DIY Gel Nails

I have always loved loved loved Acrylic / Gel and Gel nails but hated spending so much money and time at the salon each month. A little over two years ago I decided to get all the stuff I needed to do my own nails. (Fun fact-I even did other peoples nails for a few months, until it got way to time consuming with my full-time job.) Yes, I still go get a pedicure from time to time, but I do my nails pretty much every time myself now. I did not go to school to learn how to do nails, I just taught myself. A step may be 'wrong' in a professional opinion, this is just works for me and what I prefer. Acrylic is a little bit harder to do, and more time consuming so for today I am going to just go over gel nails from start to finish! (Let me know in the comments below if you want an acrylic tutorial and I can post a blog/vlog on it for you later.)

Lets start with the supplies I use... (And yes, as you'll see I purchase 99.5% of all my nail stuff on Amazon. It is the cheapest place to get everything. You can get a 1.5 oz polish for $6-10 online, and in store they want $15 for the same brand/color in a .5 oz. So lame, so seriously avoid your beauty stores overpriced product!)

Salon Edge UV Light $28 Amazon

(comes in white, black, silver, light pink, hot pink)

Replacement Bulbs $6-$10 Amazon
(They go out every 500-700 uses so you'll want to keep them on hand)

Gelish Foundation + Regular Top Coat $25 Amazon

Gelish Matte Top Coat $9 Amazon
(This one looks good sometimes, I don't prefer it on my nails usually.)

OPI PH Bond 

.5 oz $7 Amazon

1 oz $15 Amazon

A high grit Buffer / File - Cheapest at my local beauty supply store

Wooden Sticks - 100 count - $2 Amazon

Lint Free Finger Wipes - 200 count - $2 Amazon

Nail Preparation

Push back the cuticles with your wooden stick

Clip off any excess cuticle as needed

Shape your natural nails

Gently remove the shine on the natural nail with a high grit buffer

Wash your hands with soap and dry fully

Painting

Apply the PH bond to the nails and let dry

Apply a thin code of the foundation to the nail, make sure you get all of the edges to seal it

Cure the bond and foundation

Use a wooden stick to remove up and excess polish from around the cuticle or the nail (before you cure it)

Apply thin layers of the polish, again make sure you get all of the edges to seal it

(NOTE: too thick of coats will cause it to not cure properly)

Apply as many coats as needed to get desired look

Apply a thin coat of the top coat, making sure you seal this one really well

Cure the top coat

Your nails will be sticky still at this point. Use non acetone nail polish remover or rubbing alcohol on a lint-free pad to wipe off the stickiness (do not use cotton pads or cotton balls – try using paper towel squares or lint-free pads like shown above)

(NOTE: If the color comes off when removing the tacky surface than the nail did not  cure properly at some point during the process. If that happens, remove that whole nail and start over)

Apply cuticle oil to the skin surrounding the nail

DONE, wahoo! (:

Now let me give you a few tips on the polish I use. I have tried many brands and my favorite seem to be the IBD with Gelish in second place. Here is my review for some other brands...

IBD - $5-10 - Thick (1-2 coats)

Gelish - $10-15 - Thick (2-3 coats)

OPI - $16-30 - Runny (4-6 coats) 

Finger Paints - $12-17 - Medium (2-4 coats)

Gelaze - $8-12 - Medium (2-4 coats)

If you try doing your nails for yourself, tag @addie_robertson and hashtag #MakeItLively in the picture!

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