The desire to look beautiful is characteristic of every woman. The desire to realize creative abilities and bring to life interesting ideas is also characteristic of many women. Add to this the love of saving time and money - and get a list of the most important reasons that make lovely ladies learn how to do manicures on their own. Fortunately, manufacturers of materials and equipment have long begun to take into account not only the interests of professionals, but also the desires of ordinary lovers of beautiful nails who care for their own hands at home.
We do not promise that our article will teach you all the existing techniques, give a complete picture of modern materials and turn into a virtuoso master. No, it can only become the first step on the path to mastery, and, of course, cannot be an alternative to the training course. But those who have decided to learn how to make nail gel polish, of course, need to start somewhere. Therefore, let's take a closer look at what is needed at the initial stage, how to choose suitable materials, how to work with them. If you are looking for a good result, get ready to have to practice, work on mistakes, try different things to find the best.
A word about sterility
Some girls believe that if you do a manicure only to yourself, you can not be afraid about this. This question is very important, so we started with it. Of course, you can do without a professional dry heat and sterilizer, but disinfection of the entire instrument is necessary!
At home, it is enough to boil a metal tool in water for 20 minutes once a month or to stand the same time in a preheated oven. After work, do not forget to wipe it with alcohol or chlorhexidine.
Necessary equipment and tools
There are many electronic assistants that can greatly facilitate the life of a manicurist. Let's figure out what you need to cover with gel polish.
In any case, the list is headed by a lamp for polymerization. Those who do not plan to turn this business into a business do not have to spend money on a powerful professional model. It is advisable to opt for a UV / LED hybrid lamp. This device works with different types of materials. By the way, he does not have to be massive and very powerful. An excellent choice may be one of the models from Chinese manufacturers SUN or COSCELIA. These are small compact lamps with a power of 6-12 W, which managed to fall in love with Russian consumers and collect a lot of positive reviews.
Take care of a regular lamp. The workplace should be well lit.
To facilitate the application of varnish, it is advisable to acquire a flat brush with a rounded tip. A hair brush allows you to apply the coating as close to the cuticle, and lovers of painting just can not do without it.
For natural nails, files with a hardness of at least 180 grit are used. You can polish a nail using a buff (hardness an average of 400 grit). The entire tool with an indicator of 170 or less is designed for artificial nails.
Be sure to get lint-free napkins. Cotton pads are not good because they leave fibers that can ruin all the work.
A lot of controversy is the expediency of acquiring a special milling machine. With it, you can treat the cuticle and side rollers, get rid of pterygium, polish the surface of the nail plate and even remove the old coating. But this is the case when, in inept hands, even the highest quality device can turn into a weapon. It’s not so easy to learn to work with him. Therefore, at the initial stage, a good alternative can be a high-quality manicure set (for example, from a reliable manufacturer Staleks).
When planning your purchases, make another useful purchase on the list - tips. They cost a little, but will greatly help in learning. Of course, it is better to practice on tips than on your own nails.
Materials for home manicure
Gel polish is not the only tool you need in your work. But adherence to technology is the key to a good result. Saving on any tool or using materials for other purposes is meaningless. Try not to experiment during the training, use the materials according to the instructions.
Gel polishing is carried out using the following additional tools:
- Primer.
- Base.
- Decorative colored varnish or paint.
- Top
It is imperative to have in your arsenal means for degreasing and removing the dispersion layer. There are both highly specialized options and universal 2 in 1. Reviews say that you can even remove stickiness and degrease the surface with ordinary alcohol, but some materials react with it, so you should not save.
How to choose the right options
If it comes to gel polish, the price and quality are far from always proportional. Of course, you should not expect good results from very cheap options, most likely, purchases will soon be in the bin. But professional materials with a high price tag in the hands of a beginner may not give the desired effect at all. By the way, they are not so easy to get: for example, the famous manufacturer Luxio sells products only to masters who have presented a diploma.
When choosing options with an average price tag, pay attention to the products of the following brands: Kodi, TNL, My Nail, Tertio. Excellent reviews are awarded to varnishes from Chinese manufacturers Bluesky, Rosalind and Venalisa. The listed companies offer not only decorative coatings, but also bases and tops.
Having picked up the necessary materials and tools for coating the nails with gel polish, you can get to work. So where to start?
The first stage is hygienic preparation
Professionals do not recommend contacting with water for a long time immediately before applying the gel coating. Therefore, too much to get involved in the baths is not worth it. Wash your hands thoroughly in warm water, this will be enough.
Carry out all hygiene procedures as you usually do: move the cuticle, remove keratinized areas; remove dead skin from the side rollers; shape the nails and file the ends. A good helper can be a remover for the cuticle. It softens it, makes it more docile for processing, which reduces the likelihood of injuries.
Buffing your nails is another important step that precedes gel polishing. Walkthroughs can not do without a description of this step. Keep the buff perpendicular to the surface, make movements from the cuticle to the free edge, removing the natural shine.
Primer
Applying this product is considered an optional step. However, beginners are advised to use it. The primer is applied to fat-free nails with rubbing movements, gently distributed over the surface. It is advisable not to get on the skin. It is necessary to dry it simply in air, it does not need polymerization.
The primer helps eliminate fat and excess moisture, disinfects the surface, improves adhesion of the base to the nail. In fact, this is a primer that must dry completely before the next step.
Base application
This tool is responsible for the wear of the manicure as a whole. There are several varieties of basic tools, a brief overview of which will complement our lesson.
For coating with gel polish, bases with different densities can be used. There are more fluid and thicker options. A thick rubber base can smooth the surface of the marigold, but liquid is almost impossible to do.
The product is applied with a drop, which is distributed over the entire surface and does not reach the cuticle a little. Make sure that in the stress zone (where the free edge begins) the thickness of the drop is maximum. Turning the nail helps to simplify the task: this way you can make sure that the product is distributed correctly, and no bursts and dips are formed anywhere. Masters recommend drying each nail immediately for at least a few seconds, so that the base “seizes” and does not spread where it does not need to.
Remember that most basic products have a sticky layer. There is no single recommendation on whether to remove it. If stickiness does not bother you, proceed to the next step. But if you notice that the gel polish "escapes" from the end and is difficult to apply, wipe the base layer with a special tool. This usually solves the problem.
Decorative coating
Monophonic gel polish is easier to make, so we recommend starting with it. Even if the product you have chosen is well pigmented, it is better to make two thin layers, and not one thick one.
Put a drop 1 mm from the cuticle. With a flat brush, pull it slightly to the base of the nail, and then draw a line to the free edge, distributing the varnish. The following strokes are to the right and left of the middle. And the final should cover the entire surface of the nail. Do not forget to thoroughly paint the butt, sealing it.
After drying the first layer, repeat the steps from the beginning. You can give the nails a neat appearance with a thin brush: draw a small drop of varnish on it and paint over the nail by pulling out the cuticle with your finger.
It is not necessary to remove the stickiness from the varnish after drying.
Simple design
Manicure coated with gel polish for beginners does not involve drawing monograms and completing complex designs. But, if you want to revive a plain manicure, you can use some materials that do not require special skill and cost. Sliders can be a great solution.
Cut them into pieces, lay them on a damp sponge. On a varnished nail, apply a thin layer of the base and dry. Gently lay out the slider, holding it with tweezers. It remains to cover the top.
Work with stamps, kamifubuki, broths, rhinestones, rubbing with decorative sand and foil requires more experience. But a beginner can really master these techniques by training on tips. Do not be afraid to try new materials and techniques.
Final stage
After making a uniform coating with gel polish and drying it, apply the top. It can be matte or glossy. Watch for the evenness of the surface, because with the top you can align some errors.
If your product gives a sticky dispersion layer, remove it immediately after drying.
Top is responsible for the resistance of gel polish. Glossy options also add extra shine.
Be sure to apply caring oil to the cuticle and the skin around the nails and rub.
Removing gel polish at home
Sooner or later, even the most resistant gel polish needs to be removed. It is believed that the average wear period is 2-3 weeks, but if the nails grow quickly, it may be necessary to renew the manicure more often.
There are 2 ways to remove the coating. The first involves the use of a special conical cutter, ceramic or carbide. Those who do not have an apparatus can use the second method. It consists in prolonged soaking of the coating in an agent with acetone.
To speed up the process, treat the surface of the nails with a file. By grinding off the top layer, you will facilitate the penetration of the solvent into the following layers. Put the product on a quarter of a cotton pad, press it to the nail and wrap it with foil. You can use special clamps.
After 15 minutes, you will need to remove the decorative layer with an orange stick.
Hand care
Even the most beautiful gel polish looks poorly surrounded by an overdried cuticle. Do not forget to lubricate your skin with nourishing and moisturizing creams, remove burrs in a timely manner. Do not let the skin freeze, use gloves in the cold season. When doing household chores, protect the pens with plastic gloves to limit the contact of nails with chemicals.
Well-groomed hands with a beautiful manicure, and even done independently, will become a real decoration and a pride of any woman.