I have always love French tips but nothing seems to stay long on my nails for more than 3 days without chipping or breaking. I also don't go to the nail salon to get my nails done because they are expensive and I can do it myself. Most people would go with acrylics or gel to have their nail polishes last longer. It ranges from $30 or more to get gel nails in the salon so I thought why not do it at home.
There are several items that you would need to get to do your own gel nails. The first thing I got is a basic kit from Gelish. I bought this from Sally Beauty Supply and it is currently on sale for $29.99.
Original price: $49.99. The initial investment is expensive, but once you get the basics, it will make up for your future expenses.
This is a MINI basic kit that comes with ALMOST everything you need. If this is your first time working with gel, I would recommend this kit.
Inside the kit there are:
pH bond : 9ml
Foundation: 9ml
Top it off: 9ml
Nourish: 9ml
Nail surface cleanse: 60 ml
Artificial nail remover: 60 ml
The booklet takes you through the steps but if you are a visual person, there is also a CD that will show you how to apply the gel. Both of these items come with the kit.
Other items you would need:
A UV light to cure gel nails. There are many types but I prefer one that has an adapter so it can be plugged into a wall socket instead of using batteries.
The kit does not come with any nail polish so you would need to buy them separately. A gel brush is definitely a must have item if you are going for a french tip. The gel that I bought comes in a container so I need the brush to apply it to my nails (sorry, forgot to take pictures of them)
These gel nail polish below all have brushes like a regular nail polish so you would not need the extra brush.
The colors I got are: (from left to right) Rendevous, Passion, and Tiger Blossom. They don't have too many colors yet, but I hope they will in the future once it starts to get really popular. Since I have not used them before I will have a review on them in my later blogs.
I would also recommend using these lint-free wipes because it can get a bit sticky.
To create the French tips, I used my konad kit to get the white lines. I talked about this kit in my previous blog.
Steps:
Clean and smooth out your nails
Apply base coat
Use konad French kit to create the white line
Foundation from the Gel kit to keep the gel from chipping or peeling
Place finger under UV lamp- 1 minute
Pink builder gel on the pink part of my nails
Clear builder gel on the white lines
Place finger under UV lamp- 2 minutes
Reapply both again
Place finger under UV lamp- 2 minutes
Finish it with a Top it off coat from the kit
Place finger under UV lamp- 1-2 minutes.
Clean off polish with Nail Surface Cleanse
Optional: use nourish around the cuticles.
This took me about an hour to do. As I do it more often, it will probably only take me 30 minutes.
I love the finished result. It's glossy and I feel like I can do anything with my nails and it wouldn't chip.
But I know it will be a pain in the butt to remove.
Have a great weekend.
* make sure you put on the Foundation step or else the gel will not stay on your nails. It will come off the very next day. Also, leave 1mm between your nail and the skin.
<3 <3 <3
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