Doing your own gel nails

[PeacheyPeach]

I'm so tired of painting my nails only for them to chip in about 5 minutes. Thinking of buying my own gel nail kit , so the lamp and all the bits that come with it
Does anyone on here do their own gel nails. Is it.just the same as painting your nails but just with special polish and the lamp?

Pretty much. There are a couple of extra steps but nothing complicated - just gently buffing your nails and applying a prep (just wipes on with a lint free wipe), and wiping again at the end to remove the stickiness.

You have to be careful to ensure it's not on your skin, as it'll lift more easily and won't last as long. But the benefit of gels in that respect is that, because they don't dry until you cure them, if you get it on your fingers you can clean it up more easily than normal polish.

Yes, I’ve got the Terresa 72w lamp from Amazon (it’s on offer at the min) and use Bluesky gel polish, base and top coats. I find soaking the gel off is a pain so use the paint on remover. Applying about 3 really thin coats avoids ‘chunky’ coverage.

@spamlam @demibourbon thank you for your tips xx
Demi I've been looking on Amazon so will probably buy it from there. Are there lots of colours available with the polishes x

Yes, there are loads (they’re only about £7 each so it’s easy to get carried away when ordering!) Some are very close to the CND colours. I’ve not tried any of the other brands because I’ve been so happy with the quality and price of Bluesky, but I know people who use MyGel and been happy with it.

Does anyone have a hood way of getting the gel off? Acetone takes ages and is a total pain.

I'm thinking about this, but taking the gel off realllllly puts me off...
It sounds like an absolute ball ache and I'm not sure I can be bothered!
Or have that much time really..

My friend has an at home kit and did my nails and I just picked them off after a few weeks which I don't mind but it isn't going to be good for my nails long term..
My sister gets hers done (in normal times) and she says the lady just gently files the old gel off and starts again

So I'm wondering if that is an option

I've looked at the cheap kids on amazon (£30 ish) and it's mixed reviews but I don't want to spend hundreds!

@roarfeckingroarr I use Aliver paint on remover from Amazon. Sometimes takes 2-3 applications but much less of a faff than acetone. Don’t be tempted to scrape off the bits underneath that haven’t dissolved yet, I ended up shaving the top off my nails. Leave on for 10-15 mins then gently scrape off. I remove the top coat of polish with a file first.

Does the remover come with the kit or Do you buy this separately x

@PeacheyPeach I bought everything separately: lamp, prep/wipe, lint free pads, file, metal cuticle pusher (some prefer wooden), files, base coat, top coat, gel polishes, remover and cuticle oil. Have also recently bought ‘hard gel’ which goes on after base coat to make nails stronger if you’ve got ‘bendy’ nails and makes the polish last longer.

I find the colours included in sets sometimes aren’t always the ones you’d choose.

There’s extra steps as others have said but I enjoy the ritual! I hate waiting for normal polish to dry and always end up smudging it so I much prefer gel. roarfeckingroarr I’ve moved to using a peel off base coat instead and it’s so much easier than having to use acetone to remove. I’ve got the Bluesky one from Amazon

Ooo I'm excited now! I'm going to put together a little shopping basket on Amazon and then get it all when I get paid!

I bought everything separately - I prefer CND gel polish even though more expensive
My tips are use builder gel as a base and use extra strength top coat - seal the tips well too
I get 2-3 weeks out of mine but still prefer a professional to do them - my last salon polish was before Xmas and I only caved in and removed yesterday as it was growing out badly - but not a chip to see!