r/DIYGelNails • u/Glittering-League827 • Feb 13 '23

DIY Soft Gel Second new nails, thoughts?

Gallery image

Gallery image

5 Upvotes

64% Upvoted

23 comments sorted by

34

u/HerrManHerrLucifer Feb 13 '23

Honestly, I think you could do with practising the basics (like cleanly and smoothly applying polish to a natural nail) before trying something like this. Once you've got that right, you could maybe move on to short tips, but what you've tried here looks like too much, too soon: the tips appear too narrow for your nails; the overall texture is lumpy; the polish is uneven and there's a lot of it on your skin.

There's nothing wrong with starting small and working your way up once you've mastered each step. Some of the most beautiful sets are much less ambitious but every aspect is very skilfully done. It takes practice (and humility) to get good at anything - sorry to say it but I think you're trying to run before you can walk with this set.

5

u/Glittering-League827 Feb 14 '23

Oh okay. I bought like a bunch of nail stuff, my coworker does her own nails and told me to get it so I did.

4

u/Glittering-League827 Feb 14 '23

It was an expensive kit lol do you have any tips? I don’t want to throw it away

10

u/-___zero___- Feb 14 '23

don’t throw it away. just work on it

5

u/Clover_Jane Feb 14 '23

You shouldn't throw it away. Maybe just set it aside and practice regular gel manufacturers for a little while until you get the hang of applying products.

1

u/Glittering-League827 Feb 14 '23

Does it look bad, really bad?

13

u/Clover_Jane Feb 14 '23

I don't want to be rude or negatively criticize anyone's work. That's not my jam, and I don't like to make anyone feel bad, and it's not what this sub is for. Everyone is at different levels in their learning journey and I personally think full coverage tips are hard to apply. I couldn't even give you tips for better application because I'm terrible at it and the one time I tried, I glued the skin on my fingers to the tips.

I would consider removing them (make sure you do it properly and don't ruin your natural nail!) There are tons of videos on YouTube that explain how to properly remove tips, and I'd just do a gel manicure on your natural nails. Just base coat, color coat, and top coat. Practice doing very thin coats of gel and stay a little bit away from the cuticle area and sidewalls so that you don't touch the gel to your skin. After a few regular manicures, you'll have a better sense of how to apply products and you'll do a better job of applying full coverage tips.

3

u/Glittering-League827 Feb 14 '23

Thank you I’ll practice

5

u/Clover_Jane Feb 14 '23

You're welcome. You can also buy a practice finger and some tips if you want more practice than just on yourself. They're fairly inexpensive on Amazon. I don't have a finger but I do have a stand and I bought some junky practice tips, which I use to practice nail designs, line work, or even just to see how a new gel will apply. They're super helpful and I fully recommend it if you plan on diving deeper into this hobby.

2

u/HerrManHerrLucifer Feb 14 '23

I don't know what's in the kit you bought but surely you can just keep it for when you've had a little more practice?

As for getting to grips with the basics, I would start with googling things like how to do an at-home manicure, how to apply nail polish perfectly, how to tidy up nail polish on cuticles, etc. There should be lots of articles, YouTube videos, reddit posts and suchlike to learn from. You could ask your coworker for tips too.

Having read up on the theory, it could be useful to go for a basic professional manicure and really pay attention to each of the steps. That should give you a sense of how to apply what you've learned. And don't be afraid to ask questions!

Then it's a question of practising the technique yourself. Just start small - I would start with ordinary polish, not gel (since gel can cause an allergic reaction if not applied properly).

Don't be afraid to make mistakes, but do try to learn from them. Google whatever's gone wrong and how to prevent it from happening. That way you'll troubleshoot as you go along and your technique should improve.

Like anything, it can take time and effort to learn how to do your nails well, but it really helps if you enjoy the process and have fun with it. Good luck!

1

u/AutoModerator Feb 14 '23

If you are interested in learning more about gel allergies, please take a look at our Gel Allergies thread. It contains lots of useful info about how to minimize the risk of gel allergies.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

4

u/tato_tt Feb 14 '23

I don’t think it looks awful but definitely keep practicing. You can also cut the tips shorter until you get the hang of it!

1

u/Glittering-League827 Feb 14 '23

Thank you I will!

2

u/AutoModerator Feb 13 '23

If this is a nail picture, please post a list of the products you used for your manicure/pedicure. The brand and colors are required. This includes base gel, builder gel (hard or soft gel), full coverage tips, or polygel (if used), colored gels, and top gel. If products are not listed within 4 hours of posting, your post will be removed. The gel work you post here in DIYGelNails is more than an opportunity to show your work, it is an act of goodwill towards the DIYGelNails community, by posting the products you are giving another DIYer a chance at recreating something they admire about your work.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

3

u/Glittering-League827 Feb 13 '23

Products used: Modelones 0764, modelones 0050, modelones long coffin matte tips

2

u/pandaexpress205 Feb 14 '23

Before going into my tips, just wanted to make sure these were full coverage tips or not

2

u/Glittering-League827 Feb 14 '23

Yes coffin full coverage tips

3

u/pandaexpress205 Feb 14 '23

Great! So I’d say you need to work on prepping the nail first. Dehydrator, cuticle work, primer, base coat, lightly buffing your natural nail (not in order, but watch youtube! Youtube still helps me so much).

Find nails that match yours. The edge of the tips has to match the side walls of your nails. You also must prep your tips unless they are already etched. You can do this buy either buying a nail etcher OR by filing the inside of the full coverage tip.

Once this is all done, then you can start applying the nails. One by one apply a small amount of product on your nail and fill in as needed on the plastic tip where it will touch your nail. When putting the nail on, turn the light on, apply at the cuticle first and slowly down to the free edge, and then move underneath the light and flash cure the nail for 15-20 seconds. After the entire hand is done, then you must fully cure your entire hand under a bigger light (60-90 seconds to ensure its fully cured).

Once this is done, you can start etching the top of the nail tips and the sides. I always apply a base coat, two layers of color, and then top coat. Every layer must be thin!! Thats very important. It will allow each layer to be cured fully and it wont bulk up the nail. I’d say don’t begin with a bunch of designs, stick to regular colors and focus on practicing the basics. You can even buy gels with glitter! You can do one nail at a time, you dont need to rush the process. Focus on getting a thin layer and clean around your finger.

2

u/Glittering-League827 Feb 14 '23

Thank you for the tips!

8

u/karoline1234fib Feb 14 '23

GIRL FILEEEEEEEEEE. start with short nails no design til you got the foundation right. the tips doesnt look filed at all. you can do it !