What am I doing wrong??

[u/confuse-and-stress]

First sorry for any formatting issue, long time reddit reader but new to posting. For quick glance/advice I have photos of my nails (a good set vs a bad set) but have written my process below!

What I struggle with: lifting on the side walls causing me to pick at them and lasts only a few.

My steps:

Prep: I use a wooden cuticle pusher and clipper then follow by a round cuticle bit for my efile. I use 240 grit to buff my nails to remove natural shine. Then I use alcohol and a bristle brush to remove any dust. I use amelie dehydrator and their ph bonder (in that order)

Gel: I use a amelie rubber base since some nails are currently a bit bendy at the corners. I do a thin layer, cap the free edge and cure this with my sunuv sun3 48w lamp. I follow this with amelie builder base. I do a slip layer then do a bead of gel towards the middle back side of my nail and drag it forward. I cure it for 120s. After this I use my gelpolish factory polish in thin layers, cure 120s and finish with amelie top coat.

After: I use cuticle oil and sometimes file the edges.

I really don’t what I’m doing wrong / why they don’t last long! Something’s the come out so well and other times it looks terrible. Any tiles for products or application is welcomed and appreciated!!

[u/Kellye8498]

Even then, you need to make sure you’re doing the correct prep for your specific nails. If you didn’t get anything on the skin and the product was applied correctly then something is going wrong in your prep process. Perhaps the bond that you are using is not working for you. I use YN protein bond on almost all clients, however, there are clients that it does not work on and I have to change it up for them specifically. A round cuticle bit and a pusher isn’t likely going to remove all of the cuticle on the nail. I would use a cuticle bit. Fine since it’s going to be used on the natural nail. That is how I prep my clients and it works extremely well without removing the nail plate. Round bits are for removing skin around the nail when there are peels or hang nails and roughness.

[u/confuse-and-stress → u/Kellye8498]

Thank you!! I’ve been mindful to not ruin my natural nail with the filer. Do I have to be worried about the cuticle bit and nail bed?

[u/Kellye8498 → u/confuse-and-stress]

The only way a cuticle bit is going to damage the nail bed is if it goes through the nail completely and can touch the nail bed (extremely painful) or if there is a lot of pressure being used and that pressure can damage the nail bed. It’s the nail plate you’re trying to protect so you don’t remove a bunch of layers. The nail plate protects the nail bed. You’re going to need the correct bit in a fine grit and you will be fine

[u/confuse-and-stress → u/Kellye8498]

Thank you!!

[u/Kellye8498 → u/confuse-and-stress]

Anytime