"Nail" me!

[justkim]

gaea, it is more the misinformation that pisses me off. I am not upset with you, I am upset with the person who told you this bull-crap...
what ruins the natural nail is illegal products that contain MMA and a heavy handed tech. Most of the non traditional nail places use bigger brushes that contain more of the monomer and you are bound to have it get on the cuticle area which in turn causes over exposure. Let me see if I can find the article I hand out when I taught. I will work on finding it later this week. Sorry for the rant...

**puts her soap box away...

[gaea]

Originally Posted by justkim

gaea, it is more the misinformation that pisses me off. I am not upset with you, I am upset with the person who told you this bull-crap...
what ruins the natural nail is illegal products that contain MMA and a heavy handed tech. Most of the non traditional nail places use bigger brushes that contain more of the monomer and you are bound to have it get on the cuticle area which in turn causes over exposure. Let me see if I can find the article I hand out when I taught. I will work on finding it later this week. Sorry for the rant...

**puts her soap box away...

thanks Kim that is very kind of you and i would appreciate any information you can pass along to me.

taking care of my nails is important to me and i get great satisfaction from doing them myself.

[gaea]

With Ultas Red Carpet Manicure Gel...

I followed the instructions to a tee...the gel took hours to set even having my nails under the light as instructed ....

I think im going to save my money and invest in the "gelish" brand and the light system. The gelish brand is what my nail tech uses when i can go to see her so i already know that is a brand that sets properly with the light system.

[SecretAgentMa'am]

I have terrible nails. They barely grow, and when I do get a little length on them, they bend and tear. They are getting better, though, because I found a fantastic product. Nail-aid Collagen Nail Builder. I know a lot of people love Sally Hansen products, but I've always found them to be lacking. Never did a thing for me. Also, Sally Hansen products are animal tested, which is a deal-breaker for me. Nail-aid is made in the USA, not animal tested, and contains no DBP, toluene, or formaldehyde. It's fabulous stuff. The Collagen Nail Builder promises visibly longer, stronger nails in one week, and it absolutely delivers. My nails still have a way to go to be truly healthy, but I can definitely see progress.

[Rivkeh]

Originally Posted by SecretAgentMa'am

I have terrible nails. They barely grow, and when I do get a little length on them, they bend and tear. My nails still have a way to go to be truly healthy, but I can definitely see progress.

...okay, this year I have started having Shellac CND done when I have a manicure and it is amazing! The colors and the lustre stay beautiful for 2 plus weeks....before that I was having manicures with regular OPI nail polish and was lucky if I got three days. The other great thing about Shellac is that it keeps your nails strong, and therefore you get better growth.

[BugsAndKisses]

I can't wait to try this!

[SecretAgentMa'am]

Originally Posted by BugsAndKisses

I can't wait to try this!

That is so many different kinds of awesome. I'm totally doing this after my next manicure.

[Princess]

Originally Posted by BugsAndKisses

I can't wait to try this!

Curious, did you ever do this? When I tried it was quite a bit messy and it didn't turn out like I had hoped...(do they ever?)

[Medusa]

For anyone who has done the shellac manicures, I found a product that I am in LOVE with:




This is called "Sensationail" by Nailene. It's a kit that costs about $50 and they have about 12 different colors.
The kit comes with the LED light and all the stuff you need. It takes about 10 minutes to do your nails and they are hard as a rock after.

I am in LOVE.

This ends up costing less than $5 per manicure!

[Talon]

Has anyone here tried a "gel" manicure, yet? I've heard they last a long time. And do you know if you can get one if you have tips w/acrylic?

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by Talon

Has anyone here tried a "gel" manicure, yet? I've heard they last a long time. And do you know if you can get one if you have tips w/acrylic?

The acrylic would have to come off I think. I've had the gels done before and I liked them. They didn't damage my nails like acrylic. They would last up to 2 weeks for me, but I am hard on my nails.

I just got my first shellac manicure and I like it too. It's lasted about a week and a half so far, and may make it to 2 before I get annoyed enough to have it redone.

[Princess]

Originally Posted by Gemme

The acrylic would have to come off I think. I've had the gels done before and I liked them. They didn't damage my nails like acrylic. They would last up to 2 weeks for me, but I am hard on my nails.

I just got my first shellac manicure and I like it too. It's lasted about a week and a half so far, and may make it to 2 before I get annoyed enough to have it redone.

I love shellac! My nails stay pretty much flawless for at least 3 weeks. They have kits you can buy to do them at home now too, but I trust that I will mess them up if I do lol!

[Talon]

Originally Posted by Gemme

The acrylic would have to come off I think. I've had the gels done before and I liked them. They didn't damage my nails like acrylic. They would last up to 2 weeks for me, but I am hard on my nails.

I just got my first shellac manicure and I like it too. It's lasted about a week and a half so far, and may make it to 2 before I get annoyed enough to have it redone.

Yeah, unfortunately the acrylic wrecks your nail bed, but I love the length and strength w/ acrylics. Maybe the next time I remove them, I'll try the gel manicure. Do you know if it the same w/the shellac mani,(having to remove your acrylic first?)
Thank you for your response, Gemme.

[vixenagogo]

Originally Posted by Talon

Yeah, unfortunately the acrylic wrecks your nail bed, but I love the length and strength w/ acrylics. Maybe the next time I remove them, I'll try the gel manicure. Do you know if it the same w/the shellac mani,(having to remove your acrylic first?)
Thank you for your response, Gemme.

a gel manicure is the same a shellac manicure. shellac is just a brand name of a gel manicure product. i have had shellac and gelish products used. personally i like the gelish because it's a little thicker in consistency and seems to wear longer ( i get about 3 weeks wear). gelish also has more colors to choose from (including sparkles for those so inclined).

so yes, you would have to remove your acrylic first if you are interested in a gel manicure cause you wouldn't need both, right?

in regards to your nail bed... if you pick or peel off the gel polish, it will cause damage to your nail beds, too. always have any artificial nail product (gel or acrylic) removed the proper way by soaking in acetone. the nice thing about the gel manicure is that there is no aggressive filing on the natural nail like acrylic nails because the product is removed every time you have it done (instead of layering).

[Talon]

Originally Posted by vixenagogo

a gel manicure is the same a shellac manicure. shellac is just a brand name of a gel manicure product. i have had shellac and gelish products used. personally i like the gelish because it's a little thicker in consistency and seems to wear longer ( i get about 3 weeks wear). gelish also has more colors to choose from (including sparkles for those so inclined).

so yes, you would have to remove your acrylic first if you are interested in a gel manicure cause you wouldn't need both, right?

in regards to your nail bed... if you pick or peel off the gel polish, it will cause damage to your nail beds, too. always have any artificial nail product (gel or acrylic) removed the proper way by soaking in acetone. the nice thing about the gel manicure is that there is no aggressive filing on the natural nail like acrylic nails because the product is removed every time you have it done (instead of layering).

Thanks for clearing the gel/shellac thing up. And also the acrylic/gel thing, too.

[justkim]

Originally Posted by vixenagogo

a gel manicure is the same a shellac manicure. shellac is just a brand name of a gel manicure product. i have had shellac and gelish products used. personally i like the gelish because it's a little thicker in consistency and seems to wear longer ( i get about 3 weeks wear). gelish also has more colors to choose from (including sparkles for those so inclined).

so yes, you would have to remove your acrylic first if you are interested in a gel manicure cause you wouldn't need both, right?

in regards to your nail bed... if you pick or peel off the gel polish, it will cause damage to your nail beds, too. always have any artificial nail product (gel or acrylic) removed the proper way by soaking in acetone. the nice thing about the gel manicure is that there is no aggressive filing on the natural nail like acrylic nails because the product is removed every time you have it done (instead of layering).

There should NEVER be any aggressive filing on the natural nail bed no matter what you are having done. You only need to remove the shine from the natural nail bed. I have used buffing block to remove the shine. I had no problems with my product adhering to the nail. It is all in the prep work. Acrylic doesn't need to be removed for every application, if you are being told this then you are being ripped off.

I do this for a living, I also teach. It is my job not only to educate my students but also my clients. I share this information with you all because I love what I do, not because I want to be perceived as a know it all... If you have any questions please feel free to pm me.

[justkim]

Originally Posted by Talon

Yeah, unfortunately the acrylic wrecks your nail bed, but I love the length and strength w/ acrylics. Maybe the next time I remove them, I'll try the gel manicure. Do you know if it the same w/the shellac mani,(having to remove your acrylic first?)
Thank you for your response, Gemme.

Talon, more damage is done by the nail tech to the natural nail when they are not trained properly. ALL of my clients could go without nail enhancements if that is what they chose to do. But they don't. I take any and all classes that are offered to me so that I can provide the most current and up to date information to my clients.
You can put gel over acrylic, but proper steps need to be taken to make sure you get the best adhesion.

[justkim]

[Beloved]

I'd love to have cute nails but I can't because of work. So I make up for it with pedicures in the warm months.

[justkim]

What type of gel are you thinking about? Something along the line of Shellac by CND, OPI also has a version, actually there are many versions out there. Although you can use acrylic and gel together the person doing the process should be able to do it right. I would suggest finding someone in your area that uses Young Nails. It is the product I use as a licensed nail tech/cosmetologist. I have used OPI and the CND Shellac of those two I prefer OPI. As far as tips go, I only sculpt my nails and steer clear of using tips, mind you this is just my preference and may not be something your nail tech does.
I wish you luck in finding what works for you.

Originally Posted by Talon

Has anyone here tried a "gel" manicure, yet? I've heard they last a long time. And do you know if you can get one if you have tips w/acrylic?