All About Gel Nails! (Review)

I am personally one of those people who is slightly obsessed with keeping my nails perfect. I do not have pretty natural nails and I am prone to messing with them if they are not polished. Also my nails peel and become thin, so without the reinforcement of polish, my nails are brittle and sensitive. 

In order for me to keep my nails looking perfect, I have to polish them twice a week. After doing this for months, I got really tired of it and decided to try something new: gel nails.

Gel nails are not to be mistaken with gel polish! Gel polish is just a special nail polish cured by a UV light in between coats. Gel nails are actual enhancements onto your natural nails.
Application Process
1. The nails are prepped (usually filed, cuticle care, sometimes a nail primer, etc.)
2. If you asked for tips or nail enhancements (you want your nails to be longer) clear tips will be glued to the end of the nails. These tips will be super long at first but don't freak out! The nail tech will cut them to your desired length and shape them to your desired shape:)
One thing to remember when deciding on the length is how fast your nails grow. If your nails grow super fast like mine, then you may want to start out with them a little shorter than your desired length. This is because you will have these nails on for at least two weeks, so by the time that second week rolls around, your nails will be longer than when you first got them done.
3. A gel base coat will be applied and cured by a UV light. 
4. The nail tech will begin applying the gel. This gel comes in a pot and looks just like what it is: gel. It is applied to the nails with what looks like a paint brush. If they use a liquid and powder on your nails you are NOT getting gels but acrylics. This is a common scam and you can read about it here :)
If you are getting french tips (pink and white) the nail tech will apply a white gel to the tips, cure it, and then add a clear (usually actually slightly pink toned, very natural color) over it and cure that as well.
If you are getting the gel with just a solid color over it, the nail tech will most likely just put the clear gel over your nails.
5. Each coat of gel will be cured under a UV light.
6. The nail tech will most likely buff or file over the gel to make it less thick.
6. If you are getting a solid color, polish will be painted over the gel. I got a solid color for the first time recently and my nail tech used a gel polish. Gel polish is cured under a UV light between coats.
7. A top coat is applied and cured under the UV light, and you're done! 

CND Hot Lava gel polish over my gel nails. Sorry about being able to see the camera's reflection in the nail- they are that shiny!!

 The "Fill" Process
If you are familiar with fake nails, you are probably familiar with the term "fill". This is basically what you get done every 2-3 weeks after having your nails done. This process fills in the growth between your fake nails and natural nails. You can also get your nails shortened and a different color.
1. The nail tech files down the gel nails. They will especially file down the edges to make them blend with your natural nail. At this time they also will shorten and reshape your nails (at your request).
2. Any repairs will be made and then a new layer of gel and polish will be applied just like the first time. 
Keep in mind if you want to keep getting a french manicure you will have to get them re-balanced.
I got my fill after 3 weeks of having my gel nails on. This was WAY too long for me! My nails grow extremely fast, so by the time three weeks rolled around, my nails were way too grown out. Next time I will get mine filled after about two-two and a half weeks. 
When trying to decide how often to get fills keep in mind how fast your nails grow!

Prices
At my salon, the first application is $30. After this, fills are $20 and $25 if you get gel polish applied. Prices may vary greatly, so check around salons in your area and get as much info as you can on pricing. 


Pros
1. Because gel nails are an enhancement onto your natural nails, they make your nails much thicker. This makes them more durable so you don't have to worry if you have naturally brittle nails.
2. You don't have to worry about your nails for at least 2 weeks! Your nails will look perfect and you don't have to mess with polishing them and waiting for them to dry. This saves me so much time because when I polish my nails I have to do them twice a week.
3. If you have always wanted long nails, you can finally get the length you want! But if you like your nails shorter, you can also get gel nails without any lengthening enhancements.
4. No harsh smells like you get with acrylics!
5. Gel nails are more flexible and bend with your nails better than acrylics.
6. Gels look and feel more natural than acrylics.


Cons
1. Cost--gel nails can get pricey, especially because prices vary so much. Getting fills twice a month can add up.
2. Some think they can be time consuming, they take about an hour for application as well as for fills. 
3. Some damage may be done to the natural nails. 
4. Gel polish applied over the gel nails is not indestructible. It is often marketed as super strong, but it's not. It can get scratched.


Personally, I love my gel nails. They have held up great and require virtually no upkeep until your next "fill". They have saved me so much time and stress! The only downside is the gel polish painted over them this time was slightly scratched when I hit my nails on a brick wall. Nothing a normal human would notice, but of course I did. Other than that, I love them and would highly suggest you at least give them a try!

That's about it for my overview/review of gel nails. I hope this was helpful! Thanks so much for reading!!

Common Gel Nail SCAM!

About 6 months ago, I got what I thought to be "gel nails" at a nail salon for a special event. However, I completely got scammed! Gel nails are fairly new to the beauty world and are becoming popular because of their more natural look, feel, and wear.

Many "discount" salons have been taking advantage of the fact that they're new and something many people don't know the specifics (such as the application process) of. Basically what happened to me, and many others, is this:

I went into a discount salon and asked for gel nails. After applying the tips, the nail tech brought out a liquid and a powder and started applying it to the nail by dipping a brush in the liquid first, and then the powder to create a thick consistency. When I mentioned that it looked a lot like the same process being used on my friend's acrylics, the nail tech said it was a "special gel powder". After the nails were done, the nail tech applied a UV topcoat that was cured under a UV light.

What happened is the nail tech applied acrylics to my nails but finished off with a UV topcoat (that made no difference) and called them gels. They also charged me $20 more than what is charged for acrylics at that salon.

Another thing they did is use a drill on my nails. They didn't drill mine as much as usual because I asked them not to, but drilling your nails in order to apply any fake nails is actually completely unnecessary. The drill commonly used is a Dremel and is actually often used with woodworking. It is widely used in "discount salons" because it is cheap and fast. These drills are actually illegal to use on nails in many states. All that is needed (and some say this isn't even needed) when it comes to "drilling down" nails is to lightly run a file over the nails to give them a little texture.

So how do you not get scammed?

-First, get informed. Gel nails are applied just like they sound--with an actual gel. A gel tip may be sculpted or regular plastic tips can be applied. The nail tech will use a gel from a pot on your nails-- if the nail tech starts using a liquid and powder, it is NOT gel. There is no such thing as gel powder.

-Try to avoid "discount salons". If there is a huge language barrier, you may want to be careful. Many times, not all the people working in these salons are licensed. These are often the salons that scam you.

It is said that any damage done to your nails after having fake nails is caused by the nail tech, not the fake nails themselves.

Finding a reputable salon can be hard but is so useful! Even if you do your own nails or generally don't get your nails done, its nice to have a reputable salon in case you have a special event to go to or you just want a change.

I really hope this was helpful and informative!

Thanks for reading!

Jordana Made to Last 12 Hr Eyeshadow Pencil in Eternal White Review+Swatch

I don't know about you, but I feel like Jordana has taken the beauty world by storm lately! All of a sudden I'm hearing about their Best Lash Extreme Mascara, balm stains, Fabuliner, and definitely these Made to Last 12 Hr Eyeshadow Pencils!

 

 

Jumbo eyeshadow pencils are very popular right now, and the drugstore has definitely stepped up their game. With Wet n Wild, Rimmel, NYX, Milani, LA Colors, and now Jordana all having these jumbo pencils, there is a lot to choose from. 

 

 

Eternal White is a great, pigmented white. I love to use this in the inner third of my eyes every day so that no matter what eyeshadow I use over it, the inner part will stay bright. This is also an awesome color for intensifying any eyeshadow you put over it!

The formula of these is amazing! They are super creamy, pigmented, and easy to blend. They also stay on ALL DAY and have never creased on me! This is the best staying power I have found with any jumbo shadow pencil I've used. 

I actually own some of the Urban Decay 24 Hour Eyeshadow Pencils and I think the Jordana shadow pencils are better! The Jordana pencils are creamier, much easier to blend, and last longer. Even if Jordana doesn't have the color you want, I would definitely stick to the drugstore when it comes to these eyeshadow pencils.

These can be used as bases underneath eyeshadow or on their own, but I definitely always prefer eyeshadow pencils as bases. It is amazing how much more intense a shadow can look over the right base! 

The only downside to these is that they are not retractable, which means they have to be sharpened. Although this isn't a huge deal, it would still be more convenient if they were retractable. So if you buy these, you're going to need a jumbo pencil sharpener (which is kind of a hassle to have to get a sharpener just for one product). I have a Nars sharpener that has both a regular size sharpener and a jumbo, and I know Urban Decay and Elf also make dual sharpeners. I would definitely suggest getting a dual sharpener because they're so convienent. 

A little surprise dupe-- Jordana has a Made to Last Eyeshadow Pencil in Continuous Almond that would be an awesome dupe for a Mac Paint Pot! It is a great skin tone color that could be used as a base to even out your lids!

Although I don't like that you need a sharpener for these, I still highly suggest them! They are amazing quality and you can't beat the price at $3.99!

My shadow pencil in Eternal White has become a staple in my daily makeup routine.

I hope this was helpful! Thanks for reading!