RULES

I make press-on nails with gel nail tips and gel polish (don’t worry, I put them on with press on glue - I’m not curing gel nail glue under painted press ons). I do them on little nail stands and have a starter lamp that’s a pain in the ass - tiny, will one fit one nail at a time, but most importantly has a finicky sensor I can’t trick so I have to hold each nail under the light while it cures.

I’m looking to upgrade but every lamp I see emphasizes the auto on/off sensor as a selling point (makes sense for real gel manicures!) but I want one with a manual on/off or at least a sensor I can trick. I want to be able to park all 5 of the mail stands under the lamp and not worry about the light turning off. Does anyone have any recommendations or happen to know their lamp can be tricked/turned on with buttons? Looking to spend less than $40 but open to higher price points if this is too niche of an ask. Thank you!

Hello all! I have natural nails that I grow out using either a poly or builder overlay. It’s how my artist did them when I got them professionally done and I really like the results doing them at home.

I’ve really been enjoying doing nail art lately and have been swapping out my nails every other week. Filing the gel off is a big time suck, I worry about over-filing and I hate the dust. It would be nice to just pop off the nail art and then buff/fill/shape the base.

Anyone done this with a decent wear time? Other peel off base recommendations welcome.

Hello,

Is there anyone who tried Cnd Plexigel SHAPER without BONDER?

I would like to use Shaper as a base coat like this:

1. Cnd Shaper
2. Cnd shellac
3. Cnd shellac
4. Cnd shellac top coat

What do you think? Can it work?

(I’m allergic to other gellacks, and i read somewhere that only SHAPER (from plexigels) has the same “hypoallergen” ingerdients like Shellacs have. That’s the reason why i don’t want to use Bonder, but i want stronger nails)

Thanks in advance!

Hi there! I've been getting Luminary gel for over a year now and I am relocating to an area that doesn't have anyone currently working with that type of gel. What questions should I be asking? I want to get something similar but the jargon of gel types is kind of confusing and Google isn't helping.

Does anyone else have a problem where, whenever you wash your hair, the hair strands get caught in the gel polish (especially by the cuticles)? I just recently started doing my gel correctly (with proper cuticle prep and using a primer) so hopefully it won’t be an issue, but I am wondering if this is a problem even with professional gel applications.

I normally do my own gel nails at home, but decided this weekend to get my first ever professional gel manicure, and the results are not great. Quite uneven and bumpy. I asked the tech about it while I was there and she said that’s just how these light colors are since they’re so thin. But I swear when I do pastels at home they don’t look like this.

I am in love with this color - I never thought I'd like a bright red on myself but I was getting rid of old colors (am trying to convert my collection to gel) and came across this shade. Decided to try it on and just fell in love. I'd really like a gel version of it but CG does not produce it. If anyone knows of a similar color or a dupe I'd be so grateful!!

Any experience or feedback with this particular brand of gel? I got it off Temu but now am starting to research gel brands a bit more. I used to see Venalisa on aliexpress and got Born pretty off aliexpress too which I have seen mentioned in this sub.

I’ve newly discovered semi cured gels and I am loving the convenience and very happy with the look and the lasting power…except the colors are much lighter than they appear online. I usually wear a dark red/wine color, or sometimes dark grey or dark teal. I have tried ohora ‘chili pepper’ which looks burgundy on the box, but looks brick on my hand, and Danni&Toni ‘claret’ which also looks burgundy online but is more like a dusty rose on my hand. Can anyone recommend brands and colors that are deep and rich when applied? Or any source of reviews that really talk about the colors? Ty!

I am a guy who likes doing my nails, including using gel. However I can never seem to find tips that fit my big ass thumbs. Like 19 mm big, they're huge. Does anyone here know where I could find some that actually fit or if there's a brand with wide tips?

Hi! I’ve been doing gel x nails for a while and recently got the BTArtboxnails tips and their gel primer and glue to try. I feel like I do the same steps for prep and application but I have only gotten my nails to last more than 1 week ONCE. I do have shorter bitten nails but they are starting to grow out more, I know that can change the longevity of nails. Just frustrating to not have them even last two weeks.

I buff nails and trim cuticles, primer/dehydrate them and remove and dust as prep.

After prep I file the underside of the nail with a drill and add gel to the natural nail and a small amount to the gel tips. I cure under a small lamp and then again under a full lamp…. Not sure what I could be doing wrong? Again, I do have very short nails and typically a thumb and pointer finger always pop off. My pointer finger is a special case though as years ago the nail had fallen completely off and regrown.

Any tips would be helpful!

Went with a shimmery base from the beetles brand for my moms Vegas trip!

Hello everyone. I was recently gifted my first gel nail set and love it!!! I was able to do laundry right after without worrying about my nails getting ruined. My fingers were hurting tho while they were under the UV light. I almost even stopped half way. So i got some UV gloves but they still dont seem to protect the finger fully. Can i use tape to wrap my finger around or something? I cant seem to find anything else besides gloves for these nails.

I used gel strips once, but only just saw that they harden under UV (I originally thought they were just stickers). My natural nails are long, but it's a pain when some break off and the others stay long. I want to bring the broken nails back to the same length. If I leave the extra strip material on to harden under UV instead of filing it off, can they be used to add length?

Anyone know any nail salons in the San Antonio area that knows how to apply rubber base?

Hi everyone I’ve lately had a bit of a problem with builder gel; specifically creating the apex and when applying it downwards doing it smoothly without it requiring filing. Any tips for this?

Hello, im new to doing my nails and have been getting the same problem over and over again. The thing is that whenever i apply nail products they ALWAYS peel off the next day or ever the same one🥲. Ive watched a lot of videos about techniques and tips about this but i cant seem to find a solution. Does anyone know what might be causing this?

Here are some details that i think might be important:

-all the products ive used so far are from the brand “pink gellac”. It would be easier to blame the product, but ive been to a salon that uses pink gellac before and it stayed on for a month easily.

-the routine goes like this: i use nail cleaner on my nails with a nail wipe, then i file my nails in shape. After that i use one of those “square shaped files”. Then i use their nail prep solution according to the instructions to get my nails fully prepped. After the nail prep i use a base coat. After that i apply rubber base to each nail accordingly. I then use the nail polish and finish it with a top coat. All of the uv made products are in at least 60 seconds. I also “close up” the nail polish like i saw in some videos.

-as a last note id like to saw that i am guilty of peeling/biting my nails. However this still doesnt seem to be the cause as to why this is happening.

Sorry for the long read. If someone knows why this is happening please let me know:)

selftaught 16yo nail tech! been doin nails for half a year, what do we think :)?

My sets usually ALWAYS start lifting off at the edges really soon after I just did them- I bought and used this binder and the set lasted SO MUCH LONGER! the problem is that they would not soak off!!! Usually I’ll soak and it starts to like peel up and curl off the edges but I soaked for like 40+ minutes until i finally gave up and have to pry it off- totally damaging my nails in the process :,(. So what did I do wrong/what do I need to do differently? TYIA!

Hi. I'm new to the group. If there are other posts with this information already in it, please just link them if that is allowed.

I'm looking for recommendations for the following questions.

1 Gel Product Color

• I'm currently using Luminary "FAITH" MULTI-FLEX GEL. I like the product and the results, but the color is a bit too pink. I'd like it to be a little more peach-colored. I'm looking at the "BALANCE" MULTI-FLEX GEL or even just the clear one.
  • Does anyone have a color recommendation?
  • Does anyone have anything they don't like about using clear gel?

2 Top Coat

• Does anyone have a topcoat that works well with Luminary products that they really love?

3 Low-Cost Lamps

• Does anyone have a recommendation on a low-cost curing lamp that doesn't take forever to cure the gel?
  • I'm looking at this SUNUV lamp.

4 Manual Files

• I'm not making the jump to an e-file yet. Do you have recommendations for a manual file or file bundle that works well on gel like this?

5 Precision Brushes

• Does anyone have a recommendation for precision brushes like these?

i am a begginer nail artist, and i do gel nails (full cover tips) like weekly, and ive notice that my nailbeds are getting sm shorter!? what should i do?? it doesnt hurt tho but will i even be able to grow back my normal nailbeds? they were alr short as hell but now!!! HELP😭