we asked and we listened!
doing your own gel polish manicures at home is becoming more popular, but if you’re one of the few who still gets slightly intimidated by the notion of DIY, take note of these useful tips.
we have spoken to many lovely ladies about their biggest hurdle to doing their own gel polish manicures and the answers we received back were quite similar.
i can relate, i use to struggle with a lot of the same things. through practice and research, i’ve become much better at the whole gel polish process, and you can too. here are the biggest frustrations our lovely ladies had with gel polish:
not neat enough
the number one reason why most people opt to visit the nail salon, is simply because they feel they are not neat enough, especially when it comes to their non dominant hand. i can tell you, as with most things in life, practice makes (near) perfect. my right hand nails use to look like a 4 year olds colouring in book. now, well, it’s more like a 12 year olds. apart from practice, make sure each of your coats are thin. from your base coat, your colour coats to your top coat, even application is important with gel polishes to ensure that they not only cure properly but also look smooth. you are best off doing three very thin colour coats, than you are if you applied two thick colour coats. making sure your gel polish coats are thin will also prevent potential gel polish air bubbles after curing time in the lamp. to keep it neat, just remember ‘thin will win’ (feel free to use that!).
premature peeling
the next most popular reason as to why some ladies prefer to go to the nail salon, is because when they try from home, they have experienced premature peeling. there is a couple reasons this can occur. it may be due to the quality of gel polish you are using, or most likely due to the way it was applied. to avoid premature peeling or chipping it is important to seal all edges. what this means is instead of just painting the top of your nails, also paint the very tip of your nails, to prevent any water, soaps, make-up or any other chemical getting in between your gel polish and your fingernails.
bumpy polish
we also received feedback about dust and microfibres sticking to the polish. it’s important to be in a clean, dust-free area when you’re applying gel nail polish. so next time, opt for the dining table rather than your lounge suite. gel polish is really sticky, even after curing under the light, and if there’s a lot of dust where you are, that will settle on the surface and adhere to the polish.
confused about lamps
another tip you should follow when you start your gel polish journey, is to always, always, always follow the instructions for curing time from the light source ( LED lamp or UV lamp) you’re using. every lamp is different and has different suggested curing times, so follow these instructions closely.
removal process
lastly, taking gel nail polish off was up there with the most frustrating reasons some ladies don’t like to wear it. yes, it’s not as easy to remove as regular nail polish, but that’s the very same reason we all love it. we use to recommend removing your nail polish using pure acetone. recently, however, i tested a new product: gel off by elliona. i now recommend this method to remove your gel polish. while it’s still not perfect at removing all of your gel polish the first time around, it is not as harsh on your skin and nails when compared to pure acetone. give it a go, and let me know how it goes for you.
we hope these tips were helpful. as with any journey, the first thing to do is start and you will learn lots on the way.
as always, if you have any questions please get in touch via emailing us at hello@toffey.com.au or via our facebook page.
love toffey girls xx
