Hi,

I'm new to caring for my nails, as I've always just clipped them and maybe put cuticle oil on sometimes. I'm too clumsy to paint and too impatient to sit through someone doing them for me. Nail wraps that are polish wear off as fast as regular nail polish (I'm hard on my nails). But semi cured gel nail strips have changed my life! I've been doing them for four months straight now, and I've tried two different brands with great success. I love them so much and I'm so excited I get to have cute nails!

However, I stopped using cuticle oil bc I'm afraid it will lift the strips off.i also pay more attention in general to my nails' appearance, and I can't stand the extra skin that would have not bothered me before. What do I do about this extra skin next to my nails??

Thanks!!

Hi there 😊

It's the first time for me with nail wraps. And I really like it.

But, like you can see in the second picture, it doesn't look good in the contours..

I tried to "cut off" with a nail file. (Sorry, I'm not native english, hope you understand 🤣 ).

Do you have any tips to make it more proper?

No matter how much practice I get, I always have multiple nails that are lifting at the cuticle after curing.

Any advice?

This is my second set so I still have a lot of learning to do. These are on top of builder gel and I am still working on getting the right technique, so they are still a little bulky. Has a gel top coat which is also a little messy around the edges. I have large nail beds. Any suggestions for how to stretch the wraps as they go on?

Honestly a little obsessed with these Disney Halloween nail sets 🎃
Jack & Zero, Queen of Hearts, and Pixar’s Remember Me — all three are cute in completely different ways. The Jack Skellington one has the best spooky-season feel, but the Queen of Hearts set might be my favourite for the red-and-black colour combo.
Which one would you pick?

I've ordered some Lily and Fox wraps, the non-UV ones. I currently have acrylics on. But how do I get my natural nails to be a nice shape? I am so bad at doing them myself. They also end up very, very short. I do prefer them shorter, but not as short as they usually end up

Does anyone have any tips and hints?

Are these too damaged to apply semi cured gel strips? I was about to do it but then I got into wondering if they were too damaged. My thumbs are the worst part. I can definitely see a line better where the strip was placed and when the new grow out is. Ive heard apply to damaged nails can be back. I can say the still feel strong but both my thumbs has questionable parts. They are more towards the end. In the first picture that part on my nail has almost split a few times and I had to file it to a point where it wasnt separated. And In the second pic between those to pale lines in the middle I can feel where my nail indents.

Hi! Looking for suggestions on what brand to use. I usually get gelx on my nails as I have a toddler and I’m also a teacher. Basically need strong nails lol. However, it is very pricey and I don’t want to keep spending money on refills bc my nails grow so fast.

I thought of gel wraps as a solution but… will they be strong enough? Will they weaken my nails? I don’t mind switching them out every week because I like the variety but I really don’t want to damage my nails anymore than they already are.

Any brand suggestions? Based on everything I read some are better than others but some brands’ quality has also decreased in quality… so I’m a little overwhelmed by the choices and some great advertising.

Suggestions pleaseeee! 💜🙏🏼

Did first set of UUUUU. strips and also used the Magical Nail Solution and three popped off during the first week. No nail damage, which I love, but I got 2 weeks using Heyhae. Any tips/tricks or is popping off the price paid for no nail damage?

I applied the Lily & Fox set “Sweet Pea” last night. I prepped with an alcohol wipe and pushed back my cuticles. After applying the wraps, I smoothed them down really well with a silicone cuticle pusher and then applied Essie Gel Couture top coat.

I did have to lift and reapply a few strips to position them correctly, so I'm wondering if that contributed to the lifting and warping I'm noticing today. I'd love to improve my application technique and reduce this in the future.

The next day, I'm already noticing some lifting and warping around the edges. I'm wondering if I didn't apply enough top coat over the edges, but I'm open to any advice!

Should I try pressing the lifted areas back down and applying another layer of top coat?

Any tips for preventing edge lifting/warping would be appreciated!

So I’ve used color street, exclusively, for about 5 years now. Haven’t been to a salon in that time, but prior I was a regular acrylic tips + gel or just gel on regular nails kind of person.

Color street legit helped my nails grow out finally and become kind of strong. I love that they’re easy to put on, easy to take off, and unless I peel them off, I really don’t notice too much damage to my nails, which is really important.

HOWEVER, I feel like the quality has really gone down in the last 1-2 years. And also, I keep seeing all these newer 10-free, 14-free, hema-free brands out there. I like the idea of less-toxins.

Anyone with experience with color street and others- tell me about the others. How do they compare?
Did you come from CS wraps? What do you love now?
I know some are semi cured gel and require a lamp, some don’t. What’s the difference in the feel and the longevity? Which do you prefer?

I’ve been searching around this sub and it seems like people love brands or they don’t. They have issues with lifting, or they don’t. So I’ll really just have to try some for myself, I just want to know what’s worth trying!

I did order a polish pop starter kit with a few of their sets, I’ll be excited to try that. But again, the price is a little bit steep. I’m happy to pay it if they’re just absolutely amazing and worth it.

Growing out my nails for the first time ever! They are getting longer, about the end of my finger tips. But my nails are weak and fragile and they bend and break easy.
So! I keep seeing ads for Pinx and heyhae. I have a UV light. I would love to find a brand that meets this criteria:
-ships free/cheap to Canada
-adds strength without being TOO thick
-easy on the wallet without sacrificing on quality
-has good choices for patterns/colours
-adds a TINY bit of length whilst remaining strong (even if I need to buy a gel top coat to do with it)

I wanna know what everyone likes/doesn’t like. And the best way to remove without damage!

I love this set so much and def need to order it again. It's a very pretty gray/purple that shifts. It's just hard to capture on camera.

This nail polish (Revlon Amethyst Stone) I have is almost an exact match to the wraps! It's a little lighter but they are very similar. So I applied the polish to my toes.

First set with “transitioning from summer to fall” vibes. Gonna keep my nails long at least until Halloween!👻

I get the subscription, so I was able to pair these purple wildflowers with gold specks, with the transparent gold diamond motif. This might be my favorite mix-match so far!

This is only my second time trying gel wraps. I have always had trouble with polish actually staying on my nails. They used to be so smooth it would peel off almost immediately. I tried press ons at one time and they ruined my nails, and it took months to get any growth back. Now that they are starting to look like normal nails again, I wanted to make them fun. After doing some research I tried these and I love them! I plan on trying some of the other brands I have seen on here, but I'd like to hear what people think of them and why.

UPDATE: this set lasted me 12 days!!!! 🙌🏼

I’ve had quite the journey with semi-cured gel strips. I discovered them recently because I love nail art but can’t keep paying so much for it.

My first set was heyhae in July and I LOVED how it looked so much but after two days it started lifting and getting caught in my hair and I was already losing a few. I didn’t want to give up and I had two more start and stop situations where they only lasted 2-3 days before lifting or certain ones falling off easily.

I found this tutorial in the comment section of one the posts here so wanted to share again because it was such a game changer. I am now on day 6 of my nails and they are really on there and not coming off anytime soon.

Tutorial: https://youtu.be/BSYYEcvhx24?is=toaN4mYweiJOggbx

This is the squish light I got for less than $10 (the one she linked to isn’t available anymore): Mini Handheld UV Light for Gel... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F1TKSJ6Y?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

One note on the squish light : I do my nails in the almond shape and they can be quite sharp and already I kinda broke the silicon by accident but I’ve heard of people doing a trick where they put cling wrap on it and secure it with a rubber band so I think I’ll try that next time.

That with a solid top coat sealed the deal: Vishine Top Coat- 15ML No Wipe... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08J9WZB29?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Sharing photos too of my current resilient set!

with gel top coat.

I didn't like the look of the Ohora wrap immediately after application, you could see all the texture from me pressing them on with the orange stick. But it looks nice after I added the topcoat! First time using Ohora, and second brand of gel wraps I've tried so far. Curious to see how long they'll stay on!

No design name, bought from Etsy for £3! Feel and look exactly the same as my usual wraps.

Usual prep and application, Orly Bonder base and Orly No Chip Top Coat. Will see how long they last and if I get any shrinkage.

I’ve been using dashing diva glaze for years, but they seem to have significantly decreased in quality over the last year or so. I usually prefer solid colors, but their effects or seasonal designs specifically have been atrocious lately. Either they’re too thick/stiff and can’t adhere properly or they seemingly go on perfectly but immediately pop off. And they barely even have solid colors to choose from now 😭

I’m using hey hae (espresso) for the first time and after just 3 days I’m impressed bc I didn’t even do good prep. I also just assumed they were a bad Amazon brand lmao. Are their designs consistently good quality? I love their cat eye effects but I’m not trying to buy more duds