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    • Aug 29, 2023
    • 7 min read

DIY: TikTok Gel X Nails

Calling all nail loverrrsssss 💅🏽

Not sure about your fyp, but mine is blowing up with nail vids and I'm here for it.


During lockdown I decided to pick up a few hobbies, as I'm sure most of us did. One of the few I became successful at is diy nails! I know right now Press Ons are trending (we'll get to that later), but we can't forget the first diy nail method that blew up! I have tried over a dozen of methods over the past 3 years and watched hundreds of YouTube and TikTok vids. Even had a nail insta page thinking I was the stuff, so I feel I know a lil something about diy nails. Here's the exact TikTok that sparked my interest.


I am by no means an expert, licensed, or anything! I love going to the nail salon and getting pampered. One of my bestfriends has a salon/suite and does amazing work and cares for your natural nails Insta @pinkpeony_nailsandspa. If I lived in the same state I would be there faithfully. Sometimes our nails need that tlc. Out of the maybe 50 diy stuff I've tried I was only successful with about 20, still super fun to learn and do something while saving some coins. I'm not that artsy and mid at crafts, so if I can do this so can you!!!


Gel X Nails


Gel X Nails are tips/full cover nails made of gel. This became popular when nail salons and businesses alike were closed down for months in 2020. I took a break from doing my own and was supporting nail artists, now I'm back in the game learning a new method. This method is for sure guaranteed 7-20 days. Great benefit they stay on well when done right, can look straight from the salon easily, and soak off good. They are great for thin, brittle, or bendy nails. A realistic con it does take awhile to get good/not take forever if you're not already into diy artsy stuff. My best and long lasting retention set lasted 20 days, I was moving into a new place too. With all the packing and lifting I had 0 problems, they would have lasted longer, but I chose to soak them off. Now let's get into your next or first diy nails!



 

Supplies Needed: Bare Essentials


Alot of TikToks have fancy equipment, supplies, storage, and more . When you're just starting and don't want to invest much if it may not turn out well. So here's a list of the bare essentials for this method at a decent price or you may already have some in your bathroom! Not saying some of that fancy stuff isn't very convenient! I get 90% of my supplies from Amazon of course! But if you're feeling a lil bougie and want to use some of the brands you see in the TikToks I recommend Makartt always a sale on bundles and Apres Nails pricey but worth it every time. Or buy from TikTok nail girls, I recommend Anacrylics been a fan since she was just starting and TwinkledT just found her account and I'm a big fan of her polishes!

Very Convenient and Optional

*Amazon Affiliate Link, at no costs to you

Prepping the nail bed


I cannot stress how important this step is. Bad prep means bad retention! If you slack on this step your nails are liable to come off in the shower, washing dishes, grabbing car keys, etc. Get started by:

1. Cutting down your natural nail, very short- so no separation of natural nail tips and gel tip that sometimes happens on the edge/in corners

2. Push back cuticles- cuticle area holds natural oils that reduces retention

3. File the nail bed to get rid of all the shine- the shine is a sign of natural oils

4. Dust off nails- duster preferred or an old clean makeup brush

5. You'll want to start sizing your full cover tips now- instructions on how below

5. Dehydrate nails: with rubbing alcohol or acetone, DON'T touch your nails after this

6. Prime nailsx2: lightly, no need to paint the nail & do it two times

Now you're ready to move on, again no touching!


Sizing and putting on nails

Picking the right type of nail can be a little bit tricky, but luckily I've tried soft and hard gel tips. Soft gel is by far the easiest to size and shape. Only con is they are indeed soft, you may need 1-3 coats of builder gel on top to feel it's sturdy enough to your liking. And builder is sticky, my first few sets were a sticky mess, lots of alcohol and wipes used. Hardcover gel nails took me about twice as long to get the sizing right, they naturally have a pinchy feel to them. But no builder gel is needed they are very sturdy. The shaping takes a better nail file and a little elbow grease. You'll only struggle with those first few sets. For a beginner beginner I recommend soft gel, but if you already dabble in nails a bit hard gel should be ok for you! Longer is better, you may accidently cut or file too short so get a medium/long full cover tip.


Sizing is incredibly important! If the nail is too small, you get that pinchy feeling, it will pop off in no time. If the nail is too big, going past your nail bed on the sides, it might last a few days but will eventually pop off. The best option if you think it's too small go up a size or too big file it down. You can easily file the tips, the sides, the curve on the nail bed/ cuticle area to get it to perfectly lay on your nail bed naturally. The size of your left may not be the same on the right, at least 2 of my nails aren't, natural but don't assume sizes!


You can use gel nail glue, poly gel, soft or hard builder for the gel x method. The steps are mostly the same, but those slight differences is what will make you switch methods. I started off using soft builder gel, it made sense since at least 1 layer of builder gel is needed for a foundation coat. Later on I fell in love with gel nail glue because it is far less sticky than builder. Not a fan of poly gel because it's not beginner friendly BUT they have some pretty colors you could use and just top coat and go!

Adhering with gel nail glue:

  1. Buff the inside of the tips-just far enough to cover your nail bed, unless you get the prebuffed (this is where the tip primer comes in handy)

  2. Dust them off

  3. Put a nice size dot/glob at the edge of the tip close to the cuticle-smedium amount

  4. 1 finger at a time press down the gel nail at an angle cuticle to tip of your natural nail

  5. Hold and flash cure - 10-15secs, able to lift up easily if crooked & will stay fine to move on

  6. Continue on the rest of nails

  7. Fully cure 1 hand at a time for 60-90 secs (cheaper UV lamp then cure longer)

* If a nail is crooked that flash cure will help take the nail off with a cuticle pusher, buff the inside of the nail tip, and try again

*If use hard gel should have no problem, if using soft gel the nail may bend a little


Adhering with soft/hard builder gel:

Genuinely wouldn't recommend using hard gel!

  1. Buff the inside of the tips-just far enough to cover your nail bed, unless you get the prebuffed

  2. Dust them off

  3. Put a thin layer of builder gel on your natural size

  4. Cure for 60 secs & wipe off w/alcohol or acetone

  5. Put a nice size dot/glob at the edge of the tip close to the cuticle-smedium amount

  6. 1 finger at a time press down the gel nail at an angle cuticle to tip of your natural nail

  7. Hold and flash cure - 10secs, able to lift up easily if crooked & will stay fine to move on

  8. Continue on the rest of nails

  9. Fully cure 1 hand at a time for 60-90 secs (cheaper UV lamp then cure longer)

Adhering with poly gel:

  1. Buff the inside of the tips-just far enough to cover your nail bed, unless you get the prebuffed

  2. Dust them off

  3. Put a nice size dot/glob at the edge of the tip close to the cuticle-smedium amount

  4. 1 finger at a time press down the gel nail at an angle cuticle to tip of your natural nail

  5. Hold and flash cure - 10-15secs, able to lift up easily if crooked & will stay fine to move on

  6. Continue on the rest of nails

  7. If using a pretty color that you just want to top coat & go then turn you hand over and apply the rest of the poly gel to the false tip, not too thick

  8. Wipe top and under with alcohol/acetone

  9. Cure 1-3 layers of builder for 60-90sec depending on which nails/lamp you have


Buffing and Design

Now that your nails are pretty much done there's only a few steps left!

  1. Buff all nails lightly

  2. At the cuticle area use a nail buffer, file/efile to lightly smooth the edge of the gelv nail to flatten it little to look less like a press on

  3. Apply base coat and cure 60-90sec

  4. Apply gel polish- as many coats as necessary

  5. Apply any design, stickers, vinyl, sparkles- sparkles cover up mess ups and air bubbles

  6. Apply top coat and cure 60-90sec

TikTok Visual

Soak off

TikTok has taught me an amazing and easy method! In a bowl big enough for your nails/hand mix equal parts warm water, oil (vegetable, olive, vitamin e), and dish soap. Soak for about 10-20mins.


Gel/UV lamp warning

Consistent use of Uv lamps can increase your chances of cancer so use sunscreen or wear uv gloves!! Using tips that aren't transparent can cause the gel not to fully cure. Also not letting the gel fully cure can cause an allergic reaction! Use caution!

Helpful TikTok Videos: Vid 1, Vid 2, https://www.tiktok.com/@alissa.ashley/video/7274645073910943018?_r=1&_t=8fRtCAUI9hC

Now you're DONE💅🏽

I know this method may seem like a lot of work. Truthfully in the beginning it's going to take 4 hours or more, that's ok!! Once you get it down you're basically a pro. This method is guaranteed to last you and a beloved original method. This method can be beginner friendly! More trending methods to come! Now go do your nails and send me pics pls! Until next post😉


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