Gel Nail
STEP BY STEP GEL NAIL FULLSET OVER TIPS.... (Tips and Overlay)
1) Prep nails usine a 280 grit file or higer, no course files are necessary. APPLY TIPS: remove shine, dust, oils, etc from nail plate. Apply tips being sure to fit well from side wall to side wall and blend well. Then remove dust again, apply dehydrator and/or sanitizer and/or pH balancer as needed.
2) Use very thin coat of gel to prime the nails and cure for twice as long as recommeded or use a primer prior to the application of gel. Let primer dry, when using a separate primer and not gel as a primer, then only put primer on natural nail, not on the tip.
3) Apply first coat of gel thinly over natural nail and entire tip being sure to get all the edges without touching the cuticles or skiin. Cure for three minutes for this first coat of gel.
4) Apply second coat a little thicker than ffirst. Pick up bead of gel on one side of flat synthetic brush and hold brush parallel to nail HORIZONTAL and Not Vertical, Not up and down, NOT like a pencil, hold it flat over the nail. Put brush with gel down shy of the cuticle area, and then PUSH gel toward cuticle slightly as this will prevent a big cuticle ridge from forming. Now pull brush still flat and parallel to nail towards you. (from cuticle to free edge.) Do not let brush actually touch the nail, it FLOATS on the nail on the cushion of gel! Pull out and over the free edge. Now go back with flat brush to right side and pull gel around in a horse shoe motion down the right side, being sure to get gel as close as possible to side wall without touching sidewalls. (Gel will lift if it touches the skin, no if and's or but's it will lift) it also shrinks as it cures sometime up to 20% so how to get it close enough to give strength to the sidewalls, BUT prevent it from running into the sidewalls and lifting can be a changellege. Now finish up on the left side as you did the right. Cure for 1.5 - 2 minutes.
5) Apply third coat same as second do the fingers first and then thumbs. Apply gel to four fingers again as in step 2, now pick up a bead of gel and lay it down the center of the nail, starting about 1/5 up from cuticle to 1/5 short of end of nail. The slower you lay down your bead, the more gel you leave behind building the stress area...the gel will continue moving after you lay it down, so for biginner I suggest one finger at a time. You may want to set up each finger for approx 15 to 20 seconds between gel applications which is long enough to harden the gel so it won't move on you any more, and cure it later. So you now have gel on all 4 fingers, and finally the thumb as well, now cure.
6) Inspect all nails, check for thin spots, etc, that may need more gel, we want them thin at the free edge and cuticle and reinforced properly at the stress area. If you have added more gel then cure as needed.
7) Wipe tacky/sticky (dispersion) layer off nails with gel cleanser being sure NOT to re-wipe the sticky stuff onto the skin of the next nail, use separate section of your wipe for each nail. If too much tacky stuff is coming off then the gel did not cure.
8) Now the final finish, contrary to popular belief GEL NAILS can and in most cases SHOULD be finished and not just left as so! They are completely non-porous. Bevel the cuticle area and sidewalls, check the curves across the top of the nail and file accordingly as needed. Ask client to wash hands and then you are ready to polish as usual, or apply only topcoat for a natural look, or apply a super thin coat of gel, cure, wipe and leave permanently glossy.
Look after your brush it is precious, clean after use. Don't leave brushes and gel products in or around light sources.