Hi everyone,
last week I did my nails for the first time by myself.
I didn't fail completely, but they aren't what I hoped for. But OK, it was the first try, so I'm a little gracious with myself 😎
These were my nails before I started...
I prepped the cuticle by filing it...
Sadly I don't have pics from the other parts. I was so engrossed in the work, that I've completely forgotten to make pics 😔 I promise you, I'll do better next time!
The next steps were...
- Put the dehydrator on the nails to make sure they are free of all oils or other dings. Then put the primer on. The primer takes care that everything connects perfectly. Both dry without the lamp.
- The next step is to use the base coat on the nails. The base coat has to cure in the UV lamp. Important, DON'T wipe the sticky layer off!!! It's important to connect with the gel.
- Now it's time for the gel. There are different ways to put hybrid gel (that's the official name of this kind of gel because poly gel is actually a band name).
- Hybrid gel is a combination of gel and acrylic. It is like gel, but it needs a liquid to form it like acrylic. But it needs to cure in a lamp like gel. So you aren't in a hurry to form it, because it doesn't dry at the air like acrylic. It also is as robust as acrylic but also flexible like gel when it is hardened.
I tried different versions of forming the nails. First, I put the gel in the dual form and formed it before I put it on the nail. I also tried to put the gel in the dual form but pressed it on the nail so that it spreads out through the pressure. Both seemed to work. But when I cured it, it was too much gel on the cuticle 😫 So I had to file VERY much... And I filed so much, that I had to repeat all the steps again like I make a refill 🙈 And AGAIN... 😤
Yes, I failed extremely... But OK. You can only learn when you make mistakes...
So I learned A LOT. It is very important to be far away from the cuticle and don't use too much pressure. So I notice for me, that the nail clips don't work for me.
- After 3 hours!!! I was done with ONE hand 😅 I needed a break and a refreshment, so I had dinner... And then I got back to work and made my second hand. This time the right hand (my dominant hand). I had lots of respect for this hand, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. But again the gel "loved" my cuticle and I had to file a lot and "refilled" again. I also tried to work without dual forms, and it went really good. I had gaps at the corners so it wasn't that easy.
- After everything was cured, I used a gel polish. Nail polishes are the worst for me... I failed with nail polishes my whole life 🙈 I tried my best, and corrected as much as I could, but there is still soo much on my skin 😫 But I hope I'll find a way to get better with this problem.
The things I used to do my nails:
| Born Pretty Nail Dehydrator |
| Born Pretty Nail Primer |
| Limegirl Base Coat |
| Limegirl Top Coat |
| Limegirl Poly Nail Gel #PGP011 (coffee) |
| Limegirl Gel Polish #027 (wine red) |
| Buffer |
| File (180/180) |
| Brush |
| different bits |
| Cellettes (nail napkins) |
| Dual Forms |
| Brush |
| Cuticle oil |
| Dust absorber |
| UV/LED lamp |
| Nail drill |
| Alcohol |
I definitely learned a lot about my nail drill and I learned, that dual forms aren't the right thing for me. I already ordered paper forms, and I'll try them next time. So, next time, I'll tell you all about the paper forms and how I got on with them 😊 And I promise there will be more step-by-step pics.
💡 Hint:
If you have a new file, please file the edges with another file first. A new file has very sharp edges and you can hurt yourself!
❓❓❓ Question ❓❓❓
How was your first time doing your nails??