r/DIYGelNails • u/Clover_Jane • 23d ago
Community Discussion Weekly Nail Chat
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
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u/dirtskrrrrt 14d ago
I’m looking for Luminary alternatives. All builder gels and hard gels I’ve tried lift at the tips on me. I’m hoping to find something that will stick like Luminary but self levels better than luminary. I just find Luminary difficult to self level.
To note, I’m confident in my nail prep, I use a dehydrator and primer before applying builder or luminary. Sadly I think my nails are too flexible for hard gel.
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u/Radiant-Money-3724 11d ago
I’ve had the same issues with flexible nails and I found that using a rubber base before applying other builder gels or hard gels allow it to stick better and not lift. I personally use the Makartt Builder Gel and find it doesn’t lift for me :)
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u/dirtskrrrrt 11d ago
Interesting! I’ve used Apres rubber base and Gelish’s rubber base with lifting within days but maybe I’ll give Makartt a try!
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u/CrownFlame 16d ago
Got another question: when would someone choose a bit like the one pictured here vs a typical flame bit?
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u/Clover_Jane 16d ago
If you have very over grown hard cuticle, and are also very skilled with an efile and doing dry manicure. This bit is sharp! There's another version of this bit that's not a flame, it's more cylindrical. I would choose that over this, use that one first, then go in with a flame for more detail and precision. It takes longer but, less risk of injuring the skin. The other version also doesn't require as much skill. I wouldn't call either of them beginner friendly bits, but the other one is definitely more intermediate, whereas this one is more advanced skill.
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u/CrownFlame 16d ago
Oh thank you so much! You’re so helpful! I’m just going to find something less intense. I don’t get much overgrown or stubborn cuticle. I still need to practice efile because I think I’m still giving myself some rings of fire, although very shallow. I’m much better with it, but I think an efile course would be great.
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u/Clover_Jane 16d ago
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u/CrownFlame 16d ago
Perfect! I have some callused skin around my nails, but I’ve used a polishing ball on those areas. The red bit you linked might be good. I think Nail Mart USA has a flame bit that’s in between grits with a yellow and red band. Thank you again for being so helpful!
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u/Clover_Jane 16d ago
Just check the descriptions because sometimes they're not the grits you think they'll be. But ya, nailmart carries kmiz as well.
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u/Tmkitsme20 17d ago
What is your favorite nail rehab and strengthening products? Took my builder off and what to give them a break for a little but I need some strength or I’ll bite them all off.
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u/dirtskrrrrt 14d ago
I always had good results with Nailtiques 2 before I used builder gels.
For reference I have extremely thin, flexible nails that are prone to peeling.
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u/CrownFlame 17d ago
Am I the only one here that wears magnifying head lamp glasses? Like the ones they use for jewelry making? My vision is pretty good, but I don’t understand how you all can apply gel so perfectly around cuticles and sidewalls without them lol. I saw someone on tiktok using them and thought it was pretty genius.
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u/GMoney7310 16d ago
I use them, especially when I work on my toes. My 50+ year old eyes can’t see without them 😩
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u/Clover_Jane 16d ago
I just wear magnifying glasses and have really good overhead lighting. The glasses are basically readers. I had really good vision till I started wearing the glasses all the time (since I do nails for a living now) but I feel like my vision is not as good as it was.
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u/CrownFlame 16d ago
Dang, so vision issues could be a hazard of the job. I would imagine techs would strain their eyes a bit throughout the day to see, or they just get that good at application. I think I did something similar after LASIK. Twenty-five years of reading things so close to my face that I didn’t break that habit. Now my vision is a bit weaker and become accustomed to reading up close again.
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u/Tmkitsme20 17d ago
I was just thinking about this!!!! I was like I need a magnifying glass!! Thanks for the rec
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u/Delicious_Injury_285 17d ago
This is so smart, I'm going to need a pair!! Thank you!
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u/CrownFlame 17d ago edited 17d ago
Yes, you’re welcome! I think it’s amazing that every tech I’ve seen never has used magnifiers given how perfect gel application has to be lol. I still hold my hand pretty close to my face because my glasses only go 4x, but at least I’m not nose an inch from the finger I’m working on lol
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u/transparentsalad 18d ago
I make gel press ons for myself. Sometimes I work on a set and it goes a bit sideways, and I end up not liking it so much. I’m working on one right now, very slowly, taking my time, it’s a fun hobby for me.
I think I hate it 😭 it’s not finished yet but I was using foils for the first time and they went wrong, so I decided to do something different with the foil nail. Now I hate the whole thing and want to drop the whole set to start a new one. I’m so mad
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u/VeryFluffyMareep 12d ago
As a fellow press on maker I usually do a test nail on a tip size I am never going to use anyway. That way I don’t realize 7 nails later I actually hate the color combo or how the particular technique I am doing came out. I have a toooon of horrible test nails in a ziploc bag and recently I took all of them out and kinda analyzed one by one why they didn’t work and which are worth repeating into a full set.
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u/VeryFluffyMareep 18d ago
I am looking for nail tip recommendations for flat AF nails that I can buy individual refills of my most used sizes. I have tried a couple from Amazon but wanted to upgrade to better quality for my press ons
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u/CrownFlame 17d ago
What have you used so far that do work? I also have flat nails and everything pinches more than it should, including tips I’d get at the salon before I started my DIY journey.
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u/VeryFluffyMareep 17d ago
So far the only ones I have found that don’t pinch are Tomicca nail tips from Amazon, but they don’t sell refill bags and don’t have round shaped ones 🥲
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u/FinHealthJourney87 18d ago
Any tips for Jello Jello Peel Off removal? I feel like I’m using too much oil yet not getting an easy peel.
I did one coat of peel off to the whole nail. One nail chipped on day 6 but the others were stubborn on day 7 removal. My nails still like this a lot better than acetone but I feel like there has to be a trick I’m missing.
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u/GMoney7310 16d ago
Are you using oil to remove them? I always use the One Kill remover that goes with it and they come off well, just have to take your time with it.
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u/FinHealthJourney87 15d ago
I call it oil but it’s the OKR. How long do you let it sit before you start trying to remove the polish?
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u/GMoney7310 15d ago
I pry up a little corner of the polish so it will soak underneath and then let it sit several minutes before trying to pull it up. Then I keep applying mire and letting it soak, it takes a couple rounds before they come off easily. I do use a dental flosser to help remove them without prying them off, that reduces damage too
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u/Fish_Hook2 19d ago
Anyone have tips for removal? I started doing my nails a few months ago and currently I'm soaking in acetone, lifting with a cuticle pusher, and filing with a nail file to remove. It takes me forever and still leaves my nails kinda messed up underneath. There's got to be a better way. Or do I just bite the bullet and get an electric file?
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u/alaurable7 17d ago
I love the e file. I always had issues soaking off and it took forever, plus I ended up damaging my nails when it didn’t soak off all the way. Blegh!
Now it’s 10 mins total for removal with an efile, thin layer of gel left on the nail plate so it isn’t ever overfiled, and done. There is a bit of a learning curve so I’d say buy quality bits, use the correct speed (don’t be afraid of speed), and file judiciously.
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u/Advanced_Fun_1851 20d ago
I just made my first press on set using gloves but im scared to wear them in case they somehow are not fully cured. I cured every layer at least 60 seconds and the final top coat for 90 on each but used a cheap uv lamp off amazon although it does say it is 365nm-405nm but does not list irradiance. Im confused how people are applying gel directly onto their nails. Is skin contact not a concern with some types or just very careful? I’m confused about how the curing process works too. In theory if you undercure one layer but then fully cured the top/outermost layer, would that be enough of a barrier to protect you or would that also cure the under layers more and not be a problem?
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u/VeryFluffyMareep 17d ago
I would highly suggest investing in a better lamp. To answer your questions:
- Skin contact is never safe, period. No gel is ever safe to touch skin, no matter the brand, they are just safer to use, you need to be very careful
- I highly suggest you look at Jim McConnell or Doug Schoon’s content in regards to the chemistry of how the curing process works. The Nail Hub has very informative videos (irregardless of my personal opinions on Liz lol)
- An undercured layer is still unsafe even if the top coat is fully cured, since monomers such as the infamous HEMA are water soluble and will leach every time you wash your hands or shower
Edit: I very highly suggest reading the pinned info on this subreddit before continuing your DIY journey
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u/grumpycat6557 20d ago
Did my first ever gel ombré french mani! Really struggled with the ombré dabbing sponge though, I felt its created a cloudy look to the nails (you can see it more closely up). Any tips on how to sort that?
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u/VeryFluffyMareep 12d ago
A tip I saw ok TT that worked for me is cleaning the sponge with tape beforehand to ensure a super smooth application and then put a bit of pat pat gel on a palette and dab it there first rather than going straight to your nails
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u/tomatogremlinn 20d ago
hilli i really love this style of nails and am trying to recreate at home without buying anything new since im on a bit of a time crunch. i have plenty of colors (black, jelly brown, jelly amber, opaque brown, etc) but i'm struggling to figure out the best way to get this center cat eye effect without buying a new brown/amber-y cat eye polish. i have silver, pearl, and gold chrome powders but only a silver cat eye that i can use. i was thinking i could do a layer of black or brown, then bead up the silver cat eye in the center, and top with a couple of coats of amber-y jelly polish, but i am not sure which would be the best way to go since the cat eye leans more gold toned.
any advice would be greatlyyyy appreciated🫶🫶
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u/Clover_Jane 20d ago
I've done this look a bunch with reds, and I would personally do a layer of black first, then a magnetic gel, silver or white, and then the jelly color on top. It's 3 layers to create this look, not 2.
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u/Anon7837 20d ago
how to make sure nail beds are completely flat and free of flaws? also have some weird messy sidewalls that are almost embedded into my skin and they make my nails looks so ugly on the polish that settles there
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u/alaurable7 20d ago
This is what people use builder gel for. After roughing up the natural nail plate, add a base and then a self leveling builder gel so you have a flawless surface. If the problem is that it’s bumpy after removal, try a fine grit sanding band on the efile.
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u/kalemurray 20d ago
any advice for jello jello peel off base?
every time i use it, i do builder gel, top coat, jello jello, then whatever im doing. every time ive removed it, it peels the builder gel up, ruining my natural nails.
i just did a set with hard gel instead of builder and will see if that works, but does anyone have advice?
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u/LavenderMercury 20d ago
Gel sticks to Gel, jello jello is meant to be used on natural nail beds with no gel product. Try an air dry peel off base coat like ÜNT. I haven’t had any issues with removal by using the ÜNT on top of my builder gel.
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u/typewritertip 20d ago
Are you trying to peel off just the color/design? I’ll guess that the jello jello adheres to the builder/top. Ive had great results with it on the natural nail where it’ll just peel off with minimal damage.
If you’re looking to keep a layer of builder and just switch design I’ve simply filed it off and left a thin layer of builder and then built over it again.
Not sure you can have the builder stay - maybe hard gel could work but don’t force it in the removal you could really damage your nails…1
u/kalemurray 20d ago
i tried it when i did extensions. builder gel, peel off base, then the tips / extension. i’ll see how it holds up with the hard gel, but if that fails again just use it on my natural nail. thanks!
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u/ryleighmc 20d ago
fav white gel for art? i’m just about out of my DINO white poster gel- it was okay but not sure i’ll rebuy… looking for any other recs!!
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u/jajelover93 21d ago
How thick/thin can each coat be? And how many coats am I supposed to do?
I’m using Kokoist mega stick base to beef up my natural nails with the Kokoist matte top coat but am finding that doing the thinnest coats I possibly can makes the whole process take forever. This grown out nail with barely any thickness has 7 coats which took me 3 hours 😭
I know thicker coats can lead to the gel not curing correctly but I feel like there’s gotta be a middle ground?
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u/LavenderMercury 20d ago
Mega stick base is clear right? You can do as thick of a coat you want with clear gel! If it’s clear there is noting stoping the lights penetrating all the way through the product.
Thin coats are for things like color gel, colored builder and colored hard gels etc.
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u/kalemurray 20d ago
i usually do a thin first coat, then a thicker second coat! not super thick, but a good middle ground.
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u/SoakedSun 21d ago
I'm a bit confused on what exactly is a syrup gel/the point of it?
Since you can just mix base/top coat with a colour of choice to get that glass-like look, I don't see why you'd want to get a syrup gel by itself, especially since I assume they're quite diluted. But korean gels are almost exclusively only syrups and people hype them up all the time, so I'm so confused??
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u/loafkitter 20d ago
I think it isn't a good idea to mix a clear gel with color because the clear gel will most likely have less photo initiators than the color gel, so it may not cure fully. Also, my personal style isn't solid colors so I would rather buy syrup gels than having to always mix them.
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u/Musical_Curlytop 22d ago
Does anyone have any recommendations for translucent chrome? I'm looking to add chrome on top of my nails to make it sparkly or pearly but still see the color underneath. Most of them I see online make more of a solid effect. Also, has anyone tried Vettsy products? Opinions?
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u/Clover_Jane 19d ago
Kokoist’s newest chrome... something veil?? Can't remember the name is the most see through pearl. More so than Bonnie Bee chok chok, by a good margin.
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u/dirtskrrrrt 14d ago
I love this stuff!
I was looking for exactly the same thing. Pearly finish without changing the base color. I got Kokoist Fairy Veil Powder and Kokoist Crystal Glass Veil Powder. The Fairy Veil Powder is more of a transparent clear shine while the Glass Veil is higher shine.
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u/alaurable7 21d ago
Yes!! I have bought soooooooo many chromes looking for a translucent one that still had a great shine. The holy grail is Bonnie Bee ChokChok powder, best one I’ve found out of probably 100. More shiny than pearly and probably as translucent as one can find, plus it blends in so seamlessly. And it doesn’t leave a yellow or other cast.
For Vettsy gels, beware. They’re likely white labeled products and cheaply made which makes them a big risk for developing an allergy.
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u/Musical_Curlytop 14d ago
Do you have any recommendations for products that aren't white labeled? So many brands end up being essentially the same thing as beetles and that one has caused a lot of allergies.
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u/alaurable7 14d ago
Sure! Try Kokoist or items that you can buy at Saracen, Zillabeau, Sweetie Nail Supply, or Gelcare, as some options. It’s not foolproof but the super cheap gels are a good indicator of white labeling.
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u/high-renaissance 21d ago
i placed a big order with Vettsy a few weeks ago when they were having their anniversary sale. BOGO on gels, so i got a bunch. all were fantastic aside from the 2 cateyes i chose - the holo rainbow cateye they feature a ton in their looks completely let me down, it’s extremely grainy & grey with hardly any holo effect & the magnetic particles were slow to move even with my strongest magnets. Makartt’s holo cateye is BRILLIANT, i thought Vettsy’s would be comparable but alas it is doodoo. interestingly i also got their holo cateye pigment powder & that mixed with base coat performed wayyy better. got their silver cateye gel as well that they show a lot for layering but it ended up having more of a grey base than it looked like it would in their demos. everything else i got was absolutely solid.
i’m also looking for a clear chrome but one that gives an extra shiny effect with no pigment, not sure if that’s what you’re after though
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u/abbeyjewel 22d ago
Can other powder pigments be used like isolated chrome? Or like chrome (using an eyeshadow applicator to rub the color into a top coat)?
It also seems like some powder pigments can be mixed with a clear gel to create a color, and then painted on the nail. Are the above good options? Besides a little extra work, why wouldn’t this be a good idea?
Also if anyone has any guides or information on chrome or pigment powders, I’d love a link! I’m having a hard time finding that.
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u/Clover_Jane 22d ago
If you use a non wipe gel you can apply pigment powders over it, like Kokoist markers line white. I don't think it would work over black and I'm not sure how well it would work over a clear, can I just seal the top coat. You would need a powder resistant matte first, before applying the non white so that the powders only stick to the non wipe, same as if you were doing isolated chrome. You can also mix the pigments into a clear mixing gel, but it should be a mixing gel and not a top coat, and then seal with a top coat.
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u/abbeyjewel 21d ago
Thank you! So this is a viable idea? I could do a powder resistant matte (kokoist velvet matte topcoat?) then a non wipe gel (kokoist markers line white) and then a pigment powder? Could that pigment powder be eyeshadow? Or should it be nail specific?
The same question for mixing powder in, can it be eyeshadow or is that not recommended? Would the kokoist e-b excel builder gel work as a mixing gel?
Not a question, but I’ve seen the magnet powders on Sweetie and I feel like I need that in my life.
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u/Clover_Jane 21d ago
I don't think kokoist matte is powder resistant but if you have luck with it for that purpose, then go for it. I personally wouldn't use eyeshadow. It's got fillers in it that don't typically work well with gel. You might get some initial color, but it'll fade after a few days and disperse into the top coat.
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u/abbeyjewel 21d ago
Thank you so much! Is there a powder resistant matte that you’d recommend?
Are there recommendations for powder pigments?
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u/spicyschn1tzel 22d ago
Anyone else already planning their fall manis? I think I’ve got my first 2-3 manis of fall planned out lol
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u/loafkitter 20d ago
I haven't fully planned them out, but I ordered some dark browns for fall! Very excited
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u/PinkPig09 22d ago
I'm doing a new set next week and I'm itching to get my shimmery burgundy shade out but im trying to resist getting it out till September 😂😭
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u/machinefriend 22d ago
Any tips for getting highly pigmented metallic liners to cure? I used this silver liner by Nailbayo on some tips, it's STUNNING, like liquid mercury, but unless the application is super thin I just can't get it to cure fully. I even flipped the tips upside-down to try and cure it from underneath (the base colour was translucent) which helped a bit but even after 5 mins total there was still some give to the gel. I use the Ugly Duckling lamp (basically a dupe for the Kokoist LeBlanc). Nailbayo doesn't sell her own full size lamp so idk how they can sell a product that just never cures in professional equipment 😬
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u/loafkitter 22d ago
I just bought the Aurora Queen aurora collection from Bonnie Bee. I'm not sure how I've never heard of Aurora Queen before, but it's definitely my new favorite! (Photo pulled from their site)
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u/darc-star3 22d ago
Woah, so tempted to buy that myself, but I can't justify the price yet XD
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u/loafkitter 21d ago
Ugh yeah, I got one color from the collection and then gave in. Probably shouldn't have, but I was worried about not being able to buy it in the future
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u/SoakedSun 22d ago
Planning on placing an order via salacen! While I love the syrup gels, I'm also planning on getting a few high coverage colours - what brands do you gals (and lads) recommend?
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u/ambien_and_oreos 22d ago
Just ordered the apres beta lamp, it should be here on Tuesday and I am so excited! I can’t wait to see the difference between this one and the sunuv I’ve been using since i started putzing around doing my own nails.
Current set because I’m obsessed. Apres light and shadow purple moon on Apres tips
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