"Nail" me!

Gemme · 04-24-2012, 12:55 AM

Quote:

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 · 04-24-2012, 04:39 AM

Quote:

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 · 04-26-2012, 12:08 PM

Quote:

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 · 04-26-2012, 12:25 PM

Quote:

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 · 04-26-2012, 12:43 PM

Quote:

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 · 04-26-2012, 06:26 PM

Quote:

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.

Gemme · 04-26-2012, 07:52 PM

Quote:

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.

Quote:

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).

Quote:

Originally Posted by justkim

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.

Vixen and kim pretty much answered you, Talon, so I won't get into a long or drawn out dialogue but I will say that I'm up to 2 weeks now with my shellac mani and, though I can see the growth and where it could be filled in, I got a French so it still looks good.

I will say that next time, I'm going to have them go really deep on the white part. That way, when it grows out, I won't be able to see the shadow of the growth as soon. It may last me 3-4 weeks if I do it that way.

*edited to say*

I spent the first 3 days of my new shellac mani in water. If I wasn't in the pool, I was in the jacuzzi so my nails took a beating. I looked more pruney than humany. I have a regular pedi on my toes and the polish began to chip on the edges a little bit but my fingernails still looked fabulous. I'm really liking this.

Talon · 04-27-2012, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gemme

Vixen and kim pretty much answered you, Talon, so I won't get into a long or drawn out dialogue but I will say that I'm up to 2 weeks now with my shellac mani and, though I can see the growth and where it could be filled in, I got a French so it still looks good.

I will say that next time, I'm going to have them go really deep on the white part. That way, when it grows out, I won't be able to see the shadow of the growth as soon. It may last me 3-4 weeks if I do it that way.

*edited to say*

I spent the first 3 days of my new shellac mani in water. If I wasn't in the pool, I was in the jacuzzi so my nails took a beating. I looked more pruney than humany. I have a regular pedi on my toes and the polish began to chip on the edges a little bit but my fingernails still looked fabulous. I'm really liking this.

*chuckle*....I'm in the water quite a lot too, especially in summer, so the shellac sounds perfect for me.
Thanks, for everyone's response, I appreciate you taking the time to share your knowledge.

justkim · 04-26-2012, 06:15 PM

Quote:

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 · 04-26-2012, 09:01 PM

Beloved · 04-27-2012, 04:22 AM

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 · 04-27-2012, 08:29 AM

Go ahead and pamper yourself... Do it when it is cold too... Your feet will thank you...

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

girl_dee · 04-27-2012, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

me too , bodyworker with long nails not good!

i made a post about pedicures on the nail me butch version, i am so sick of seeing people get foot funguses from pedicure places!

Beloved · 04-27-2012, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cajun_dee

me too , bodyworker with long nails not good!

i made a post about pedicures on the nail me butch version, i am so sick of seeing people get foot funguses from pedicure places!

I've never seen a place that uses basins. What you wrote scares me!

Beloved · 05-09-2012, 03:54 AM

Update: I had a pedicure last week and I found a woman that is REALLY clean. She uses a foot bath with disposable liners. She doesn't share files, she dries yours out and keeps it in a baggie with your name on it.

I was telling her how HAPPY I was to see her foot bath and that I was scared of getting foot fungus from the places with those whirlpool like tubs. She told me that foot fungus isn't the worst thing you could get. There is a place in the mall that closed by the health dept because it was spreading MRSA! She also had a client that had a gift certificate to another place and she got a blood infection when that drill they use on acrylics nicked her cuticle. She said that the state goes crazy with these places because when they try to shut them down they say they sold it to another person (another family member usually) and they get the run around.

She told me some other disgusting stories as well. Just be careful everyone!

04-26-2012, 09:01 PM	#10
justkim Senior Member How Do You Identify?: Me... Preferred Pronoun?: ... Relationship Status: <3 myself Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: ... Posts: 2,023 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 3,062 Thanked 6,799 Times in 1,553 Posts Rep Power: 21474854	Some of my handy work... __________________ Kim "A word of encouragement during a failure is worth more than an hour of praise after success." - Unknown -

04-27-2012, 04:22 AM	#11
Beloved Member How Do You Identify?: alive Preferred Pronoun?: um Relationship Status: married Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: on the stars Posts: 460 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 1,415 Thanked 1,653 Times in 298 Posts Rep Power: 19348703	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.

05-09-2012, 03:54 AM	#15
Beloved Member How Do You Identify?: alive Preferred Pronoun?: um Relationship Status: married Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: on the stars Posts: 460 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 1,415 Thanked 1,653 Times in 298 Posts Rep Power: 19348703	Update: I had a pedicure last week and I found a woman that is REALLY clean. She uses a foot bath with disposable liners. She doesn't share files, she dries yours out and keeps it in a baggie with your name on it. I was telling her how HAPPY I was to see her foot bath and that I was scared of getting foot fungus from the places with those whirlpool like tubs. She told me that foot fungus isn't the worst thing you could get. There is a place in the mall that closed by the health dept because it was spreading MRSA! She also had a client that had a gift certificate to another place and she got a blood infection when that drill they use on acrylics nicked her cuticle. She said that the state goes crazy with these places because when they try to shut them down they say they sold it to another person (another family member usually) and they get the run around. She told me some other disgusting stories as well. Just be careful everyone!