Someone please explain nails!

[Prettybubblesintheair]

I get gel nails every 3 weeks but for a while now I’ve been thinking about trying nail extensions. I asked the lady doing them and shes given me what I believe are acrylics, she created a slightly longer but much thicker nail using a glue and powder. They’re ok but I wanted longer, thinner nails I was thinking of the ones that they stick on and then cut down to size?! What are these called please so I’ll know for next time?

I think from what your describing, you had a sculpted acrylic extension with liquid and power. What you might be looking for it tips, where they extend the nail with tips and apply an overlay of acrylic or gel over the top.

Thank you so much! X

Why don't you get gel overlays /BIAB and then your nails will get really long?

1. Acrylics is where they put a plastic clear tip on the end of your natural nail and then use acrylic powder mixed with a liquid solution on top. They would have had to soak your gel nails or buff them completely off to do it and the powder would have been in a circular tub

   2a. With gel nail extensions, they either could have extended the length of your gel nails just by using the gel polish and building it up more and more. But this would probably make them look quite thick so that your nail is supported and sturdy 

   2b. The other gel option is that they put on a clear tip and put the gel polish on top of it

I think it sounds like they've done 2a because of the thickness?

I like gels but if I want more length I would opt to wait until they grow more and just get normal gel on top of it, or just go all out and get acrylics. I have tried gel with tips and I don't find gel is strong enough to support the tips so they always snap off and take my natural nail along with it :(

Thanks for your reply. So they took my gels off completely then put these weird gold stickers on my fingers with shorter nails and the stickers were then folded into little cones. Then using a powder in a circular pot and some sort of liquid starting at my nail bed created a whole new slightly longer nail with the powder liquid. This then dried and was shaped then she painted over them with gel colour. But they are very thick, I feel like they make my fingers look stubby due to the thickness. I really wanted the nails that they stick on and then cut down to your desired shape and size I just don’t know what to ask for and I get really anxious about looking dim! There’s also a language barrier so it’s often difficult for us to communicate with each other.

Ohh it might be your nail tech, mine does sculpted if I ever break one of my regular acrylics and they're not thick at all. They don't last as long as the normal stick on tip acrylics though.

I have gel overlay nails, they stick tips on, put gel powder on (mixed with acetone I think) then gel polish on top. Gel is thinner than acrylic