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No. 84655
I do gels and I can help if you like! I actually just finished doing mine, let me get you some links since I buy some stuff on amazon myself.
Some tips:
>do buy bonder and dehydrator
Bonder is super important so make sure to buy IBD or a good brand, same with dehydrator, don't listen to people who say it's just rubbing alcohol/acetone, especially if you have oily skin, your nails will be oily.
>don't use no-wipe base coat
Base coat is very important for bonding, no-wipe is great for top coat since you usually only need one or 2 layers, but for base coat, the stickiness is going to help the gels attach to eachother.
>do buy a cuticle dissolver/make sure to get really good at removing and pushing cuticles
The easiest way to fuck up gel nails is the cuticle. Gel nails kind of work like a suction cup so they will pop off super quick if you don't only cure them onto the nail. Skin and cuticles being polished along with the nail will ruin the adhesion and allow oils underneath making the gel pop off in a week or less.
>don't ever peel it off
Doing so weakens the nail bed, which makes it stay on less next time and can even pull off the natural nail. Always soak them off and scrape the soaked polish.
Since you mentioned holographic powder, I have some tips for that, chrome and any other powders. Always use no-wipe top coat to apply the powders, it attracts the powder, make sure not to wipe it at all or touch anything with the nails before hand. Brush it off with a makeup brush or something similar before you add another later of top coat to seal or it will have glitter in it. Also, you can mix it in your favorite polish for a micro-glitter look.
Will share links soon!
No. 84660
>>84655Thank you anon!
Sorry I'm new to all this- what is a bonder and dehydrator?
Another question. What if I used normal nail polish, and gel base and top coat, would that work? I have colors in normal polish that I like, and I was wondering if it's necessary to replace them all.
Thanks for the great advice and thanks in advance for the links!!
No. 84669
>>84660Sorry for the delay, I'm kind of busy! You can use gel base and top with regular polish but it's a little tricky, you need to be sure it's 100% dry before you use the top coat.
A dehydrator is a solution you apply on your nails right after you file and clean the cuticle, it evaporates and cleanses the nail of oils and things like bacteria etc. and doesn't need curing. Bonder is a type of pre-polish that acts as a sort of double sided tape to help adhere the gel to your nail since they don't stick to eachother normally, you need to cure it like gel polish. You only need to apply dehydrator once or twice and then put on 1 or 2 thin layers.
Bonder (IBD or gelish are both good) :
https://www.amazon.com/IBD-LED-Bonder-Fluid-Ounce/dp/B00KACHMKE/https://www.amazon.com/Hand-Nail-Harmony-Gelish-Bond/dp/B004J6WCBQ/Dehydrator (IBD offers prime but gelish does not):
https://www.amazon.com/IBD-IF112-Dehydrate-0-5-Ounce/dp/B003AQGX1Q/LED lamp (Works with UV polish as well):
https://www.amazon.com/SUNUV-Curing-Fingernail-Toenail-Polishes/dp/B01JGG5CH4/Aimeili is a pretty good chinese brand on Amazon for gel polish especially when just starting out. They are not too pricy and are a good consistency. They're also not super soft feeling like other cheaper off brand gel. They're half to 1/3 the cost of onbrand gels like gelish or OPI and are about the same price as standard polish.
https://www.amazon.com/AIMEILI/b/ref=w_bl_hsx_s_be_web_13968176011?ie=UTF8&node=13968176011&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=AIMEILIThat's their entire brand but here's the base and gel polish set link the top coat is good for any kind of holo/chrome powders:
https://www.amazon.com/AIMEILI-Nail-Polish-Wipe-Lacquer/dp/B00PF9Q5EG/Many chrome/hologram powders on Amazon are pretty overpriced. I got mine from bornpretty for $3. Is a pretty good site for stamper sets and things but I haven't tried the polish. They also have an Amazon store but ship from china so it's not prime. For prime on Amazon, read reviews with photos and be sure to keep in mind many stylists in the west don't know that you need to use the no-wipe top coat for most of the chinese/asian powders. They're very easy to use once you try it once. Just remember to brush off the excess. Also, you have to use a base color, some people don't know that, but you do and it will show through, so pick one you like.
Holographic powder:
https://www.amazon.com/PrettyDiva-Holographic-Rainbow-Manicure-Pigment/dp/B01KJTU2P4/That one looks okay, but I wouldn't pay more than $10, because they are all likely the same thing.
If you're getting a stamper set, make sure to get one with a clear/see-through stamp, which makes it a lot easier to use. You use regular polish to make the stamp since gel is too thick, but you can put them onto any polish as long as you top coat it. Other than the clear stamp, just pick a kit with plates that have things you like on it! I have a lot of lace and rose ones but there's tons out there.
Also, stickers are great, but stay clear of nail foils because they tend to look messy/bad or don't stick and they are annoying to take off.
For rhinestones or 3d pieces do not ever use super glue or nail glue. Below is a someone thick gel that works with rhinestones. It's a UV gel, so you can move them around until you cure it, Just put a bit on with a toothpick and the put your rhinestone on it. It is thick enough that nothing will move or slide.
https://www.amazon.com/MOPRETTY-Rhinestone-Adhesive-Manicure-Decoration/dp/B078NCT9RH/Also don't be afraid to buff or file the gel color or topcoat if you mess up something, when you put more topcoat on it will clear up or fix the color.
Hope that helps and let me know what other help you need!
No. 84671
>>84669One more thing! Make sure you don't use the gel in direct sunlight because UV (it's not always obvious lol) it will cure your polish and ruin whatever you're doing.
Also be sure to close your gel polishes before using the UV lamp because the reflection can cure them as well.
I also forgot to recommend this kit:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KQUV3QYUnfortunately it's unavailable but you can buy the products separately. It has cleanser, which is used to wipe off the sticky layer of gel nails, and soak off remover, which you use to soak off the gel. You can find some other similar thing, but I just like that brand pretty well.
No. 86630
>>86612That's a fine stamper, however it just feels like a scam at $12 for four. Look up nail stamper on Aliexpress and you can find the same brand (BORN PRETTY) for $1 a piece. They mark up nail art supplies like crazy on American sites and stores. The only negative with Aliexpress is that is takes about 2 weeks to arrive.
And yes! Regular polish works good for stamping
No. 86631
>>86612born pretty is a good brand, but unlike the other anon said, that is a pretty okay price for the kit. use bornpretty.com if you don't mind a wait for stuff, but they also have the US warehouse which can be a little pricier but not that bad.
also, regular polish works great, but you shouldn't use gels for stamping, you can but it's very difficult.
>>86630like i said if you look, you'll see that anon linked the kit which is:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/BORN-PRETTY-4-Pcs-Nail-Stamping-Plates-1-Pc-Clear-Stamper-Tamplate-Set-Flower-Pattern-Nail/32869078424.html it's only about $3 cheaper on aliexpress so please make sure to look at the listings and compare before replying since the info you gave was incorrect.
No. 86639
>>86638Maybe read my post again. Sounds like you misread it. My point was that you can buy separate
stamping plates for around a dollar.
>$1 a piece (plate) >The only negative with Aliexpress is that is takes about 2 weeks to arrive.Can I verify anything else for you? I was just giving some more options and didn't want to get into some "who knows more" battle.
No. 86681
>>86676Oh my god I'm so sorry I mean 96 cents for THIS specific
nail plate and $1.24 for this specific
nail plate and $12.00 for these specific
nail platesDamn a women-centric chan is so nitpicky
No. 86683
>>86682This. The main point is that anon
wasn't getting cheated on the item she asked about and the other anon was just adding extra, unnecessary stuff into the mix.
No. 86705
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No. 86706
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No. 86723
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selfposting my nails that i did last week. this was done with my off-hand so it's not as clean as the other hand was (i'm left handed) will dump more professionally done nails.
No. 86809
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Bless you for this thread OP!
I like making some nail art for a couple of years now (lil drawings, deco… all that jazz) but my nails are shit (duplicated, breakable) and I have to wear them super short.
I'm planning to buy a whole kit for uv false nails but I'm a total neewbie and don't know where to start.
By any chance, do you know websites where I'll can find some step-by-step tutorials, advices…etc? What can I do to repair my nails prior? (already tried linseed oil, brewer's yeast pills…but nothing worked)
Thanks!
Pic&link: Some nail inspirations I wanted to share with you all.
http://www.malvanail.com/nail/nail-art11.html No. 87498
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nails dump
No. 87527
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No. 87528
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No. 87843
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Anybody take/passed state board? I'm fine for the practical but I'm scared for the written. If barely English speakers can pass it, it can't be THAT hard? I'm studying my little anus off
No. 90885
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>>90883my honest tip is to learn Japanese nail design. I may be biased, but it's really a good addition to basic skills.
I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but learning how to do nails like this that stay looking like this for the full 2 weeks is a really invaluable skill.
No. 90887
>>90886There are a lot of youtubers you can find, if you're on west coast or near NYC there are some good japanese salons that offer courses.
Lemme check my subs for some good youtubers.
No. 90888
>>90881White nail people expensive? have you been to a Japanese tech salon? There is some in the us too and those designs are super expensive!
Not that I don’t agree with the prices though since it takes a long time and the fancy decorated nails are worth every penny imo.
No. 90889
>>90888I mean they're expensive for less work. Like they do the same amount of work as a viet salon, but want more profit so they charge more in my experience.
Japanese nails are expensive because of what you're getting. (I should know lol) but I say that because moo specifically gets super basic "in" trends like the ballerina/coffin look she's been getting. I kind of read her as being salty that it cost more because "they messed it up" and I've seen some shitty white techs in my area charge more because they feel like they are entitled to
just because they're not a viet salon, even though they don't know basic things like that you need to use gel to glue on rhinestones/3D pieces so they don't come off in 2 days.
No. 90890
>>90889Not going to argue here it’s true lots of them white old lady salons don’t know shit about making fab af nails.
Younger trendier nail techs are doing the damn thing though ,black, white, whatever so I don’t have a problem going to some of them.
No. 90891
>>90890Oh yea, well that's because of the internet. I've seen a lot of really stupid stuff on the internet too from all around though tbh. I really think it all boils down to your personal interest. Some girls just go straight from the school and never try to learn anything else, and school is just for basics/hygiene. You gotta expand your horizons to be a really good stylist. Also.
>become ambidextrous>learn to do both hands>do own nails all the timeFeels bomb.
No. 90892
>>90891I think some of it is the old white lady salons and even most viet I’ve been in, a lot of the time just expect to put your nails on and maybe give you an airbrush or a little crystal glued on with superglue and call it a day. They don’t train in art and don’t have any interest in it like it’s just a job for them. I think young nail techs now have much more passion in it (some of them at least)
The problem though for viet salons is here in the us all those stories about unsafe salons always end up painted as if all Asian salons are dirty and unsafe, but many dumb Americans believe this shit and are willing to pay them white old ladies who can’t do any art because the news told them that’s how you stay safe from getting your leg amputated from gangrene.
Same goes for Japanese salons since many Americans can’t tell the difference between Chinese Japanese or Vietnamese and just assume Asian salon / Asian nails = my hand is going to fall off.
It’s hard to convince people otherwise my own mother wouldn’t leave her expensive “ salon and spa” because she thought that for so long. It’s hard to get people more interested in Japanese nails in the us cause of that shit too.
No. 90893
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>>90892This is true, but honestly, most people going to salons don't want to get that much done so Japanese salons are already niche in that regard. My nails usually take 2-4 hours, depending on what I want done. In my city most of the girls going to the Japanese salon aren't white, and if they are, they don't get crazy looks.
I also see girls still rocking tip talons like pic related, which is super nostalgic to me.
No. 90897
>>90886>>90883If you're in the US you'll be needing a cosmetology license. When you're in beauty school you will only learn how to pass your state board exams in order to get your license, so you learn the absolute basic fundamentals of nail care, as well as skin skin, and a HUGE emphasis placed on hair (Can't have one without the other) + health and safety. Each state has a mandatory number of hours to fulfill to attend the state exam.
After passing the state exam you can take professionally licensed classes in you area to improve your craft in a designated field (these are independently taught at beauty stores, retailers, companies, other salons, etc).
Don't expect to open your shop right away, you will have to work hard for it, building connections in the area and gaining a clientele that can support you. It's a lot of work over several years and I highly recommend taking business classes (I'd recommend it regardless because working in a salon you're going to have to know how to negotiate a contract as well as labor laws so any future employers don't screw you over on commission because you're an independent contractor/business, etc.)
Hope this helps!
No. 90942
>>90897samefag but I also want to warn
>>90883 that you should look up what specific state requirements for nail tech you need to have because many beauty schools, especially larger ones will lie and make you think you need to get all the licenses.
No. 92783
>>92782U have to clean the tacky layer off with gel cleanser and then u can put nail polish.
Don’t touch the tacky layer with your bare hands that’s how you develop allergies to nail products and can’t wear them again.