Doing Nails Myself

[sundayflowers]

Hi. I'm trying to do my nails myself to cut back on the cost of having them done at a salon. I can't afford £25 plus on gel nails.

So far I've tried Barry M nail polish with a top coat. It's already chipping. Anybody got any tips?

I find Essie, Nails inc and Rimmel to be the longest lasting ordinary polishes. I have in the past done my own gel nails, bought a Mylee lamp and used Blue Sky products. They lasted a good 2/3 weeks but gel wrecks my nails so have gone back to traditional polish. With a bottom and top coat I can get almost a week before they look awful!

Sally Hansen miracle gel nail varnish. You need to top coat as well. Lasts a good week on me without chipping. No uv lamp required.

I bought myself the Sensationail do at home gel nail kit, with proper care and routine it doesn't damage your nails - no picking or filing off the colour. The set cost me less than £25 in a Boots sale and I haven't looked back.

I still use 'normal' polish, I find preparation is key, I clean my nails, push back cuticles, then very very lightly buff the surface shine of my nail with a nail block, I use Sally Hansen base, pretty much any brand of colour but mainly Indie, and 2 coats of Seche Vite Top coat, I'm rough on my hands but I get bored of the colour before I manage to ruin them.

Your nail technician would have taken a long time to train, don't expect to be perfect immediately, you know what they say, practice makes perfect, I'm sure you'll crack it in no time :-) Have fun with it and good luck

P.s. you could also try nail wraps or decals

I use a home gel kit I bought on Amazon. I have used it for a few years now.

I find the Rimmel gel nail polish with several coats plus the Rimmel gel top coat lasts really well. I think it's about the number of coats and the top coat, whatever brand you use.

Gel varnishes from Amazon are good, I use Mylee or Blue sky, you can then order base, top coat, builder in a bottle and a lamp. It's so easy

I use a builder gel and gel colour with a lamp I bought from Amazon. Nail polish rarely lasts over a week on me and my nails are so thin they break leaving them short and stubby. Now I can get two weeks + before they look out grown or one peels. They are lovely and long. Defo worth the investment. I’ve now saved what it cost for the supplies and saving a regular £30 every three weeks doing it myself. I was a bit rubbish at first but I kept practicing and now I can’t tell the difference between mine and when I had them done x

The £2 Essence polish from Wilko is outstanding, two coats without even a base or top coat holds like a dream for me.
I'm a person who has tried every polish under the sun all of which have chipped when I just look at them.
If you can be bothered with the faff of multiple layers an orly bonder sandwich also works great (orly/polish/orly/polish/top coat).

Definitely do the gels yourself at home. Regular nail polish chips on me I if just look at it the wrong way, no matter how well I prep or how good the topcoat is! Gels however will last a good two weeks, potentially longer but they're getting a bit gappy at the base by then.
I bought the Sensationail starter kit a few years back and have just replaced with a Mylee lamp and some polishes after it conked out. I'd recommend Mylee of the two. The colours are more pigmented and the lamp fits a whole hand so it's quicker not having to do thumbs separately. It's sold on a lot of sites with regular discounts so you could probably get a good deal somewhere.

It might not be to taste but a top layer of glitter nail polish definitely works (just Rimmel). I've used it on my toenails and it's difficult to get the stuff off, and has lasted ages. It's worked better than any top coat.

Can anyone here tell me how to get gel polish off? Had my first gel pedicure a month ago and it still looks perfect but is growing off my toes so I want to remove it. I've bought gel-specific remover, filed the top layer, sat with remover-soaked pads on each nail for an hour. Nothing. Just not shifting. Am I missing something?

Definitely get a gel kit to do it yourself. I use bluesky and just seen an advert for £5 bottles at diva world. So treat yourself and it will definitely save money.

Not sure on the product you're using but you'll need pure acetone and soak off after filing off the shiny top coat.

Alternatively there's a paint on remover on Amazon or wraps by bluesky that I use.

I’ve got a mylee LED lamp. Gives good results.

@ElizabethinherGermanGarden deposing where you had it done, it may need drilling/filing off. Did they use powder? You are unlikely to get that off yourself.

I wanted to do the same but my nails are v weak. I ordered some semi cured gel nail wraps from Holy Grail Nail - few different designs and you can order a pack whch i

*sorry posted too soon

Includes nail wraps and the little lamp to cure them. I'm rubbish with nail varnish so find these really good

Sensationail is brilliant

I tried doing a natural manicure on my nails myself a few weeks back and the nail shape didn't end great😳

There’s a paint on remover which is fab! I used the mylee one. Paint it on and you can see it bubbling. I use a cuticle pusher to gently rub it off when it’s done. Much less messy than soaking in acetone :)

I use OPI. The standard polish lasts well. The Infinite Shine range lasts brilliantly.