Gel nails at home

[Jupiter]

Does anyone have experience with the gel nail manicure at home? I know there are a few different types. Suggestions on the best brand?

[BabyH]

Yep! I do it weekly (my nails seem to grow really fast with the gel polish!) I LOVE it. LOVE LOVE LOVE! It's time consuming, and takes some learning, but if you can paint your nails and have patience, it's simple, really.

Any of the gel products will work with any light. I have a light from Sally Beauty and products from all the different brands. It just depends on what color you like the best. Red Carpet at Ulta has some nice, and reasonably priced colors, and the Gelish colors at Sally's are great too - but you can get better deals on most gel polishes through Amazon.

Good luck! :thumbsup:

[waitingforgrace]

I love the red carpet manicure kit I have. Drugstore.com had the pro kit for $40 on cyber Monday so I bought it for my mom. Seriously can't recommend it enough. I have about 15 polishes and it easily lasts 10-14 days. Fair warning you'll get spoiled and never want to use regular polish again.

[Jupiter]

What about the Sally Hansen brand? Do they all require an led light?

[waitingforgrace]

What about the Sally Hansen brand? Do they all require an led light?

Not sure about the Sally Hansen brand. The ones that are a true gel manicure are going to require a light. Some use a UV light, others an LED. The problem w UV is that UV exposure is bad for your skin so there were warnings to be careful about the exposure.

[Jupiter]

Ahh ok. So is there a better brand for the led light? I dont want to spend alot of money but I don't want crap either.

[BabyH]

Ahh ok. So is there a better brand for the led light? I dont want to spend alot of money but I don't want crap either.

In my experience, with my mini light, having it done at a salon with an LED light and the several different brands I use at home... they really all work the same. The ones that last "better" really are only "better" because of technique. You have to use very thin coats, cure the right amount of time, and not go outside the lines to prevent and avoid the peeling of the paint. But really, I will use a different brand foundation, nail color and top coat, and everything works with everything. The light will be your biggest expense.

[Jupiter]

Ok so the next obvious question..how do you take it off?

[BabyH]

Ok so the next obvious question..how do you take it off?

So easy! Buff your nails a little with a nail file or block to break the seal/shine of the gel color, and soak in nail polish remover for a few minutes. Then you can help push the color off with a wooden stick or use another nail. It's fast! I promise it isn't as bad as it sounds. My nails are super healthy and I've never had any damage from any gel nail manicure I do!

[pastrygirl]

I did some research a while back and decided on the Red Carpet Manicure Pro kit (Target, Ulta). I haven't gotten it or myself, but I'm hoping it shows up on Christmas. There are reviews on Makeupalley and videos on YouTube that helped me narrow it down.

[HannaAddict]

It can really wreck your nails/nail bed after prolonged time. My manicurist loved it at first but was testing it out before suggesting it, and has said now she would only do it if going on a vacation or something where you needed a couple weeks, but that she would not recommend it regularly because of what she's seen it do to her nails and others. She charges more for it and does offer it, but I am staying away after her experience. Just fyi and be careful.

[BabyH]

It can really wreck your nails/nail bed after prolonged time. My manicurist loved it at first but was testing it out before suggesting it, and has said now she would only do it if going on a vacation or something where you needed a couple weeks, but that she would not recommend it regularly because of what she's seen it do to her nails and others. She charges more for it and does offer it, but I am staying away after her experience. Just fyi and be careful.

I've heard that about the Shellac brand. I've been using since the first at-home kit came out and I'm serious, my nails are in better shape with this than they were when I was painting three times a week. It hasn't done any damage or bothered mine at all. (And I promise I'm among the heaviest users of gel products!)

[happy2bamom]

This is what I have

http://knockoutnails.com/

They are great! Manicures last about 2 weeks! It's wonderful, can't recommend it enough!! They offer a 30 day guarantee so you can't go wrong IMHO

[waitingforgrace]

It can really wreck your nails/nail bed after prolonged time. My manicurist loved it at first but was testing it out before suggesting it, and has said now she would only do it if going on a vacation or something where you needed a couple weeks, but that she would not recommend it regularly because of what she's seen it do to her nails and others. She charges more for it and does offer it, but I am staying away after her experience. Just fyi and be careful.

Interesting, I've been using it consistently for over 6 months and haven't seen any adverse effects. I usually wear it for 2 weeks, take a week off, then polish again.

[chinook]

I have CND brand stuff and a UV light for doing my own shellac at home. It's great! And the CND shellac is easy to get off, it just needs a 10 minute wrap with acetone. I'll never go back to regular polish on my hands, the shellac just lasts so much better!

[chinook]

Just wanted to add I have next to zero skills when it comes to nail polish etc. I actually find the shellac more forgiving than regular polish.

[cono0507]

Just got the red carpet set and love it! Still working on the best way to get the polish off though. Even with wrapping them with the cotton soaked in acetone/foil still was hard to remove. Any tips?

[waitingforgrace]

Just got the red carpet set and love it! Still working on the best way to get the polish off though. Even with wrapping them with the cotton soaked in acetone/foil still was hard to remove. Any tips?

How long did you soak them? When I do that alone it definitely takes 10 minutes of soaking. I often soak my fingers in hot water first, if it's been 2 weeks sometimes that alone is enough to get it off or it takes a much shorter acetone soak.

[cono0507]

How long did you soak them? When I do that alone it definitely takes 10 minutes of soaking. I often soak my fingers in hot water first, if it's been 2 weeks sometimes that alone is enough to get it off or it takes a much shorter acetone soak.

I put the acetone soaked cotton ball on each nail and them wrapped in foil like the salon does but the polish wouldn't budge. I'm thinking I didn't "sand" off the glossiness enough first like the instructions say?

[3blackcats]

I've been having the professional gel manicures done for about 6 months now. The salon I go to uses the CDN Shellac brand. You can find it really cheap on ebay. My nails have never been this healthy. With the professional application, it will last up to 4 weeks! Keep your nails shorter and it will last the longest. When they do chip, after like 3 weeks I will clip the chip off and it looks fabulous again.

As for taking it off, soak cotton with acetone and wrap with foil. Wait 10 mins, scrape off what came loose, repeat as necessary. Depending on the colour, it make take a few applications. Don't peel them off, this is what damages the nail.

I used to have the acrylic nails, not the glue on ones, but the ones they mix the powder and liquid. I love the Shellac so much better!

[Jupiter]

Has anyone tried te Sally Hansen led kit or the sensationail??