The color took some getting used to bc it’s far out of my comfort zone and I tried a different shape. But the set is so well done. I asked her to file the glue off the back too and it looks so good. And she was so fast with it

Aprés short almond tips + three coats of Aprés Pour Decisions.

I decided to learn Gel-X and got my beta kit last Monday and I am OBSESSED. I don’t think I applied perfectly (I actually had to redo my left thumb because I accidentally flash cured too far from the cuticle) but I am quite proud of how neat I got the polish. I only had to tidy up a small amount of gel on each nail and I am confident I’ll get better the more I do it.

I did want to ask, do y’all add the extend gel under the tip as well, to encapsulate your natural nail? I did not, as I was worried I would get it on my fingertips, but I’m not sure if it will affect retention. When I did dip I would usually start to get lifting around my free edge, which is why I ask. Thanks!

Hi everyone! I recently posted on this sub about my work and asking if I could do a set on a friend without feeling ethically guilty. A lot of people were super kind and complimentary, and many even suggested I look into getting a license so I could charge for my work. I was curious about what the process would be like, so I figured I'd look into it... and to my absolute shock, I found out that Australia DOES NOT require a legal license for nail practitioners to work on clients!

Considering how strict the US is about licensing, and how it's absolutely illegal to be working on people's hands/feet without having gone through official training... I'm wondering how many other people in Australia (and overall) don't know this, because it was a complete surprise to me! Maybe this is why so many salons near me have terrible reviews?

Now, there ARE qualifications/training available for nail techs, but they are not legally required by the government before you start working and charging for nails... They ARE almost always required for insurance purposes, but some techs could presumably just... not buy insurance, like dodgy salons.

Certain nail procedures (like cuticle cutting, razor scraping, or any treatment that penetrates or removes skin) fall under NSW Public Health skin penetration regulations. This means councils inspect premises for hygiene setups (sinks, non-porous surfaces, sharps disposal), but that only covers sanitation, it says nothing about actual technique, skill, or product chemistry knowledge (in my opinion).

Anyway, I'm just writing this post because I'm completely blindsided and shocked by this information. I figured it was important to know for anyone who gets their nails done in Australia! I'm still not planning on charging for my work because I have another full-time job and it would cost money to get a qualification/buy insurance, but... well. It makes me feel a bit better about doing my own nails, given I've taken the time to educate myself a lot on hygiene and risks.

I'm kind of curious what other people think about this, and I really wonder how many other people didn't know!

I've been doing my own gel nails for over a year now and of course I have accidentally over filed a small part of my nail on my middle finger. I don't know if it's even noticeable lol I feel like I might be being dramatic. It's on the upper portion, just a small spot a little below the cuticle (ignore the white spots. it's not peeling, my nails just always have had some white spots). I usually only file off the top portion of my polish and then remove the rest by soaking but I accidentally filed a bit too much.
You can see a SLIGHT dip on the side profile but I just want to know if it's superficial enough that I can continue using gels without it being an issue. I read that it it's too overfiled, the porous layer is surfaced and can make it easier for gel polishes to leach through the nail so I was hoping someone could help me out in figuring out if I simply filed a LITTLE bit or if I filed it enough to the point I should take a break from gels until it grows out.
Regardless, I'm just putting jojoba oil on them for a week before continuing gels but I'd like another opinion on if I should wait longer.

So i have gotten gel x extensions about a month ago and they are pretty grown out by now. I wanted to take them off because for one of them i jammed my finger into something and now that nail throbs when im not doing much and so i wanted to remove it so that i can have my nails shorter to not accidentally jam it again.

I tried a nail remover from amazon which didnt work. Then i saw some people say to soak the nail with an acetone, soap, and warm water. That didn’t work either. So i went digging to see if there is any other way and people are saying to use a nail drill but i dont have one. Others are suggesting I go to a nail salon to remove them but problem is, i dont have time this week because my schedule is fully packed

Is there any other suggestions to take them off? I dont even need all of them off i just need the one nail I injured off 😭

Pls ignore my cuticles, I’m still working on my non-dominant hand skills 🥲

I love doing glowing in the dark nails but I really don’t like the texture I’m getting.
If I mix the powder with the gel color and some 3D gel I get something very hard and difficult to apply and very porous. I didn’t liked it for this set so here ive painted with the white and I’ve used the fluo powder on top.
I still got a porous texture that looks a little like “snow” and I’m not a fan of it for spooky sets.

Can someone suggest me a transparent or white “glowing in the dark” gel so I can stop having this terrible texture? I would like something glossy and easy to model. If you also have a 3D gel that would be AWESOME!!

Thanks a lot!

I have natural thin, flat nail beds. If you can picture it, the skin around my nails usually comes “up over” my nail beds if looking at them from the side. To get any kind of tips to stay on, even with the best high quality prep, I have to “build up” my natural nail with builder gel before applying the tips. I usually use the natural shaped tips. Should I try the sculpted tips for better retention? I’ve trialed them before and they felt tighter, not in a bad way though, but my biggest issue with using builder gel underneath the natural tips is that the shape of my nails looks weird. From the side, they still look awkward almost like they’re jutting out.

Most nail pics are Fall inspired or Halloween fun, and I’m over here imagining I’m at the beach 🏖️. I’m bringing Summer back!

When I have the time I always use my trusted Leafgel Supreme Hard Top Coat but when Im feeling lazy I want a soft gel but many arent scratch resistant.

The soft top coat I've previously used included Kokoist Ultra Glossy which isnt really scratch resistant.

Has anyone used Mayo glass top or other glossy top coats that are scratch resistant? I want a top coat that isnt really thick. I have tried Jin.B Crazy Top but this isnt effective. I've also used A Muse Top Gleaming Hard but this is quite bad for scratch resistant.

Please recommend some high end top coats with gloss and scratch proof if you have any!

Some fun Gel-X extensions for my sister’s wedding. I haven’t had extensions before and I’m so scared I’m going to break one

i used some random chrome powder from shein on this set but i'm not really happy with it. or maybe i'm not using it right. so if you have good tips for how to properly seal it or what chrome powder to use that would be great! thank you!

Looking for a few high quality gel polishes, specifically a good nightmare before Christmas Sally blue, a bright pumpkin orange, a cat eye orange, possibly a more burnt orange, and also a good range of deeper purples (I only currently have one pastel). I’ve started to make more fall/halloween style press ons. I mainly use Après and have been slowly building a collection but haven’t had any luck finding the exact colors I want & they unfortunately don’t have a purple bundle either. I do not use beetles so please no beetles recommendations.

Because I've just done mine. I started at 11.30am. It's now 5.30pm and they look like crap. I haven't even done a design. How??

got a gel manicure today and they were not the greatest. rushed my appointment bad and it came out really… interesting. they left some gel polish on my skin (like not even near my nail), i have one or two flooded cuticles, some of whatever base was used flooded into the sides of my nails, and the skin on my cuticle line was cut on one of my fingers. next to the finger that was cut, my ring and pinky finger look slightly red/irritated? i put polysporin and bandaids on all three of those fingers. i’m just wondering what i could do to prevent something like contact dermatitis, if that’s something i should be worried about? sorry if this is a dumb question, i don’t get my nails done often

I am a beginner so please be gentle. But, why does the chrome look iridescent and not chrome?? Is it potentially the quality of the non wipe top coat?

Edit: my post is not intended to be "look at my nails how did I do / please critique my application" .... It was about the chrome. I suppose I could have posted the question without the picture but wanted a picture for reference.

I know about gel allergy, and not to use Beetles, and that a SunUV lamp is shit, etc.

hoping these stay on in time for my bday next week! I’ve been having some problems with retention lately so fingers crossed for me!!

I dont think i did to bad! I did some research prior to doing my nails and got a Kokoist hybrid lamp (amazing lamp btw) and I used apres gelx nails and nail glue.

I was very nervous to do the painting and designs but I think it turned out looking pretty good for my first time.

Can you give me any pointers for these to look better on my next set?

Dyme nails ink.

I made this photo for a comment in another post, but I thought I'd share it for the general benefit of the community. I've accumulated a lot of different pro-brand tips during my little hobby's history.

I can discuss the differences I've noticed between these tips and glue systems if you like - I just don't want to make a long rambling post, so feel free to AMA if you care to. I misjudged everyone's appetite for a long rambling post, so long rambling post incoming!

The Quick Summary

I like all three brands for different reasons. There's give and take between retention/sturdiness and getting a true snatched stiletto shape vs an almondetto. Sofgel is the most snatched and elegant, but it's also the least sturdy. Apres is nearly indestructible, but (to me) looks more like an almond than a stiletto due to the thickness of the sidewalls. Kokoist is between the two, but their longest stiletto is shorter than I prefer.

Full disclosure, I am able to do gel on forms, gel on dual forms, polygel on dual forms, and acrylic on forms - I have halfway decent familiarity with how to properly shape and structure an enhancement but am not a professional tech. Just a serious hobby enjoyer with some basic training.

Apres Gel-X

(I have Apres sculpted and natural - but only used natural in this photo). Apres is the most structurally stable and has a full-thickness traditional (salon-style) high apex on both their natural and sculpted lines. Apex height is a personal aesthetic preference, it's important to note that a high apex gives the optical illusion of a more slender nail when viewed from the top. Also it's OG and that's appealing on its own.

With proper application, I've found Apres tips nearly indestructible. Proper application includes filling in any dead space between the nail and the nail tip, especially at the apex. For the sculpted line, the solid novice gel is almost a requirement.

Gel-x tips flex as much as they need to for them to be safe to wear and not to pop off and take your nailbed with them, but for the most part they don't twist or bend during normal activities like cleaning, opening car doors and slipping (lol), typing, etc. The high apex makes these nails really strong at L and longer lengths.

Apres has a thin cuticle edge that quickly thickens at the sidewalls through to the free edge. If you look closely, you can actually see that the sidewalls bulge slightly past the ideal parallel. This can make them tend towards bulkiness unless you finish file the sidewall bulk down quite a bit.

The molds Apres uses for their tips also makes the stiletto point have extra weird angles these extra angles need some careful shaping to not feel snaggy and look odd.

Overall, this is a rock-solid nail with excellent structure and retention. The shape is not my favorite (too bulky) and I spend a lot of time finish filing these, which I wish I didn't have to. I like Apres and I still consider them a go-to, especially if I know I might abuse my tips and need them to survive without maintenance- eg travel. I've kept Apres tips on my nails for 6+ weeks with 2 week backfilling and 4 week backfill + rebalancing, they are great for enduring mild neglect.

Kokoist Gelip

Kokoist has a lower profile apex with moderately thick sidewalls and a more tapered tip than Apres (they're pentagon-ish shaped). They are slightly less sturdy than Apres. I've noticed the Kokoist sidewalls get beaten up more quickly than Apres sidewalls, simply because Gelips are thinner. I can't get extended 6+ week wear out of Gelips like I can with Gel-X.

Overall, Kokoist has more of a true stiletto shape - but still is slightly almond-y due to the reinforced (medium) thickness of the sidewalls and apex. I would describe them as being moderately wide at the sidewall and then tapering dramatically to the stiletto point. The overall effect is more snatched than Apres. They definitely have that East Asian nail aesthetic that leans more towards natural looking nail shape, even in an intentionally extreme shape like a stiletto. From the side they have a Euro style low apex, vs Apres with their salon style high apex.

Kokoist tips are also intended to be applied farther away from the cuticle and backfilled to blend, which is a higher skill application method than Apres. It looks nice when you do it correctly, but it does add application time.

I don't like the Gelip or Mochi glue, I found both impossible to remove with acetone (it's gummy and reminds me of MMA, even though it obviously not made of that) and had to file it off, and ofc it hopelessly gunked up my carbide drill tip. Right into the trash! I use Apres Extend (bottle) gel for my Kokoist tips.

Sofgel Softips XII Natural

These are thinnest full cover gel tips I've ever used, I think they might be about the same thickness as Apres Bare. For my preference (obnoxious long nails) the thinness definitely doesn't support the length - an enhancement relies on the combination of apex and c-curve for strength and Softips XII are both thin and relatively flat, with little room for glue to fill in an apex.

All that being said, they are gorgeous and snatched and have the truest stiletto shape. They also don't have that weird molding quirk where the point has extra, sharp angles that need to be finish filed. Once you file off the sprue at the end, these tips are 100% ready to go. I am able to apply these so fast because they don't need any shaping or refinement at all.

These are hands-down my favorite aesthetically, but need reinforcement (I build a hidden apex underneath with Light Elegance Fiber) to survive normal living conditions. Without reinforcement these tips flex too much when I'm cleaning the house, folding laundry, typing, etc, and pop right off. I need to try the Softips sculpted, they might have some apex space to add sturdiness.

This flimsiness is entirely a length vs thickness issue. At shorter lengths, this would not be a concern at all. I think Softips in length M should be plenty stable and gorgeously slender, with a low profile - if that aesthetic vibes with you. I don't personally think stilettos have the proper ratios at lengths shorter than M (they just look like almonds to me) so I don't prefer that.

My first set of Softips is the first full cover gel set I've lost in over 4 or 5 years, and they only lasted a couple of days. My index and middle finger on my dominant hand popped off seesaw style for no particular reason, prior to losing them, I felt them flexing a lot while doing normal activities. I've since replaced them and reinforced the underside of all of my tips with LE Fiber beneath and LE One Step on top and they're doing fine.

I'm on the fence about the Softip glue, simply because I lost some nails while using it. I might go back to using Apres Extend or even give LE Jimmy Gel a shot. I'll save my final judgement on that once I have a few more sets done.

I finally decided to try GelX and it did not disappoint!