DIY Gel Nails in Con-Fuschion

For those of you concerned about the damage gel polish might do to the nail, here's a look at my bare nails after a solid year of wearing gels. 

My nails look as good as they ever did. In fact, they split and break a lot less with gels on because the gel polish acts to thicken the nail and in essence, to provide a protective coating. The nail surface is very smooth and the cuticles look pretty good, if I do say so myself. 

Here are the polishes I used for this particular manicure, in conjunction with my MelodySusie mini LED nail polish dryer (The LED dryer is awesome, it dries each coat in only 45 seconds, versus two minutes using a UV dryer).

I used IBD Just Gel Polish in "Con-Fuschion." I like to use IBD polishes for the color coat, because their polishes are very complex and multi-faceted, whereas the Gelish colors are more opaque and flat. This particular fuchsia has a VERY subtle blue and pink shimmer in bright daylight. 

Here's a look at how they came out: 

A Hint of Sparkle

About a year ago, my mom suggested we get gel manicures. I didn't know what they entailed, but her friend couldn't stop raving about them, so I was game. The process was somewhere between a regular manicure and acrylics. The result was the shiniest set of sparkly purple nails is ever seen. And four weeks later, although my nails had started to grow out, there was not a single chip to be found. I was hooked! The only downside was the price. One manicure set me back $30 plus tip. I knew it wasn't a realistic long term option for someone like me, who rarely splurges on my nails. The solution? An at-home gel nail polish system. 

Here's what you'll need: (I recommend Gelish for the foundation and top coat, they have a great starter kit called Gelish Basix you can purchase on www.amazon.com ) I got started for right around $100, the cost of just over three salon manicures, so within three months the system was cost-effective.

It's really a simple process. Here's the abridged version. Prepare nails like you normally would before a manicure, trimmed, buffed, etc. Then use the cuticle oil, and using a lint-free wipe, clean the nail with the nail surface cleanse. Once the nail is clean, use the PH bond to dry out the nails so that the polish will adhere to the nail. 

Click below for more instructions: