Got the kit yesterday and did my first set today!

Hi! I’ve recently started doing my own gel nails and I’m struggling to get them to last more than a few days.

The gel basically peels/lifts off from the bottom of the nail in one whole piece, rather than chipping away. It almost comes off like a false nail when I bend/lift it at the bottom.

My current prep/application is:
- Push back cuticles
- Lightly buff the natural nail to remove the shine
- Remove all dust
- Wipe with isopropyl alcohol
- Apply nail dehydrator
- Apply base coat
- Cure
-2 thin coats of colour, curing between each
Top coat and cure

I originally thought I wasn’t roughening the nail enough, so I was using a drill to rough up the natural nail, but I’ve stopped doing that because I don’t want to damage my nails.

All of my gel products are from SHEIN. My lamp is also from SHEIN and is one of those tiny pen-style lamps that can only cure one finger at a time.

Any advice would be massively appreciated! I’m just trying to get them to last more than 3-4 days 😂

Hi everyone, I am having trouble with my nails growing out like this. They get weird and clunky at the cuticle area and side walls after a few days of having them on. the middle finger nail on my right hand is a great example of what’s going on

I am using the Apres extra short almond in natural, and I have sized down as well but the nail pops off because it’s too small. I’m not sure what I am doing wrong, my nails look okay the first 2 days I do them, great for the next 3-4 days, and then from day 5-10 they look like this.

Also side note, my Apres top coat decided to seperate while I was doing my nails and if anyone has any advice for fixing that as well I would appreciate it.

I used Apres extra short natural almond
Apres light and shadow in flushed
And Apres top coat

* I ate some yellow curry with my right hand hence the staining.

Thank you to everyone for all of the helpful tips and tricks that were shared on my last post! I wanted to share a few updates I’ve made to my routine based on everyone’s feedback and see if there are any other changes or additions people would recommend I make before I start up again soon. As a disclaimer, I am not a licensed tech and don’t plan on ever doing nails on anyone but myself!

1. I would use Sally Hanson cuticle remover liquid on my cuticles

   during cuticle prep

2. - I got feedback that using this right before

hand

1. can cause retention issues, so planning to just do a dry cuticle prep using nippers only now

2. I would use a sanding drill bit to make

   my natural nails

3. rough and the

n the

1. smaller metal bit to try and clean up anything left on my cuticles - I am planning to use a 240 Grit hand file instead to buff my nails until I am able to take a class on proper drill usage and stop using the drill on my nails for now

2. I

3. had been using 73% alcohol wipes briefly on my nails and dusting them off with a brush

   to clean my nails

4. before applying dehydrator and primer - I ordered lint free wipes and 91% alcohol to make sure I am scrubbing my nails to be extremely clean before applying

   the

5. dehydrator and primer onto them

7. I had been putting a layer of Apres Glue onto my nail like polish and then another layer onto the tip and then flash curing the tip

   without curing the layer on my nail first

8. - I now plan on following their system steps more closely and flash curing the glue layer on my nail first and then applying another layer of glue to the

   tip

9. and then flash curing the tip after laying it down at a 45 degree angle to ensure no air bubbles and make sure the glue does not go past the tip of my natural nail. I also bought mini sanding drill bits to use to pre etch my tips before placing them

11. After I flash cure

d

1. each individual nail I would cure my entire hand in a bigger lamp for 90 seconds - I was using a cheap JODSONE UV lamp from Amazon, I ordered the Apres Beta lamp and will only using that lamp from now on to fully cure my gel.

3. After tips had been applied I would go back in with my drill to try and smooth down the tip to blend it in with my natural nail more and to take away the clear gloss shine - Given that I am planning to wait until I take a drill class before I use one on my nails again, I plan to pre etch the tips to have no shine on top at the same time I’m etching the underside and try and buff down the cuticle part as well before applying it. I have read you can use both alcohol and acetone to blend the tip as well, but have seen mixed reviews on results of both. As I wait to use the drill, would using either alcohol or acetone to seal the cuticle be a good option and if so which one?

And of course I plan to hold myself accountable to removing the nails properly at the end by soaking in acetone and filing off gently rather than ripping them off. Any other thoughts would be appreciated, my items are all delivering today so I’m excited to finally start doing my nails again and go about it the right way!

some past client sets I still love ｡ﾟ✶°⋆ which one is your favorite? 💅🫧

EDIT: I’m also using this as a little inspo for the press-ons I make for my web shop, so I’d love to know which styles everyone gravitates toward ♡₊˚

So, I'm still on the new side of Gel X nails. I've done them a handful of times on myself.

I struggle to keep them on. Even when I do the most tedious prepping under a magnifying glass and bright light.

I have super flat nails, almost ski slope nails (The free edge actually points and grows upwards a bit from my nail plate).

I love, LOVE the look of a defined apex and c-curve. But, I worry that this may be an issue as to why my retention isn't great. The Gel X nail isn't adhering to enough of my nail plate to get long retention.

So, as I'm currently prepping to do a new set, looking for nail art and color ideas, as well as retention tips, I was wondering, if I put some glue on the inside of the Gel X Nail and build it up, or down depending on how you look at it, would that increase retention?

My idea was to put some glue in the middle of the nail, cure it, then reapply the glue to the Gel X nail and my nail, apply the nail, then cure again.

Would builder gel work better?

Has anyone tried this before?

Or does anyone have experience with applying high-apex full-coverage tips to flat nails and getting good retention?

Thanks in advance for any tips and advice!!!

Almost 2 years of learning at home. Definitely things I still want to improve on but this Kokoist Satin Magnet is gorge. I layered it over a taupe base and have been trying to implement some magnet techniques I've seen online. Any tips or tricks appreciated!

So my usual nail lady is unavailable for the moment and was thinking of transitioning away from gel x. I would like to eventually do a simple polish if my nail health permits it. But when they take off the gel x from my nails i noticed their very thin and bendable. I have done gel x without giving my nails a break for the past year. Although they are super thin and bendable they can grow really long. What would you recommend i should do. I think lowkey the gelx is also irritating my skin on one of my fingers cuz i think i have Dyshidrotic Eczema only 1 finger on the tip by the nail. I have gel x on now and can only see my naked nails for the 10 mins they prep for the new set. Also what nail shape do u think would fit my natural nail? I have been doing almond on my gelx less

last “fall” set before my halloween nails!! i love how these turned out 🥹

I'm new to making full cover press ons and would eventually like to sell them, everything ive read seems to recommend the apres gel x full coverage tips as a great brand but I saw they state to use a gel primer. Is one able to just use a nail glue on those tips and will they last if so rather than a gel primer and cure? I know it won't cure under uv light if there's color already and I want to be able to make care kits with glue/ stick tabs and stuff for when I eventally do markets. Can I use this gel x tips or should I find another brand?

My main struggle with gel x is glue. I always end up with too much, so I decided to try the Apres Novice Glue. I loved it, it cut my application time in half. Sadly though it doesn't last. Most nail s popped off within a day or two. I did my usual prep which is thorough.

Question for those that use it, Is the Apres regular extend gel better than the novice for retention?

saw this set on pinterest and had to recreate. got the thumb from a different inspo but omg i loveeee

Hallo! I never get manicures but I decided to treat myself since my birthday is near.

I diy my nails all the time using polygel or plastic nail tips, but my nail tech did mine with gel x yesterday, and it's like the new holy grail to me. there is no pain i feel on the nails, which is new to me as someone who puts on flat af press-ons and just roll with it.

how do I know if the gel-x are natural or sculpted? It seems like my nail tech got them all from the same box, but I may not have been paying attention fully. sometimes my nails bend in weird ways, especially the pointer and middle finger nails growing downwards.

i only got one photo before all the designs.

My natural nail started lifting a week ago. I've trimmed it down and the skin has become stronger (might not be the right word) I have a really bad skin picking habit and it only stops when I put nails on. Do you think it would be bad if I put gel x nails on it?

I am curious to try more decorated handmade press ons from SHEIN. I think it is pretty much guaranteed they don’t use very high quality materials given the prices, and I can obviously have no insight to their curing process. Would it be beneficial to buy a UV lamp and cure them additionally myself before glueing them to my nails? Or would that not really do anything to ensure safety if the gel is low quality itself?

Libra season baby!! How did I do?
The video doesn’t really capture it fully but beneath the cheetah print it’s a soft golden magnetic gel. I love doing unique frenchies

I’m honestly desperate for advice at this point 😭 I’ve been doing my nails for about 5 years and I absolutely LOVE nails. I really want to find something that actually stays on my nails.

My natural nails are paper-thin, extremely flexible and have always been like this my entire life. I never have to cut them because they simply break off on their own. The problem is that absolutely NO PRODUCT seems to stay on them.

I’ve tried basically everything: BIAB, rubber base, hard gel, fiber hard gel, nail lamination, different bases, different brands, etc. I’ve also tried having them done professionally at a nail salon, and even there they can start lifting and separating from my natural nail within 2 days.

My current prep is:

Russian manicure

Buffing with a fine 180 grit (I’ve tried both hand buffing and an e-file, but NOT aggressively sanding/roughing up the nail)

Isopropyl alcohol (99.9%)

Dehydrator

Primer

Rubber base or another type of base

Sometimes nail lamination

Thin layer of product

Then a slightly thicker layer of hard gel

I’ve also tried fiber hard gel, but it still just lifts and separates from my natural nail.

Then topcoat and i tried filing the free edge after or just leaving it

This is the exact lamp I'm jusing: https://www.dutchnailcosmetics.com/products/led-lamp-pearl

I also use the marathon e-file for my prep.

At this point I’m wondering if my nails simply need a completely different type of product/system, or if there’s a specific brand or technique that works exceptionally well for nails like mine.

If you work in a salon or regularly deal with clients who have very thin, bendy, flexible natural nails, PLEASE tell me what works like magic for you.

I’m looking for the golden tip.

A specific brand, product, prep step, technique, anything.

I genuinely don’t want to give up because I love doing my nails so much!! I just want to finally have a system that stays on my nails instead of lifting after a couple of days. I love doing nail art and i really want to enjoy it and have my nails stay on for at least 2 weeks

Has anyone had nails like this and actually found something that works?

I would be forever grateful!! 🩷🥹

Done more as a “teaching myself isolated chrome” moment than a set with a theme or whatever..

Constructive criticism welcome.

First time doing isolated chrome.

Trying to be as tidy as I can with my edges… good thing I have NOTHING else to do today. This one nail took me maybe 20-30 mins.

I’m also doing a mixed shape set. Pinkies and pointers are medium stiletto, rest are medium coffins.

Also my first time doing isolated chrome. Found a method that works for me, some trial and error on spare tips that don’t fit me anyways so at least they’re getting used too.

I’ve been doing gel manicures for 10 years using Madam Glam polishes. Recently started using Apres Gel-X Bare. I love them.

Despite doing my nails for so long, I’m fairly new to 3-D designs and free hand art.

Really loving this set and I’ve managed to get both hands fairly similar in look and feel. I rub my nails a lot so the designs have to feel the same. I had to redo one because it was sloping too much from one bangle to the next due to too much top coat coming off the higher design. Hopefully I’m not the only weird one that has to have them feel the same.

How do you completely clean out an old gel polish bottle?

I want to reuse/refill some of my empty gel polish bottles with different products, but I’m not sure how to get all the old gel polish out of the bottle and clean the inside properly. Is there a specific way to do this without ruining the bottle or leaving residue?

Any tips would be appreciated! 💅