I know it sounds completely ridiculous, but one of the biggest bummers of quarantine for me has been giving up my biweekly nail appointments. For the first 23 years of my life I was a hardcore nail biter, and getting regular manicures was the thing that finally helped me stop. Since then, it’s been really important to me to take care of my nails because I’m really proud of how much I worked to keep them healthy. I’m extremely loyal to my nail salon and my nail appointments are often the only time that I’m able to truly relax and completely disconnect.
As silly as it seems, when I realized that I wouldn’t be able to got my nail salon for over 2 months I started to worry that I’d go back to biting my nails (especially since for me, nail biting was a crutch when I was feeling anxious). I really suck at doing my nails (picture nail polish all over my cuticles and manicures that last maaaybe 3 days), but I knew I’d have to do them myself for the foreseeable future if I didn’t want to go back to being a nail biter. I remembered that my best friend had mentioned ordering a gel lamp a few months ago, so when my last pre-quarantine manicure started to look iffy, I finally bit the bullet and ordered everything I’d need to do my own gel manicures at home.
I have to say, I’ve been incredibly pleased with the results. Although my nails certainly don’t look as good as they do when I go to the salon, the gel lamp works just as well in terms of staying power and quality! My first manicure with it lasted for a full two weeks with no chips, and I only peeled it off because the edges were bothering me (they weren’t as smooth as they are when my manicurist does them). For me, the biggest advantage of a gel manicure is that my nails are completely dry when I’m done, so I don’t have to worry about smudging them and redoing them 5 times like I typically do with regular polish.
A couple of quick notes – I can’t stand the feeling of getting gel nails removed at the salon, so I can’t provide any advice on how to remove these without peeling them off. I just wait until I get a chip and then peel them and I’ve never had any issues with that, but if you feel strongly about removing them “properly,” I’ve seen lots of gel removal products on Amazon! I just can’t attest to how well they work. In terms of other products, I ordered this gel lamp, this base coat and top coat, and this gel polish from Amazon. It’s important that the base coat, polish, and top coat are specifically designed for the gel lamp, or it won’t work properly! There are plenty of brands to choose from but I found that these ones were the best combination of good quality, a good price point, and fast shipping. The total cost for everything I ordered was less than the cost of two gel manicures at my salon, so the great thing about this is it’ll essentially pay for itself after 2 manicures!
What You’ll Need:
– Gel nail lamp
– Gel base coat
– Gel nail polish
– Gel top coat
– Nail clippers
– Nail file
– Nail buffer
– Nail polish remover
– Cotton swabs
– Cuticle pusher
– Cuticle trimmer
Instructions:
1. Start by washing your hands so you’re staring with clean, dry hands.
2. Cut your nails to the desired length using the nail clippers.
3. Using the nail file, shape your nails to the desired shape (I prefer square with rounded edges).
4. Use the nail file on the surface of each nail to rough it up a bit.
5. Buff the surface of each nail using the nail buffer.
6. Use your nail clippers to clip any parts of your cuticles that are sticking out or uneven.
7. Put some nail polish remover on a cotton swab and swipe each nail with it to ensure any leftover polish or grime is removed.
8. Now that your nail prep is done, it’s time to start with your polish. Put one coat of base coat on each nail of one hand and put your hand under the gel lamp for 60 seconds. Do the same with your other hand, then repeat the process for a total of 2 base coats.
9. Next you’ll put on your color polish. Put one thin coat of polish on each nail of one hand and put your hand under the gel lamp for 60 seconds. Do the same with your other hand, then repeat the process for as many coats as you’d like (I typically like to do 3 coats). After the final coat, put each hand under the lamp for 60 additional seconds to make sure the polish is fully cured.
10. Now for the final polish – your top coat! Put one coat of top coat on each nail of one hand and put your hand under the gel lamp for 60 seconds. Do the same with your other hand, then repeat the process for a total of 2 coats. After the final coat, put each hand under the lamp for 60 additional seconds to make sure the polish is fully cured.
11. Unless you’re a professional, you’ll probably have a couple of spots of polish on your cuticles once you’re done applying the nail polish. The tough thing about gel polish is that you can’t just use nail polish remover to get these spots off. I’ve found that the best way to remove these imperfections is to use a cuticle trimmer. Run the cuticle trimmer along each cuticle and it should easily peel off any excess polish.
12. For some added luxury, finish the manicure with some nicely scented lotion.
This manicure process has been a game changer for me during quarantine. In the midst of so much uncertainty and so many changes in our new normal, something as simple as doing my nails has really helped me relax and get some sense of normalcy, and I hope it helps you too. If you try it out and have any additional tips or comments, let me know your thoughts in the comments!
