This is a basic little step-by-step tutorial I thought I'd do for people who are new to the world of Gel Nails!
This is just how I usually do mine, so take from it what you will!
This is just how I usually do mine, so take from it what you will!
1. Shape your nails as desired and make sure they're clean and dry.
2. Buff the nail, don't get too vigorous! I just use a basic little block for mine, these are available in packs of 3/4 from your local poundshop!
3. Apply your chosen base coat, I use "Bluesky" gel varnishes, but there's a world of brands out there!
4. Cure the nail under your light. The time for this may be dependant on the brand, or the type of light you are using (led or uv)! For me it's 2 minutes under a UV light.
5. This shows what your base coat looks like once it's been cured, I know some people faff around between this stage and your first layer of colour, but I don't personally.
6. Apply your chosen colour, I'm using a Bluesky Granite.
7. Cure your layer, then add more layers as needed to reach your desired colour, I'd recommend 2-3. Remembering to cure in-between layers!
8. Once your nails have reached the desired colour and been cured, add your Top Coat. I like to have a nice thick top coat, and usually cure this for double the time (4 Minutes in my case)!
9. Once cured, use an alcoholic wipe or similar, to clean the sticky residue from your nails!
& You're Finished!
At this point, you may want to go around again with a file, just to clean off any nasty ends, but don't file too much as this will decrease the life-span of your nails. If you've done it right, your gel nails should last between 2-4 weeks.
Top Tip: When painting the nail, if you misjudge and get the gel varnish on your skin, clean it off before curing! Unlike normal nail varnish, you can't just wipe it off afterwards with acetone, it'll cure and stick to your skin, and is a right pain to get off!
Hope you like my first mini tutorial! Let me know how it goes!
- Y. x
