alinailsxo-blog

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My personal recommendation for girls and women of all ages who suffer with brittle nails, is to avoid gel polish (shellac) at all costs. I say this because the gel polish comes in direct contact with the natural nail, and therefore must be removed with every appointment to ensure a clean surface to reapply. To do this, acetone must be used, which while safe on healthy nails, can strip the nail of oils and therefore dry out brittle nails even more.

Therefore i recommend an acrylic overlay. Acrylic can be applied directly to the natural nail, without having to be removed until it is grown out. This can be topped with gel polish of your choice. Thus, when removing the gel polish for a refill/change of colour, acetone is not used. Instead, the color is filed from the nail, without the file ever making contact to the natural nail, due to the overlay.

The overlay acts as a seal to keep all layers of keratin in the nail together, and keep in all the natural oils. It also protects the nail from handwashing, and cleaning agents which ultimately dry out the nail.

For more information, don’t hesitate to contact me on my instagram @Ali_Nailsxo

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WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF NAIL OVERLAYS?

Overlays will provide an extra layer of protection that may make the nails less prone to breakages and splits. Overlays are particularly good for either individuals who have trouble growing out their natural nails, or for nail biters who have short and brittle nails as a result of their habit.

I personally do a full manicure, apply acrylic and then apply gel polish (shellac) on top.

Overlays are the easiest to upkeep as there are NO chips, unlike gel polish (shellac). Overlays last longer as they have the same growth as acrylic.

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• AT HOME SHELLAC REMOVAL • My tips and tricks for an easy removal with the least amount of damage to the natural nail.

Products that I use : - 100% acetone (not nail varnish remover!) • terrisales - 100/180 buffer • hairspray ireland - 100/180 Nail file • pennyes - Wooden cuticle sticks - Cotten pads - Tinfoil - Cuticle oil

Step 1 : Remove surface shine from shellac using the 100/180 grit nail file. File in one direction, ensuring that you are getting a good amount of top coat off- but not overfiling and reaching the natural nail. Repeat steps on all the nails.

Step 2 : Cut out 10 strips of tinfoil and cut 5 Cotten pads in half. Saturate the Cotten pads and place onto Nail. Quickly rap this Cotten pad tightly against the Nail by folding the tinfoil around the Nail.

Step 3 : Allow to soak! The longer the better. Turn on a 40 minute Netflix show and sit back and relax.

Step 4 : Remove tinfoil ONE BY ONE. Do not remove all at the same time as the gel polish will harden again. While all 9 fingers are still wrapped, grab a wooden cuticle stick and slowly push any left over gel off the nail. This should come off easy. Any residue on the Nail- move on. We can come back to that later.

Step 5 : Remove any gel polish residue off of the nails with the 180 buffer. Your nails should now be free of gel polish.

Step 6 : push back cuticles and trim. Using a 100 grit file, slowly shape the natural nail.

Step 7: apply cuticle oil and continue to do so over the next couple of days. nails will fully be recovered in a few days time.

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MMA Acrylic (Methyl methacrylate monomer) is often used as a substitute in cheap discount nail salons. It is commonly used in dental practices, contact lenses and even used to cement bones in your body. However, it should never be used to build an artificial nail.

MMA nail products do not adhere well to the nail plate, so nail technicians must shred the surface of the nail plate with an abrasive, coarse grit file, causing thinning and weakening in order to ensure the enhancements adhere to the nail plate. Traditional products are designed to adhere to the natural nail plate without the need to over file the nail plate

. • MMA creates the hardest and most rigid nail enhancements. So, they are very difficult to break. If jammed or caught, the overly filed and thinned natural nail plate is much more likely to break than the MMA enhancement. This can lead to serious nail damage and possible subsequent bacterial infection.

• MMA enhancements are extremely difficult to remove, because of the filing techniques used to make them adhere and because they don’t easily dissolve in product removers. Therefore, MMA enhancements are usually pried from the nail plate, creating still more damage to the overly thinned nail plate.

Professional nail techs use another form of monomer called EMA, which is safe to use and has no damage to the natural nail when applied and removed correctly.

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY NAIL TECH IS USING MMA?

|| MMA has an unusually strong or strange odor which doesn’t smell like other acrylic liquids. Odor is present during application and when filing cured product (for fill-ins or repairs).

|| Enhancements which are extremely hard and very difficult to file even with coarse abrasives.

|| Enhancements that will not soak off in solvents designed to remove acrylics.

|| Cloudy or milky color when cured.

|| Low price of fills and full sets (MMA cost 1/3 of EMA)

|| Dust or ventilation masks used (many technicians use dust masks today who do not use MMA)

|| Unlabeled containers - technician will not show or tell the client what brand of product is being used.

(Information Sourced from multiple websites and from a qualified nail tech.)

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What length should I consider when getting acrylics?

🌸 What condition are my natural nails in?

Acrylic nails are an extension of the Nail plate, which sits on top of the natural nail. Like a see-saw, the length of acrylic needs a stable foundation to be able to withstand your day to day activities. The ideal Nail plate for a long acrylic is an unbitten, strong nail (pictured above.) The acrylic can adhere better to a strong nail as a strong Nail does not soak up oils like a weak nail, therefore does not lift as easy. A bitten, weak nail will have an unstable foundation, making it much more likely for a Nail to snap/lift off.

🌸 Your lifestyle.

If you are a sports player, gym-goer, office worker, college student or use your hands very regularly (to type, to lift weights, to play sports etc.) then long nails may not be for you! You may become irritated by them, or they may just get in the way! Short nails may be a better suited option, as nails do get longer the longer you have them on! The acrylic will grow with your natural nail.

However if you feel like you still want to get long nails but may find it difficult in your day to day activities, choosing the right shape is a must. I would personally avoid square, as they are bulky and bigger and may get in the way. A classic point, almond or oval may be a better option as the top of your nail is tapered, making it easier to type, do your hair, and write!

🌸 Your designs/personal aesthetic.

Long nails leave more room for designs! Swarvoskis, gucci snakes, flowers and more need some room on the Nail to avoid it looking like one big blob. I recommend longer nails for clients who love bling and extra ness.

Avoid long nails if you’re going for a more natural look- stick to short squares, ovals and coffins.

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Get the exact shape you want from your nail tech!

🌸Perfect square with no soft edges. Sure, with a square shape you *do* run the risk of your hands looking stubby, but it’s great for those with short nails who aren’t into a round shape.

🌸This shape is just like the square, but the edges are a lot softer. It’s a good compromise between square and oval, and it’s easy to maintain on shorter nails.

🌸 I recommend round nails for clients who tend to think of think of their fingers as short or chubby. Round and almond shapes elongate and makes hands look more slender.

🌸With almond, the nail is slender on the sides and wide on the base, coming to a peak—reminiscent of an actual almond.

🌸Oval is very similar to the shape of the almond, but the tip is soft and much more blunt.

🌸Coffin shape is similar to stiletto, but with a squared off tip (that makes it look like a coffin, or in a slightly less macabre description—a ballerina slipper).

🌸A big misconception is that almond is stiletto, but the stiletto shape has a much more drastic point. The stiletto is not possible on natural nails because they don’t have enough strength to hold the shape, meaning that the nail might very well break off in a couple of hours. If you want this look, opt for nail enhancements.

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please do not remove shellac by yourself!

🌸 shellac does not ruin your nails when applied and removed correctly, using acetone and the correct files! 🌸 professional files will not leave your nails like this, as there are different grits that are super soft against the natural nail, only removing the artificial product and leaving the natural nail untouched. 🌸 how do I begin to fix these nails and nurse them back to their health? remove all shellac and acrylic overlay residue. reapply acrylic overlay and shellac. leave the nails to grow out the acrylic and shellac overlay (with an appointment every 2-3 weeks) to protect the natural nail. 🌸 remember to use your cuticle oil! cuticle pens are all sold out atm but will hopefully have them back in stock soon! (€3)

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for those wondering about refills and why I don’t do them

🌸acrylic nails lift, it may not be seen until the gel polish is removed but it can lift after 3-4 weeks. lifting allows water, dirt and all sorts of bacteria to slip between the acrylic and your natural nail, allowing a perfect place for bacteria to grow. putting new acrylic over old acrylic traps that bacteria into the nail and may cause infections or may lift altogether after a week, which is in my opinion, a waste of money.

🌸 length and shape of a refill depends on what state the acrylic is in (length and shape) and minimizes choice of what you can get.

🌸 for the sake of €5, keep your nail healthy and allow the acrylics to either come off naturally, or book in to soak the acrylic off of your nails.

🌸 the nails above lasted 3 weeks.

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What are glitter overlays?

A glitter overlay (encapsulated) is placing clear acrylic over glitter to ensure a smooth surface when applying a top coat. It also ensures no chipping of glitter! 💞

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FAQ about acrylic nails that are long, and full of glitz.

How much are these nails? The ones above cost roughly €35-€40 but could go up to €45 depending on the amount of diamonds used and time spent on them.

How long do they take to do? Each diamond is individually placed, therefore taking around 5-8 extra minutes per full nail of glitz. Expect to be sitting in the chair for a lot longer!

What diamonds do you use? I use a mixture of swarvoski crystals, and larger stones to create a balance and structure in the nail.

How do you stick them on? My secret is using builder gel to “set” the stones in place. That way the stones “sit into” the nail, and become part of the structure, therefore not sitting on top, but rather in the nail. Nail glue is very rarely used, unless the stones are too small to gel in place.

How long do they last? Any type of acrylic nails should last 2-4 weeks depending on the amount of growth and how long the nails are. The diamonds should not move, however these nails are fragile, and you should always be weary that they are artificial- and are made to break under pressure, so your real nail bed is not damaged. Expect a shorter life span for nails of this length and with the weight of swarvoski, however opt for a shorter length for a longer life span.

Make sure to always let me know before before hand if you want to get a set of nails like these so I can allow for time! ❤️