off ebay (sold as used but all the bottles are full ) so have lots of different makes, including gelish but I think it might be fake - I am not sure how to tell.

AbbieCadabra

Perhaps because it's the 1st time they'd been in acetone for any length of time? Just guessing really. Red carpet gets good reviews on QVC, not used it myself. Not heard of millenium. Do you have to buff before application? I don't, might make a difference?

Gelish, so many fakes/copies on ebay, it's hard to tell these days! From memory, must say harmony sideways on front left of bottle, top is slightly domed with a small dent in the centre, under the label on the bottom there should be a printed batch number & a small dent in the base. Anything that says ido, nexus etc as the brand is a copy.

iammumtoone

Pleased to report that my nails were back to their normal strength this morning, I agree with you it must be the acetone that makes them soft plus the fact I used heat with it can't have helped (although it did help to take the varnish off so you can't win!)

I don't buff before application even though the instructions said to do so. I won't do it. I would rather the varnish didn't last as long, than start to file away my nails :eek: I didn't even buff the varnish before removal as I didn't want to risk filing through to the nail.

Sensible_Jess

Ooh - thanks all for the thread!

Looks like Gel nails may be the way to go - I'm very tempted as I'd like my colour to last more than a couple of days.

Amazon are doing a special offer on the BlueDky / LuvliNail kit. Anyone had experience of using this brand?

AbbieCadabra

if that's Bluesky brand (one of the original knock off brands from China), i tried a couple of their polishes when i first started. i didn't get on with them, uneven coverage & didn't last on me. i'm also wary of their ingredients as it's unclear if some of the 'copy' brands include the stuff that's been banned (but doesn't appear to be regulated so well when produced in China).

AbbieCadabra

here's what a bit of Saturday afternoon boredom turns into

gelish ocean wave with fine turquoise glitter, quite subtle for me! really pleased with these, photo's doesn't really do them justice as it's not picking up how sparkly they are or the intensity of the blue.

vegasvisitor

Enjoying reading this thread. I've just ordered some of the lint free wipes from Ebay.

I've been using a CCO kit. I bought it on ebay with 3 colours and it came with remover, cleanser (alcohol), base coat, top coat and the lamp. I bought some orange sticks separately. I chose CCO because it got good reviews and the colours were good (same colours as CND Shellac).

I like it, but I can't get more than a week out of it. That said I refuse to buff my nails as they are thin enough (and sometimes peel). I think it's my nails that are stopping it lasting longer, but I'd rather not make them worse by buffing.

I got a professional manicure for holiday in January and it only lasted a week as well. At another salon I got 2 weeks out of it (but they buffed a little).

iammumtoone

AC - they look lovely, how long did it take you to learn to get it that neat? were you good at applying normal varnish before you started using the gels?

Lesley - Interesting point about the buffing of nails making it last longer, like you I refuse to do mine however much it will help, its not worth the ruining of nails in my opinion.

My current colour has been on 4 days and still going strong. The varnish did literally fall off one nail after just one day, it just peeled off no need to use remover or anything. I just re-did that nail and no problem since. It was on my thumb and I think it may have been due to the fact I cured my whole hand at once, from now on I will be doing fingers and thumbs separately, the angle the thumb sits in the light when doing a whole hand I don't think it cures properly.

AbbieCadabra

i've been using normal polish for years, so just plenty of practice i guess.

i always cure both thumbs together to avoid any under curing issues

definitely avoid buffing if at all possible. i did it the very 1st sensationail polish i did as that's what it said in the instructions. then i moved on to Gelish & it's not needed at all. there is a primer in their kit which helps keep the polish on, but can make it much harder to remove. if you're only getting a short time, perhaps using a primer might help?

freyasmum

Please don't buff your nails, girls. Professionals are liable to overbuff as it is, without doing it to yourself.

Buffing thins the nails out over time which decreases their strength and means that your gel polish manicure will not last as long.

How are you prepping your nails prior to application?

Are you using oil? This helps to plasticise the nail product and fills microcracks to hepp prolong wear.