DIY Gel-Like Nails

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Way back when I did a DIY Gel Nails post, it is still one of the MOST viewed articles on Hairspray and Highheels. I get tagged on Instagram from people weekly who are trying and loving the technique, it’s been pinned over 100 thousand times. It’s one of my favorite ways to do my nails. It lasts forever and depending on the color of choice almost always passes the 7 day chip test. It’s amazing and I am obsessed. However, in the time since writing it I have come up with a major hack to the process that may make it easier for some of the folks who reached out because they were having issues with it lasting the full 7 days. I still stand by the original process BUT if you found that the color was not so much chipping as it was peeling, this update is for you.

The finishes manicure, on day six, without a chip in sight. So, how do we pull this off? The original tutorial uses Gelous as the base coat. But to combat peeling polish we’re going to go with this new hack as the base.

INSTRUCTIONS

Apply 1 THIN layer of OPI Natural Base Coat (I’ve tried a few bases, this one is the all-star) & let dry
Apply 1 coat of the nail polish of your choice, I went with this Sally Hansen Metallic & let dry
Apply 1 THIN coat of Gelous & let dry
Apply 1 coat of the nail polish of your choice & let dry
Apply 1 THIN coat of Seche Vite & let dry
Apply 1 THIN coat of Gelous & let dry

NOTES FOR DIY GEL NAILS

*When I say ‘let dry’, I let it set for about 45 seconds each time before moving on.

*Each coat should be a thin one

*You can use ANY nail polish, it DOES NOT need to a ‘Gel’ polish.

*For the top coat, I used Seche Vite but you can feel free to use whatever you have one hand; just be sure it’s a good quality because certain top coats will bubble, I’ve tried so many and Seche really works the best for this style. *Removal is easy, I used 1 cotton ball for all 10 fingers. I do use 100% acetone remover to remove my polish.