Anyone do their own gel nails/Shellac or similar?

[QueenofallIsee]

So, I love having nice nails and mine are brittle and crap unless I have gel polish on. I have a Shellac remove and reapply every 2/3 weeks and have been increasingly wondering if it is worth investing in the lamp etc? If so, is it CND/Shellac or nothing? Anyone do their own and find it easy etc?

Yes, I have a cheap UV lamp and buy cheap gel varnish from eBay. Some brands are better than others but cheap enough you can use trial and error, same with colours. I live rurally and with a toddler I just wouldn't have time to go into town to get my nails done. It's saved me a fortune and being an outdoor girl normal nail varnish never lasts longer than a few hours.

Do you get a pretty good finish on yours? I love the glossy finish but worried i might make it lumpy!

Yep it's fine. Uv lamps are around £35 inc a few varnishes on amazon. If you have a steady hand it's not difficult. I've ruined my nails a couple of tes by being impatient and picking them off rather than soaking - but that wouldn't change if I'd paid for them in a salon

Yes I'm a recent convert to doing my own gel nails at home and it's been a revelation! It's easy peasy (if a bit time consuming) but well worth it. I've only tried a few brands of polish so far but my favourite by a mile is NYK1 for choice of colours and super easy to apply.

I bought a uv lamp and two shellac colours 6 months ago and I haven't tried it yet 🙈😂

Thanks folks, I might well bite the bullet then! Unlike the acrylics I had years ago, the shellac application always strikes me as something I could probably do and at £28 every few weeks it would surely pay for itself if I bought the lamps etc

I use sensationail lamps and a range of polishes. My best find is the sensational nail shields- you stick them on before you do the gel and then paint the gel over. They come off after 7-10'days if you just soak your hands in water for a while, and you don't wreck your real nails as badly.

C'mon Gin, get it out and tell me how you go!

I got a lamp and gel for Mother's Day (march in the UK ffs!) and finally tried it a week ago.
Absolute disaster!! I did the base coat and one coat of colour on 4 nails and it looked horrific, amateurish and crap!! I found it really difficult whereas I'm a dab hand with normal nail varnish! Took me about half hour to get it off so I could paint normally.
I'm too scared to try again for a while but when I do, I'll try a light colour which should be more error friendly (I was using a Rouge noir type colour).

Oooo *click, that is my worry - I am not a perfect applier. Perhaps its not very forgiving as a process

I actually find it easier to use than normal polish. I think mainly because it doesn't dry until it goes under the lamp so any mistakes are very easy to correct using the cleaner (the same stuff you use to clean your nails before you start and at the end) using an old small eyeshadow brush.

I've been doing mine every two weeks since December. I use BlueSky which is an affordable brand and though i'm a bit cack handed, i have improved with practice. A bit time consuming but I've saved a fortune. I watched a lot of youtube videos. I did them tonight for my holidays.

Nice Woody!! You have skills!

Yes, I find it easy to apply, the results look good and actually better than the first time I paid to get them done!

Rimmel do a nail polish similar in effect to shellac and its quite good. Colour then top coat stuff and job done

Clickncollect - 1 coat of colour, especially a dark colour is nowhere near enough, I usually do 3 x

You are right @BritinUs1, it's just after the base and first coat it looked so awful beyond repair that I thought the next two coats would be a waste of time.

queenofalllsee will check I have everything first. Deffo got undercoat, shellac, lamp, removal stuff. Not sure now about cleaner for before and afterwards to get the stickiness off.

Will get it out later and see.

There are lots of full kits on Amazon. I got everything - lamp, polypropyl alcohol, acetone, Base coat, top coat, lint-free wipes - for under £45.

Then I bought a few different colours for about a fiver each and one of those metal polish scrapers/ cuticle pushers. Since then I've also bought a primer, and some handy plastic cottonwool-holder-onners for my fingertips. All in all I've probably spent 2-3 salon trips worth.

I agree with PP that it is easier than real polish, especially with the immediate dryness. I always mess up normal polish within five minutes, even if I have sat still for half an hour after applying. I can't get my gels to last as long as the salons do, but it is still at least a week and a bit.

Another sensationail user here and another advantage to home use is that if/when they get a bit damaged you can just remove the bad nail and redo, much less hassle than getting to a salon! Love the convenience!

I have my own machine and love it! Had it a couple of years now and think I get the same finish as when I go to the salon, I take my time over it though lol.

It's much more cost effective. Here's last nights efforts

Mines from a company called 3 week nails. Only just bought replacement bulbs after about 2 years.

I also use Bluesky. It's GREAT and just as good as the gel used in salons. I got a kit a few weeks ago and have done loads of people's nails already! It also lasts two weeks easily and soaks off fairly easily too.

The greens look much better/shinier than that picture!

Or is the cleaner just a quick wipe over with acetone?

Arghhh. Will have to google now.