{"id":46742,"date":"2014-02-07T09:30:21","date_gmt":"2014-02-07T17:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cookiesandclogs.com\/?p=46742"},"modified":"2016-05-30T23:54:04","modified_gmt":"2016-05-31T06:54:04","slug":"diy-at-home-gel-polish-manicure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cookiesandclogs.com\/diy-at-home-gel-polish-manicure\/","title":{"rendered":"DIY At-Home Gel Polish Manicure Tutorial"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n
Some people enjoy going to the nail salon and getting Shellac on their nails. This salon polish promises to stay on up to 14 days with no chipping or cracking. That’s all fine and dandy but what if, like mine, your nails grow so fast that the polish looks bad after just one week – so not worth $35 each time. Now, many companies are offering DIY at-home gel polish kits at various price points.<\/p>\n
Individual pieces of these kits can mostly be interchanged. The basic items needed are:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
To begin, you will have to push back your cuticles and lightly file off the shiny surface of each nail. Next, use a lint-free pad to clean the oil off your fingers. The ‘cleaner’ solution in most kits are basically made of rubbing alcohol so I’ve found it easiest to just use alcohol swabs, like the ones for first-aid kits.<\/p>\n
Curing your nails just means letting it sit under the LED light. Polish dries within seconds.\u00a0If the lamp has a small opening, you can do your fingers first and thumbs later. Not all LED lamps are created equal as some have timers, some are portable, and some are large enough to fit your whole hand at one time or even your foot.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
To remove the polish, you’re supposed to soak a cotton ball in the special remover liquid (basically acetone) and secure it to your nail with aluminum foil. Wait about 15 minutes for it to get soft for easy removal. This is better for your nails but tedious. Instead, I end up peeling all the polish off and letting my nails recover for a week in between applications. It’s kind of fun and somehow therapeutically calming.<\/p>\n