Category: LIFE + STYLE

This summer I really wanted to have trendy long nails. Got some pic inspo from Pinterest and headed to the nail salon super excited. I wanted almond shape and had a nail polish combo in mind too. I got poly gel extensions and omg… totally different from my expectations they looked ugly. I was so bummed! I can’t tell you how disappointed I was. They looked so FAKE. I haven’t had fake nails so I didn’t know what to ask for and tell the nail tech how to correct it. So I embraced the result and stuck with it for 2 weeks. I thought they will grow on me, but didn’t happen.

I know that some nail tech are good at mimicking that natural nail look but honestly every time I get my nails done I am regretting it afterwards. My gel polish would either peel off the first week or my nails would not be to my desired look. So that time I took a decision to grow out my own nails once I get those fakes off. I wanted natural looking long nails and in my mind my only option was to just get my natural nails grow out.

Ever since that growing phase started I got into gel nail polish. I like that it lasts longer and looks shiny and fresh until the end as opposed to regular nail polish that looses the shine and stars chipping way faster. But the main thing for me is that it makes the nails thicker ( I mean temporarily, only while you have it on. Not a long term fix)and provides that extra support for my natural long nails. It is what helped me grow them out. Because while I have it on, my nails are more break resistant and I don’t pick on them, which lets them grow. And even if it is a bit more damaging than regular nail polish I have mastered the technique by now and I keep the damage to a minimum so I can still have strong nails underneath the gel.

And here I will share my tips to do gel nail polish at home and it will be really helpful if you are a beginner. This is based on a lot of error and trial, techniques I picked up from professionals and a lot of research on google.

First thing is get a gel polish starter kit. Plenty of them on Amazon and very affordable. They come with all the necessary polish steps and a lamp. This way you don’t have to stress about what to get. Once you master the process you can go ahead and upgrade and buy individual polishes or base and top coat by your liking and needs.

https://rstyle.me/cz-n/f4ny94c5s47 this one has a nice range of colors and a lot of other tools and goodies that you might get a use of in the future.

Gel nail polish is very different from regular nail polish. It requires some prepping of the nail and steps that you should not overlook.

After you do your basic mani steps and take care of your cuticles by pushing or cutting them, the first and crucial step is removing the shine off the nail. If you skip this step your polish will peel right off on the second or third day. I use a very fine buffing file and gently swipe it all over my nail. Making sure I get the part around the cuticle. This is usually the part where gel nail polishe starts to lift and then get caught in your hair or clothes and it gets super annoying and your manicure is going to its end.

Polishing file https://rstyle.me/+Fiu1WhrD9EBJiqP7h231Mw

STEP 2 use alcohol and a lint free wipes to remove any oily residue from the nails that can affect the longevity of your manicure.

Lint free wipes https://rstyle.me/+Fiu1WhrD9EBJiqP7h231Mw

STEP 3 use a nail primer (should be included in the kit). It gets your nail to the right pH level to prep it for the polish. You don’t need to cure after this step. Just wait for 1-2 min after application and move to step 4.

STEP 4 apply one coat of base and cure for 60-90 seconds. The curing time depends on the lamp you are using. Most of the lamps in those not professional starting kits are not really strong. So adjust the time of curing accordingly. Start with 60 seconds and add more if the polish hasn’t hardened.

If after you have cured it you feel you have a lot of sticky residue you can wipe the nail with alcohol and lint free wipe. You can repeat this process after each layer. Sometimes lint pieces get stuck on the sticky surface and it can ruin the appearance of the layers applied afterwards. I also recommend doing one hand at a time. Paint/cure / paint cure until finished and then move to the other hand.

STEP 5 apply a coat of desired polish color. I personally don’t like the look of really thick gel polish so I try to do thin layers. I place a dot a little bit over my cuticle and then spread the polish around. Trying to not go over the cuticle. I always get some polish over my skin and cuticle but I use a tiny brush dipped in nail polish remover to go around the cuticle area and clean the mess BEFORE I cure.

I always do at least 2 coats. Depending on the color and the desired result I may go over with a third one.

STEP 6 apply top coat and cure.

STEP 7 clean the sticky residue with alcohol and apply cuticle oil.

Repeat on the other hand.

Voila!

My manicure usually lasts about 2-3 weeks. Most of the time I take it off after 2 and a half weeks before it even starts chipping because I don’t like the look of grown out nails.

Removal process is also very important so I don’t want to leave this out of the post. If you don’t do this right you can really cause damage to nails in the long run.

The best way I found is to use 100% Acetone! Even though pure acetone is believed to be damaging to the nails I feel that using milder nail polish removers can cause more damage. You won’t be able to remove it easily and you have to really scrape and pull the gel polish and this can really remove layers of your nail. And it can be painful as well. So by applying cotton rounds soaked in acetone and wrapping foil around each nail the gel gets really soft and easily slides right off the nail.

If you are concerned about the health of your nails. Leave them bare for a couple of days and use a nail strengthener in between your gel manicures. I love this one by OPI https://rstyle.me/cz-n/fub5gwc5s47.

Thanks for stopping by!

Who doesn’t want to be bronzed and glowy for the Summer? And some of us actually want to look like this whole year round. I don’t know what it is but a good tan is an instant confidence and mood booster for me.

And even though I found a couple of self tanners that I swear by ( St Tropez and Bondi Sands). (I have videos on YouTube and a blog post reviewing those), I can never stop exploring and testing new once.

I was really intrigued by Loving Tan as I have been seeing it on social media a lot. So I decided to give it a try and see if it is really the best self tanner out there as a lot of instagram models, influencers and bloggers claim. I have seen a lot of girls raving about it and rating it pretty high on the chart of faux tanners.

I picked up the Deluxe Bronzing Mousse in Dark, as first time using the product I was nervous to get the Ultra Dark. Anyway I am pretty pale at the moment and what I look for in a self tanner is a natural looking bronzed glow rather than a look of super dark, unnatural and fake color.

I always exfoliate prior to application and use a velvet mitt to apply. The product comes out really dark and warm colored foam, but looks very natural on the skin. Really easy to apply. Can get a tiny bit streaky while you rub it in but it is easy to blend the mistakes out after you go over them. The foam is a true foam texture. Fluffy and airy which I liked because I have used other self tanners with more liquidy foam and they really get messy and hard to apply.

Has nice , beach, vacation smell but highly scented. And after it starts developing a self tanner scent lingers for a while.

The guard color is not super dark so you need to pay attention where you apply. But I like that because some other self tanners that I have used have a really dark guard color and even though it allows you to see where you applied it looks very unnatural. So you have to really plan when you apply and make sure you stay home while it develops. Some other brands add a little bit extra green to their products to counteract the orange, but in my opinion, it doesn’t look that natural.

Loving Tan’s initial color pay off is realistic. Gives the appearance that you really laid down in the sun. Because that first sun kissed look that you get after spending the day at the beach is really warm, reddish , brown color. It makes you look youthful and flushed. This is what you get with the application of Loving Tan. I liked that I could apply it in the middle of the day, go out do my things without being afraid that I look like an alien.

It dries out pretty quick. If you choose to apply it during the day though be carful so you don’t get yourself wet, especially when you wash your hands or the dishes . Water might drip on your skin and it can mess up the look of your tan.

If you choose to wear tight, light clothes before it has fully developed it might transfer on them. But it washes out in the laundry.

I would recommend you to apply it in the evening so you can avoid any of the above mishaps.

The skin that reveals after you rinse out the guard color is natural, lightly bronzed and healthy looking . It is not as dark as I have seen on other people on YouTube or Instagram . But I love it!

Lasts about 6-7 days and it is very hard to tell how long exactly because it fades naturally and slowly, just gradually washes out with each shower. I was really impressed with the way it wears off. Did not have any weird patches around the wrist area or any other folds on the body like a lot other fake tans do when they start fading . After day 7 I like to use exfoliating mitt to remove whatever has left to ensure my skin is clean of any product left on it.

Overall a great self tanner that I will add to my favorites list.

• Doesn’t take long to dry

• Can transfer on sheets or lighter, tighter clothes but will easily wash out in the laundry

• The tan that develops is healthy, bronzed and glowy looking

• Lasts about 6-7 days

BUY it here:

Loving Tan Mousse https://rstyle.me/cz-n/faua9nc5s47

Exfoliating Gloves https://rstyle.me/cz-n/favzf6c5s47

Velvet Mitt https://rstyle.me/cz-n/fauc6dc5s47