Do your own nails

[delilabell]

I cannot afford to have my nails done at a beauticians/nail bar so was looking at do it yourself kits. I have tried so many normal nail varnishes but they peel off sometimes even in hours.
I've seennadverts for the dip ones that are reduced at the moment but there's also gel ones woth uv lamps, what would people reccomend?
Also, how do you shape your nails correctly? I am not good at making them all look uniform.
Thanks everyone 💅

I do my own with the mylee UV lamp kit, it's brilliant and really easy, way easier than regular nail polish. It does take me a lot longer than a salon appointment would but I enjoy doing it so it doesn't bother me too much. I've done my own for over a year now so it's already paid for itself several times over.

I used to do my own but have stopped and don’t regret it.

If you’re not very good at making them uniform then I honestly wouldn’t bother: you’ll be at it for hours for an obviously diy result. The initial outlay for buying everything yourself isn’t worth it for bodged looking nails.

Also there were so many people I knew giving themselves (permanent!) allergy reactions through gels it reached a point where it wasn’t worth the risk.

Go bare with nails and then it will be even more of a treat to get them done for special occasions.

I use nail wraps

Are the nail wraps easy to apply please @NeedthatFridayfeeling? I’m guessing there is some trimming of them.

I find them easy, find the right size before peeling from the backing paper, go a bit narrower if needed to make sure they don't stick to the skin (they'll peel off if they do) then peel and stick, i rest them on the middle of my nail and lightly fold down to make sure I've placed it right, if it's not placed well you can gently peel it back off and try again. Once in place press down and then use a good top coat.
I use these lilyandfox.com.au

I do my own but with regular nail varnish. I use a Sally Hansen base coat and top coat and 3 coats of Essie varnish. I never, ever get chips or peeling. I just removed nail varnish that I applied almost 3 weeks ago and it was perfect apart from the regrowth gap at the base.

I cut them straight across after a bath and then file them into a squoval shape. I like them to be just longer than my finger, but they grow ridiculously fast.

Great, thank you!

With wraps clean your nails with normal nail polish remover first, that will remove any oils, don't then get a bath or shower or wash dishes (with gloves is fine) until the next day so that they are fully adhered. I do mine in an evening while half watching tv

This is all very helpful thank you! I tried wraps and they weren't great but bit could well of been me ! 😂

I do gel X type extensions on mine. No need to shape then!
Beetles Easy Gel Tips Nail Extension Kit, 2 In 1 Nail Glue Gel Base Coat with Pre-shaped Medium Almond Nails and U V LED Nail Lamp Acrylic Nail Clipper for Gel Art Polish DIY Manicure https://amzn.eu/d/e8EeTb1

Been doing my own for 8 years, tried and done all the different types. Dip/acrylic/gel extensions/polygel. And these are by far the easiest and quickest.
Then I finish them with gel colour. They last until out grown.

I use mylee and it’s a bit of a faff but way easier than normal polish ( which chips in a day for me). It also lasts as long as the salons

Thank you taken note!

You lot are brilliant

I used sassy saints which is really good. No need for UV lamp.

I love semi cured wraps, I'm using moyou and they easily stay on for 2 weeks. They do take a bit of practice but so much easier than doing my own gel nails, which always ended up a bit messy! Here's the ones i had at Halloween.

I use Barry M gel nail polish and whatever random
top coat I find in a drawer! I like to change mine up quite regularly though so only tend to have it on for a week.

Like PP, I use Sally Hansen base, then the Sally Hansen red bottle topcoat. In the middle I do two coats of Essie.

I can usually get about 5 days from a dark colour.

Tbh I like to change the colour regularly and hate the time you have to spend having them done. Also I get the shape better than in a salon. I always have to ask them to redo some bits.

I have a Mylee lamp. I'm about 3 years in now. I've just done them tonight - it takes me about 15 minutes but I have a steady hand and I just trim and file. They're not all the same length as sometimes one breaks. It's a bitch to get off though so I do it once every couple of months for occasions.

It depends on your standards I think. I just want "polish that lasts" rather than salon-level shaping.