I'm tired of painting my nails and it only lasting 3 days or so before it starts to chip...if you do your nails yourself what are your best tips/favorite products?
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Following!
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i love essie gel setter. it's make the regular nail polish shinier and last much longer.
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@bakingdoodle: I just tried that top coat for the first time it didn't help much. That being said I paired it with a dollar store nail polish that my SIL gave me so I don't know how old it is and it's obviously not high quality...I'm sure that had something to do with it. Do you use a base polish too? I don't usually, just color and recently Essie gel setter
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Jamberry. I'll never paint my own nails again
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I use Seche Vite for quick drying but I find it doesn't help with lasting long. I am going to follow for more tips!
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I love the Essie Gel Set top coat @bakingdoodle: mentioned. My nails definitely don't chip in 3 days with that! I also use a base coat and decent polish.
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Base coat makes a ton of difference. Wash your hands well prior to doing your nails, push back or trim cuticles (jagged edges leave places where the polish will pull up). I use this base coat called rubberize or something from Target. Has a purple top. It leaves a tacky/sticky surface which makes the polish so easy to apply, it just grabs on. Followed by seche vite or sally hansen hard as nails as a topcoat.
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Sally Hansen Miracle Gel polish and top coat. Lasts forever without chipping, like seriously I have to take it off because my nails grow out and it gaps at the bottom before it chips.
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@Mrs. Sunshine: I use Orly Bonder as a base coat and a l'oreal colour riche nail polish. I love the Essie gel setter so much... but I just read reviews and a lot of people seem to complain that it does not grip. I think it must also depend on the base coat.
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The best manicures I've ever given myself were because of tips I read on weddingbee. The link I saved no longer works, but this is the method as best I remember and still use. It takes FOREVER, but lasts me a good week without chipping.
Soak nails in warm water. When cuticles are soft, push them back and do any trimming. Buff. Wash your hands, focusing on washing your nails. Dry your hands.
(All coats should be thin).Paint base coat and wait 10 minutes to dry. Paint first coat of color and wait 20 mins to dry. Paint second coat of color and wait 30 mins to dry. Paint top coat and wait 40 minutes to dry, making sure to paint the front end of your nail (the edge). Don't touch clothes for as long as possible.
To extend it, paint a new top coat on every other day, and wait 10 minutes to dry. If I do these extra steps, I can go 2ish weeks with a decent looking manicure.
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The new Essie gel couture line is amazing! It's about $12 for the color (base coat) and $10 for the topcoat, but it is the easiest nail polish ever to apply (the brush is perfect) and it lasts at least a week without major chipping. You can get it on Amazon here (https://www.amazon.com/essie-Couture-Nail-Polish-Runway/dp/B01E7UKPUS) or at Target, etc. And you can take it off with regular nail polish remover!
My best general tip is to brush the color and base coat along the top of your nails where your nail meets the skin to prevent chipping from the top.
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@mamabolt: I've been using this one as well lately, though just on my toes (can't keep polish on my fingers for the life of me). I like it!
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@Crystal: love the idea of using a top coat every day! Gonna try that!
This is so funny and so true!!
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My best tip is to buy either a UV or LED curing light and do gel at home.
No matter what I do, the other stuff comes off after two days.
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@Mamaof2: it works really well!
That is so true! The gel I had on my nails is gone and the regular polish on my toes is still looking good!
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@Crystal: This is pretty much what I do too for at-home manicures. I think (feel?) like it's important to let the coats dry between new coats, even though they don't do that at the salon and it all works out
But at home, color tends to last longer when I wait like 20 minutes between coats.
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I second jamberry- will never paint my nails again because of the chemicals alone
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@Crystal: yeah that seems pretty involved. Not saying I wouldn't do it, I'm just hoping to be lazier than that. Ha!
@mamabolt: I'll check that out. Thanks!
@Mamaof2: haha exactly!
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@yoursilverlining: for some reason, letting it dry really helps my manicure last.
@Mrs. Sunshine: it takes forever, but it also lasts forever!
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No wonder my mani's chip! I barely let my layers dry haha!
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Best tip is after a mani to wear gloves when washing the dishes! Unless I get a gel manicure my regulars only last 3-4 days chip free.
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Two nights ago I was up until 11 following all the tips and carefully letting all my layer dry. Yesterday during nap time I had to redo 2 of my nails. Then this morning I wake up (having gone to bed with nails fully painted) to this! I give up
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I put these Jams on on Monday. No signs of wear yet
A year ago, I never would have pegged myself as someone who would wear patterned nails, but I took someone up on a free sample and got hooked. It's SO much easier than painting!
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@MaryM: those are so cute! How do they compare cost wise to both home manicure or salon manicure?
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@Mrs. Sunshine: I'm not a rep, so I don't totally remember the breakdown...
But a sheet is $15. I think there are about 20 decals in various sizes on each sheet (from like, big toe to pinky)? And they're oval shaped so you can easily use them from both ends.
I think they usually say one sheet does two manis and two pedis, but I've been able to make them stretch farther. I can usually make one decal work for three fingers (instead of two) because I keep my nails fairly short (I use the extra middle pieces for narrower fingers and just cut to size)
And I've only paid "full price" once (but they're always buy three get one free...and you pretty much always get something else for free during their facebook parites). Then I hosted a party myself and earned so many for so little cost that I almost had a hard time choosing enough designs.
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@MaryM: that doesn't sound too expensive. I'll check them out. I'm sure there's a rep near or someone I know probably knows someone...lol
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@Mrs. Sunshine: I bet if you posted something on facebook you could find a dozen reps in 15 minutes
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@Mrs. Sunshine: I'm also a big fan of Jamberry! I don't buy it often, but when I do get them, I love it. I still have tons of decals left over. I like to do accent nails with them.
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@MaryM: @avivoca: @Makingbabyw: Any of you ladies ever try the Jamberry gel system?
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@Mrs D: I haven't. I prefer the ease of the stickers. Sorry
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@MaryM: I do too...my jams dont stay on super well as I have oily nails. So my rep is recommending a layer of cured gel to keep them on better. She offered me the products at 50% off...was just hoping to find someone who had used it.
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@Mrs D: No, generally I don't paint my fingernails because I still have tiny people who occasionally chew on them and need me to fish stuff out of their mouths.
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@Mrs D: I'm a Jamberry consultant. I have the gel system but I haven't used it under my wraps. I HAVE done it over my wraps and that makes my wraps last forever.
For oily nails I would trouble shoot first. What do you use to prep your nails?
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Mine ALWAYs chip and peel, even with soaking and the topcoats mentioned. I recently figured out that if I keep my nails very very short, they don't chip (because they don't go much, if at all, past my finger tips)...I was amazed at how long that manicure lasted, but didn't like the look of my fingers as much with shorter nails. So it's a pick your poison situation for me.
But at home, color tends to last longer when I wait like 20 minutes between coats.
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