nail shelac/gel polish

[#1]

So recently I have gotten my nails done and I got what the nail tech called "Gelish" which is like a nail gel that is baked onto the fingernails with UV light. The color is SUPER pretty an so far I have had it on for 4 days with absolutely NO chipping! It's even  lasting through the thousands of times I have to wash and sanitize my hands at work!!

As much as I LOVE my normal polishes - they're either OPI or Sephora by OPI - I prefer the gel only because it can survive all the hand hygeine I do at work! I don't trust myself to buy the gel polish materials from Sallys, because I'm scared I will make it looks funky. Does anyone out there have the materials to use the gel polish at home? Do you feel like you do a good enough job on your own with this stuff, or should I suck it up to ge the manicure every few weeks?

[#2 · Accepted solution]

hello,

I work with gelish, honestly its the same as applying nail polish its really easy to do once you do it the first time. just dont get it in the cuticle, and if you think you did just use a toothpick or an orange woodstick. to clean that up before you cure. if you have lifting it would be from that, or missing a step  in the prosess.

when you think about it. it can be cheaper to do it yourself, 

depending if you need to buy a uv light, all the products. also to remove it, you'll need acetone,

soak a cotton ball in acetone then wrap finger tip with a small strip of tinfoil and leave on for 5-10 mins

using gelish does dehydrate you nails if you do it all the time.. so you need to give you nails a break every now and then. just like you would if you had any other nail product on all the time. but when you soak nails in acetone it makes the natural nail a little weak and little bit of acetone gets absorbed into the nail so if used excessively, its not healthy!

inorder for it not to look funky, just clean up the cuticle before you cure it in the light and youll do just fine!

ps. if you are going to do this, quick tip do all the fingers first and save the thumbs for last, makes it easyier

DollyKay

[#3]

Hi Ssmittys,

I love the Gel nails myself, and the best part is that your polish doesn't chip. I personally prefer going to the Salon and getting it done, only because you would have to get the UV machine which is the only way the polish will dry. Unless you want to invest in it, I say stick to going to the Salon and getting it done. Plus it's a bit more relaxing.

Happy New Year,

Sara B

Sephora Pro Artist

[#4]

I did buy the materials due to the fact that even a salon manicure with Shellac only lasted me one week.  I'm hard on my nails though and once I see a chip, there I go....I go t a Gelish home kit on sale at SAlly's for appx 20$ and then bought a larger size UV light on Amazon for appx. 48$.  So, even if I failed, I reasoned that it would be a fair risk considering the $ paid for each  Shellac manicure at the salon.  There was a learning curve at first but I learned from my mistakes and now I think that I can do a pretty decent manicure with Gelish.  My only challenge is with the pinkys as those nails are more curved than those of my other fingers and the polish tends to collect on the sides.  I also had to learn to not be so heavy handed as this polish really needs thin layers to adhere and help it last longer.  I think you should give it a try.  Good luck!

[#5]

I do this stuff in school, so I would say I'm pretty good at it lol. I've actually taken a gel nail course that includes Shellac in it, so I have everything at home. Gel nails aren't so bad to do. It's kinda like applying nail polish, just applying it thicker. If you like tips for length, it's easier than sculpting. Sculpting took me a few times to get it right when I was taught it. Shellac is extremely easy. It's just like applying nail polish except using a uv lamp.

[#6]

i love the gel manicures but i'm really excited to try at home options.

i've read good things about nutragel (sold at ulta, i think its about $10) and ulta also has a brand called red carpet with an at home LED and a ton of polish colors