Gel nails at home

[onetomanytotake]

I have gel shellac nails at the salon but I want to take off the gel and have varnish on my nails and then use a gel lamp and varnishes at home ever week or so. Can anyone recomment a good lamp and gel varnish. I have seen the one on Ebay which is Mylee and is £79.99, link is here www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07NVWKYPR/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=AYGGMWI8Z0G1N&psc=1&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

Also, recomendations on best nail gels - bluesky seems to get good reviews.

I am a bit ignorant on all of this so advice welcome. Many thanks.

[nodtik]

Watching with interest as my gel nails will need redoing at some point xx

[onetomanytotake]

Thank Vaggie. So, i am going to get the salon to remove my nails and then just put gel varnish on my nails and cure it. Thereafter i will do my own at home. This will be very liberating!

How long do yours last? i can get four weeks out of my salon nails but fear doing it myself will be nearer two?

[pumpkinpie01]

I have the Mylee lamp it's great been doing my own for years. There are so many gel polishes on eBay and Amazon and I've yet to find any that are bad quality. Mine last 2-3 weeks, I'm naughty and peel them off .

[TrashPandaTime]

I have a mylee kit and highly recommend.

Check out their website in case they do a deal. They often do discounts from what I’ve seen.

I have the set that is the led lamp, and comes with 4 colours plus the lint free pads and remover and prep.

Just removed my current set and they did me just under three weeks. My norm is two though.

When removing just be patient. I do the foils for 20 mins, scrape and re-wrap. Probably can take me up to 2 hrs in total to remove but thoroughly worth it imo.

[Ablemaybel]

I have the mylee lamp and their nail prep, they're both good.

I've been doing mine at home for a couple of years now. Took a few applications to get the hang of it.

I got fed up trying to keep foil on the end of my fingers, so bought a pack of 5 clips that don't fall off, so much easier.

I'm really happy with the end result I achieve now, mine last between 2 and 3 weeks.

[PinkDaydreams]

I’ve never had gel nails, I didn’t realize they needed removing properly. Is it difficult to do?
I’ve been considering doing my own nails for a while now but I find normal nail varnish chips after a couple of days and I hate the chipped nail look!! I’ve been told gel lasts longer but I didn’t realize it needs special removing.

[ElizabethMainwaring]

Sensationail peel off base coat is absolutely fantastic. Lasts about one week to ten days and then, as it suggests, peels off.
It's miraculous stuff!

[PinkDaydreams]

Also what is the difference with the mylee lamps please? There seem to be a few different ones ranging from £15 to over £100?

[Tbug]

LED is better for you than UV, think they're slightly more but amazing!

[PinkDaydreams]

Is this too good to be true at £15??

[Nikeybikey]

Pinkdaydream that set usually retails for a lot more than that. I would definitely exercise caution

[PinkDaydreams]

Thank you @Nikeybikey. I will go through the mylee site I think. They have a few offers on.
Am I right I’m saying that the mylee pro is the best led one they do? Sorry for asking so many questions on your thread op!

[dun1urkin]

I’ve got that mylee lamp as well, and yes if you’re unsure buy it off their website
A tip for removals, I bought some clip things (a couple of quid off eBay) to keep the acetone soaked cotton wool tightly on my nails, find these easier than foil wrapping.
Also, when they are on I wrap my hands under my pits, as heat is a catalyst and makes the process faster and easier.
Just think of it as giving yourself a 10 minute hug

[dun1urkin]

Pinkdaydreams this is the starter kit I got. It’s got all you need to get started except buffing blocks
www.mylee.co.uk/kits/mygel-white-convex-curing-lamp-kit-w-gel-nail-polish-essentials.html

[Mercedes519]

I second sensationail. Worked really well but took ages to remove. Then tried the easy off base coat and was converted. Loads of colours and no chips. Then just peels off when you want to change. Might do mine today actually despite not going out!

[dun1urkin]

Mercedes519 does the easy off base coat affect staying power?

[PinkDaydreams]

@dun1urkin that’s the set I’ve been looking at.
@Mercedes519 do you use sensationail with the mylee led lamp?

[onetomanytotake]

Some great questions and answers here, thank you! PinkDay, happy for everyone to wade in as we are all learning!

My question is about what the best way is to clean up errors if you are a messy painter like me and get it on your cuticle or skin at the side of the nail. I know you tidy up before curing but do you use a cotton bud and acetone to do this?

[pumpkinpie01]

Does no one else just peel them off ? I do and my nails are absolutely fine , no breakages or peeling. If I remove properly it takes forever

[PinkDaydreams]

@onetomanytotake I read on an old mum set thread to dip a wooden cuticle stick in acetone and tidy up with that.

Am I right I’m saying that you need lint free pads to prep the nail rather than ordinary cotton wool?

[dun1urkin]

Don’t use a cotton bud as you risk getting fibres in the polish
Either a fine brush, or an orange stick, dipped lightly in or damped with acetone works well.
Don’t flood your cuticles with acetone!

[Mercedes519]

I got the lamp that came with the starter kit and it works fine although it’s the only ones I’ve used.

@dun1urkin It does affect how long they last, mine only do a week to 10 days but then I’m terrible at picking at them. Without the easy off base coat ones did last longer but the removal was such a pain it put me off using it.