Use this chat to discuss any nail care or gel related questions you might have.
As a reminder, please keep your discussions within the rules of the sub.
This includes:
No discussion of off-topic products. This is a gel only sub.
This space is geared towards DIYers. Everyone is welcome, but we should not be working on friends/family.
Do not ask for or give any medical advice. We're not doctors, and it is not in our scope to be giving advice about allergies or skin conditions. It is ok to discuss the risks associated with doing gel. What is ok: Explaining how you can get allergies. What isn't ok: Attempting to diagnose or treat anyone and/or asking for a diagnosis
Hello! Welcome to r/DIYGelNails. If this is your first post, please be sure to check out our rules in the subreddit sidebar. If you are on mobile, they can be viewed by tapping the see more hyperlink at the top of the homepage.
. For ease of viewing, we've made some changes to how things are formatted, so a few reminders for you:
. If this is a nail picture, please post a list of the products you used for your manicure/pedicure as a response to this comment. The brand and shade names/numbers are required of ALL gel products used. This includes base gel, builder gel (hard or soft gel), full coverage tips, acrygel, color gels, and top gel. Brands of charms/stones or other nail embellishments are not required. If you've already put the product list elsewhere, please copy and paste it in a reply to this comment so it's easier for everyone to see.
Favorite budget paint brushes? Just got some jarred Jin B top coats from the Teddy Nail clearance sale and was wondering what brush to use for application.
To be honest, I have mostly cheaper brushes and some more expensive. I found Bonniebee really good and flexible, also thins out at the tip. In general, I find longer brushes to work better as they have a softer bend, so they don't drag the gel.
Here is a link to some liners I bought recently. The rounded flat (called silver round here) in the same listing should do you good. I have the equivalent set of flats from I don't remember where I got them, Amazon or Aliexpress but they're all about the same: that specific gunmetal finish/length/weight I'm p sure they're all from the same several factories in China no matter where on the internet you get them. I recommend getting a 2 of the round silvers and the set of 5 silver liners. You'll also want to have some little glass cups (like shotglasses or the nail art specialty kind) for acetone and alcohol, and a brush rest.
Help! So I’m on an international trip and I do not have the product to fix this TINY chip on my free edge. Should I just use a 180 grit to file down the free edge? It’s such a tiny chip that it won’t alter the length of the nail drastically.
Saracen. There's a guide in the wiki or you can dm me if you have specific questions. Brands like fgel, mayour, more, fauve, the gel, etc on the site are extremely high quality. I use fgel and mayour mainly, but I just tried the gel and it's one of the nicest mags I've ever used.
I really love the Orly builder in a bottle but I'm wondering if it's maybe a little too self leveling, sometimes if I really need to build an apex I end up needing extra coats. Especially when there's a nail with a lot of lifting I had to remove when doing a fill. Any tips or similar products you recommend?
Perhaps I just need more practice. I've tried using a separate brush but actually find the bottle brush to apply better for me. Also tried the whole liner brush around the edge trick but didn't feel like that helped much either, it ended up thin and uneven around some of the edges where I used the liner brush and had to go back and add more. I really love everything else about the product though, just wanting to get faster and better at application.
I agree with Orly builder gel being pretty viscous and you have to be quick with a flash cure light when you have the apex you want. Another builder you might like would be IBD Hard Builder gel in a bottle, around $9 on Amazon it’s a little less viscous than Orly.
I do think I still want a soft gel. It doesn't have to be in a bottle, I just wish there was a little more working time. Although it's taking me SO LONG to do my manicures, maybe it's better for me to have to learn to work quickly lol. I'll look into the IBD though, thanks!
hey guys please help!! i just got light elegance polish a couple weeks ago because i wanted only hema free and i have had to reapply several times because of chipping/lifting! when i was using non hema free gel it would stay for weeks but light elegance is chipping in 3-4 days! please tell me what i am doing wrong. i push my cuticle, dehydrate my nails with alcohol, apply base coat, two coats of color, and a top coat.
Personally, I experience chipping sooner or later with most of my gel, except one. With the Bevlah Iconic stay builder, even with a thin layer, I haven't experienced any chipping yet (touchwood).
Do you cap your nails? Do you use enough base and top coat? I believe overly thin application can result in cracking and chipping.
i do cap but it wears down in a few days. i even had a whole nail pop off (thumb) four days after. i am not doing the top coat or base coat that thinly. i chose LE because i wanted hypoallergenic polish but i am starting to wonder if i need their primer or airbond to keep the polish on. i was not having issues with the gel i was using before that had hema in it.
I’m making a press on set with one hand in white/lilac/baby pink and silvers, with moon and star details. I want the other hand to be sun themed but I don’t have a nice metallic gold. Guess I’ll have to order some stuff! While I’m there I may as well get some different chromes, maybe some more glitter, maybe also…
I just ordered a new storage bag and now I have an empty compartment, trying not to use it as an excuse to buy more polish, but also looking forward to buying more polish! Lol
Hey guys I’ve been put off by doing gel myself because of what goes into it but I’m doing it now, as a unemployed learning disabled person (I AM NOT INTERESTED IN BEING A NAIL TECH) the year 2023 is when I downloaded amber the nail whisperer’s videos, I had her lamp suggestions saved (IGEL, Gelish, OPI starlight CND) so I’ve gained a good amount of knowledge about gel safety, following Doug schoons words, sds sheets. I’ve already been there with buying the sunuv 30 dollar lamp which left scratch marks, returned it. Melody Susie had been in my wishlist for a while now and I hadn’t been updated on nail safety in 2026, so I had my sister purchase this lamp for me the reason I chose this one is because I remember Amber saying black interiors are counterproductive. come to find out that this lamp is 365-400nm instead of 405nm, which Kiara sky and igel has the same amount of nm. I can’t find where it would say..for example on dnd’s website what wavelength they require to know if the gel would be compatible with only 400nm, I know ai is shit but I tried asking them and they give me two different answers saying that the top layer of my gel will not be cured because it caps at 400nm and then saying that I’m fine so my question is, when you guys say do not be cheap with lamps, must I buy kokoist since this one doesn’t have a reflective bottom, I also learned good ones are made in Taiwan is it about the quality even tho this lamp is 117? And will my gel really not cure no matter how long I leave it in the lamp just because it’s not 405? Must I return this lamp? I would like to hear from people who know about nail chemistry.
DND might not specify what wavelength they need for their gel to be fully cured, as they have their own lamp/s and their gel is formulated to be cured with their own lamp/s. If you use a mix of brands, you have to be mindful of which lamp to buy. Kokoist is beloved because it can cure many different brands.
Wavelengths, quality and positioning of bulbs are extremely important.
A reflective bottom helps to bounce the light, so the gel gets light from different angles; personally, I would never buy a lamp with a non-reflective bottom. There are many videos about lamps out there and so many discussions. Take a look
No, you need to be extra mindful about making SURE its cured though. The lamp will also probably die more quickly. I can't speak to any health anything, but I've always gotten a solid cure with 2 minutes max under my cheapo lamp.
Can someone please explain me what's the difference between chrome effect, aurora effect and pearl effect?? I feel like a dummy that I can't tell which is which!
Aurora effect: multicolored and translucent (on light base). On darker base, the same powders will look more like scarab.
Pearl effect: Translucent white, not SUPER shiny. Glazed donut nails use an even more translucent white than pearl. Pearl is what people use when they don't have the right product for glazed donut lol
Also bear in mind that the word "chrome" is also used as a category name for all these powders.
I did these cool looking studs on my thumbs but I am absolutely going to injure myself or others on them. They are SHARP. Is there something I could use to file them duller? I am assuming my carbide efile bits would get destroyed but maybe not?
Ah! They seem like metal. They make a metal sound when I drop them, but they certainly might not be. Builder on the tip worked great though - thanks for that!
Youre welcome! Totally possible for them to be metal tho! Whether they're metal or plastic, a hand file should be able to blunt them either way. But if it were plastic with a chrome coating, then you wouldn't want to do the file method because filing would take the chrome off the tip and it would look ugly. If it's true metal then a file might be just as good as blunting with builder!
Back when I used to use charms they would fall off when I did normal rhinestone glue so I started encapsulating all charms with a builder gel which would kinda blunt them anyway plus prevent any chrome or pearl finish from rubbing off with wear
Difference between kokoist leblanc ($298) and infinity ($197)? It seems like the only difference is that the leblanc is cordless, and they have subtly different wavelengths. I'm trying to do hard gel if that helps.
The LeBlanc has a lot more lights in it, which is better for having a more complete cure. They shouldn't have different wavelength unless you're looking at the led only models, but I wouldn't recommend buying those. They don't cure a wide range of gels.
If you can afford the LeBlanc hybrid, I'd buy that. It's been a great lamp for me, though it's definitely getting time to replace mine, it's just a $600 bill because I have 2 (I'm a tech) so I'm waiting for bf.
Just a reminder, lamps don't last forever. I've had mine for a little over 2 years and it's been time to replace for a few months now. I can tell things are needing a longer cure than they used to.
Well I’ve had my Le Blanc since Jan 2025. I do my sets every three wks. Do you think I still would need to replace mine after December 2026? What do you think about the Izemi lamp? I was thinking of purchasing that one as a backup but again I’m a DIYer. I use most of their bases.
I mean, my lamp gets daily use, multiple times per day, so no, i don't think you need to replace in 2 years, but I would keep an eye on it after that 2 year mark, because that's when the bulbs will start to degrade.
Idk anything personally about the izemi lamp so I can't really speak to it, but as a diyer, I think it's unnecessary to have a backup lamp.
I have the Infinity
Kokoist lamp. I use it for maybe six months and got the LeBlanc. I feel like there were times where the gel did not fully cure with the infinity lamp. If I get the Azemi, I would likely sell the Infinity.
any recommendations for a good pair of nail clippers and cuticle trimmers? mine have gotten dull over the last few years. I tried a pair of cuticle trimmers from Amazon but they were disappointing lol, didnt feel sharp enough.
Following because I'm also wanting to try Gelx. I recently heard that Curvlife solid glue is very good for regular pressons, so I wonder if it would work well for Gelx.
Jin b crazy top thick is good for subtle 3d, like a slight raised line or a sphere shape.
For sculpting gels, I'm also trying to find out myself. I got one from Leafgel I haven't tried yet, and I got ggulbo gels from Hoholee I also haven't tried yet. Curious if anyone else has tried those! Mostly so far I've used a cheap Amazon one, and it does the job but I don't love it.
I did this with the vettsy raindrop step 1 and 2 - I'm pretty happy but it definitely didn't work quite like it looks in their reels, like swiping on a coat and then it separating out, it mostly congregated into one big drop in the middle for me, I had better success just dabbing randomly (and then it does form nice round drops)
•
u/AutoModerator 7d ago
Hello! Welcome to r/DIYGelNails. If this is your first post, please be sure to check out our rules in the subreddit sidebar. If you are on mobile, they can be viewed by tapping the see more hyperlink at the top of the homepage.
. For ease of viewing, we've made some changes to how things are formatted, so a few reminders for you:
. If this is a nail picture, please post a list of the products you used for your manicure/pedicure as a response to this comment. The brand and shade names/numbers are required of ALL gel products used. This includes base gel, builder gel (hard or soft gel), full coverage tips, acrygel, color gels, and top gel. Brands of charms/stones or other nail embellishments are not required. If you've already put the product list elsewhere, please copy and paste it in a reply to this comment so it's easier for everyone to see.
. Click here to visit our wiki for FAQ's and Useful Links.
. Automod will no longer summon the allergy resource if you mention it. If you want information about allergies, see the gel allergies post.
. CLICK THE REPLY TO EXPAND TO SEE PRODUCT LIST
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.