Gel Nail Tutorial

The following is a tutorial on how I get professional looking gel nails at home! This process takes about an hour, so make sure you will not be interrupted during that time.

You will need the following products:

• Sally Hansen Salon Gel Polish Starter Kit
• Gelish Foundation Soak-Off Gel Polish
• OPI Base Coat Gel Polish
• OPI Gel Color in Bubble Bath
• OPI Top Coat Gel Polish
• ibd Flex Powder in Translucent Pink
• Rubbing Alcohol
• Lint-free wipes
• Nail file

You may use the polishes that come with the kit, I just have been using these because of great reviews and I like how all of these work together.

Step One:

Prep nails by pushing cuticles back and trimming, file nails into desired shape then rough up the surface of your nails with the rough side of a nail file. Try not to rough them up too much as this thins the nails.

Your nails should look something like this once done. Pour some of the rubbing alcohol onto your lint-free wipe (I cut up little squares of paper towel) and wipe your nails thoroughly.

Step Two:

I like to work on one hand at a time as this ensures that the nails will be less likely to get lint, etc. on them which can cause the manicure to lift. Apply a thin coat of the Gelish Foundation to your nails, be careful to not get any on your skin or cuticles as this will cause lifting of the polish later on. This step is crucial in a long lasting manicure and was the hardest for me to master. If you do get polish onto your nails you can use a manicure brush to clean it up. Once all nails are coated, dip them gently into the Flex Powder one finger at a time. Be careful doing this as shoving them in too hard can push the polish back, causing a ridge in the final product (see picture below).

Once nails have all been dipped in the flex powder, take a lint free cloth and dust off the nails. Make sure you get into the cuticles. Once dusted off, the nails should look like the above photo.

 

Step Three:

Place the nails into the UV lamp and press the top button once. Repeat this three times; I have found that this is the proper amount of time needed for long lasting results.

 

Step Four:

Apply a thin coat of OPI Gel Color in whatever color you have chosen. I love the color Bubble Bath because it is a nice natural looking color that goes with everything. I used to use the original OPI polish in this color all the time.

 

Place nails into the UV lamp for three treatments. Apply a second coat of the color and repeat the UV lamp process.

 

Step Five:



Apply a thin coat of OPI Gel Color top coat and place under the lamp for three treatments. Once nails have been treated, wipe nails thoroughly with the rubbing alcohol. This step will remove any excess gummy feeling on the nails.

 

Gel manicure is complete, do the same steps on your other hand!

 

If you don't get it right the first time or your nails start peeling soon after, don't give up. It took me a few tries to get it down perfectly and even now once in awhile they don't last like I would like them too. Depending on what your hands go through, this manicure can last 4 days to two weeks. I use my hands a lot in my profession and am constantly washing/sanitizing them so sometimes the manicure doesn't last that long. For the manicure I did today, I capped the nails (put the polish over the edge of the nail) so I am hoping that will elongate the amount of time it lasts. I had not previously done this as my nails were too short.

 

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and try it out for yourself! I realize it is a bit pricey but doing your own nails saves you money. I have done many manicures without having to buy more products.

 

As always, click on Katrina's Beauty Shop at the top of my blog for where to purchase the mentioned products.