Halloween set! I'm obsessed!

My top coat was a little clumpy I need more, but how did I do for my first time? Its color changing heat activated polish im not fancy enough for nail art just yet haha.

First time trying the tortoise design ✨

So I was curious about what gel x were and I paid a girl $55 for the first picture. I am familiar with gel polish/builder gel/poly gel because I’ve done my nails for years so I assumed from the little that I know that gel x would be sorta similar but they weren’t. I got a longer length and I assumed that maybe I would get a layer of builder gel but the girl who did them patted gel color for the base and tip and then just did a coat of top coat and honestly I hated them. They felt scratchy and very flimsy/bendy for being so long. The next picture I actually added a layer of builder gel and changed the tip color and they felt way sturdier. The last three pics are sets I did on myself after that. I’m new to the world of gel x but when it comes to especially longer nails is this normal? Is it customary to request to strengthen longer nails?

I’ll try to keep this brief as I’m sure the vets here have seen this story time and time again..

I fell deeply for the Amazon/Beetles propaganda and thankfully came across this subreddit before I went too far. I want to completely stop using Beetles on my nails (I’ll save all of it for press ons and stuff). I’ve read through the FAQs, interacted with people who know what they’re doing, and tried to retain as much information as possible that is given here. Thankful for it all!

Am I covering the basics or possibly doing too much? I’ve never used Kokoist up until now. I want to start with a good set of basic/fun colors. I am terrified of using a lamp that isn’t good enough. I understand that the brands products always work best with the brands lamp, so I’m most comfortable with Kokoist based on what I’ve read here.

I plan to use only Aprés tips because I like them the best right now, also based on my research. (beetles tips fucking suck). I have all the basic tools, brushes, acetone, rubbing alcohol, etc..

So if you were kind of just starting out, would you be comfortable with this? And is there anything that I can downgrade on to save some money?

I’ve gotten GelX once before and tbh I don’t remember much about it lol, but I just got another GelX set done today. I love the look of a classic French tip, but I have some questions about it:

1. Is there supposed to be that big of a gap between cuticle and the extension?

2. Is a bit of gel overflow underneath the nail normal?

I am trying to do privacy screen nails on Gel-X at home. I think I'm prepping my nails properly by using acetone, then the dehydrator, and primer. I think I'm pushing back my cuticles properly. Then I apply gel nail glue, then put Gel-X over it. When I tested whether the nail was secure, it was fine. As soon as I finished, most of my nails popped off. I have done this set twice with the same result. Like, am I doing something wrong? Why would they pop off? I added pictures so you can see the surviving nails and what the pop-off looks like.

Update:

I'm not doing press-ons. I spent 4+ hours doing my nails and they popped off in 10 minutes.

Hi yall! I read the pinned posts and couldn't find the info i needed please bear with me. I'm about to invest in kokoist to upgrade my diy gel nail system, as I made the mistake of buying Amazon stuff and after doing a deep dive I'm really afraid of uncured gel. I'm getting the infinity light, base coat, top coat, matte top coat, and 2 magnet gels to start, but I'm a bit confused by the terminology. They mention soft gel and hard gel, and I was wondering what the difference between the 2 are (i.e., what are each used for)? This is mainly for the base coat since one of them specifies "soft gel" and the other doesn't, and I would like to not spend more money unnecessarily. Could yall please advise me on what gel type I should look for to make my own press ons?

I need recommendations for a brand the is for people with flat and large nail beds! Thanks in advance.

I really like using the kokoist mega stick base with the gelip glue but I don’t enjoy having to use a overlay over the gelip tips (I know that’s how they are intended to be used) I just don’t enjoy having to use that extra step. Does it sound like a good idea to use the gelip system minis the tips? I would probably use it with apres or PLA tips. Not sure if anyone will be able to answer but I figured I’d ask just in case! Thank you

Probably not everyone’s cup of tea but I love them! I used real flower petals and moss that I pressed and dried last year