shellac nails DIY

iammumtoone

Think of buying the kit to do this at home, however I am not very good at applying nail varnish - I always get streaks

Is this varnish very forgiving, I am hoping due to the setting process this might help to cover up application mistakes?

How does everyone get on with it? how long does a DIY treatment last? I don't want to do gel nail as think that might be a bit complicated for me.

One last thing can someone tell me any cheaper brands of this varnish and if they are any good? It would be useful to know what the genetic name for this type of varnish is.

Many thanks

maddiemay

Hi
If you search back through this thread you should find previous conversations about the kits, I have been considering buying one for a while, but holding off for the moment. I have read hundreds of reviews, lots of people totally love their systems, but several reviewers have said that you need to be able to apply to a pretty good standard, although corrections can be made before curing, if you are not good at getting neat edges and cuticle areas the finished nails can look pretty yuck, and it is quite time consuming taking the gels off without ruining your nails. At least with conventional polish if you make a mess of one or two nails, it does not take too long to remove and do them again.

My thoughts atm are to try and improve my painting skills and then decide.

ETA - here is the most recent thread https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4984256

balletshoes

have you had your nails shellac'd professionally OP? It might be worth giving that a go first (there are always groupon offers for a shellac), see how you feel with them done, before you go to the expense of getting a kit to DIY.

iammumtoone

thanks for the link I have had a read through very helpful.

I think I need to practice with normal varnish a bit more but I hate doing it, it takes nearly an hour having to wait for the layers to dry, then wait ages for top coat to dry ( I normally manged to touch something and it smudges) all for it to last two days before chipping :mad: I am not using cheap varnish I have tried all makes including 10 days stuff which doesn't seem to make any difference

I think I will wait until an offer comes on in boots again and I might invest them.

balletshoes - no I have never had them done professionally, I live in a small town there are never any groupon offers for this area the nearest is at least a 1 hours travel each way . One treatment will be more than half the cost of the kit if on offer.

iammumtoone

I posted a further question on one of the above threads to avoid having duplicates. I have decided to give this a go I painted my nails last night and on studying them the application of polish isn't that bad not professional standard but passable. The reason they look awful is down to the drying time of the varnish, the varnish has all smudged and chipped even though I sat for half hour without doing anything! I think this drying method will be ideal for me and actually turn out neater nails.

maddiemay

I am pleased that you have been able to make a considered decision, let us know how you get on please:)

Something to consider for the future, not all systems are compatible, some use LED lights others UV, so if you want to interchange polishes check it out. The other thing is that if you want to continue using your existing polishes (toes perhaps) invest in a bottle of Seche Vite or Nails Inc Caviar top coat, both are very quick drying topcoats and you are good to go in minutes after polishing, no waiting about, can even go to bed and get up without sheet marks:j The Seche Vite does shrink back from the tips a little, so it shows up particularly on dark colours, but I find it less noticeable with the Nails Inc. There are others on the market, but these two are the only ones that I have used.

building_with_lego

I don't do shellac/ gels but have you tried applying your polish just before bed? I find mine are much less likely to smudge if I do it 20-30 mins before I retire in the evenings; just remember to keep your hands on the *outside* of the covers!

Floss

OP, I am sure you would find a salon locally who do shellac, just to see what its like and what is entailed in removing it. I pay £20 a fortnight for mine to be done. I could get cheaper but I like the salon & staff and its 5m walk from home.

starrystarry

building_with_lego wrote: »

I don't do shellac/ gels but have you tried applying your polish just before bed? I find mine are much less likely to smudge if I do it 20-30 mins before I retire in the evenings; just remember to keep your hands on the *outside* of the covers!

Or just buy a quick dry topcoat. Sally Hansen Insta Dri or Seche Vite will have your polish dry in 5 mins flat.

iammumtoone

Floss wrote: »

OP, I am sure you would find a salon locally who do shellac, just to see what its like and what is entailed in removing it. I pay £20 a fortnight for mine to be done. I could get cheaper but I like the salon & staff and its 5m walk from home.

yes there are salons here that do it, but never any offers on the cheapest I have found is £20 most of them charge £25 then £5-10 for removal. I brought the whole kit second hand for £40 which includes lamp, top and base coat plus lots of colours. I appreciate it is personal choice but I would rather do that and if I don't get on with it I will re-sell it. The other thing is I can't afford to have it done professionally all the time, plus as a working single mum I would need a babysitter, at least with the home kit I can do it with ds here. If I went to have it done properly and saw the results I would not be happy with my own efforts! If I start off doing it myself that is all I will know and hopefully be happy with it ifsyim.