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!!
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!
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!!
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