May 10, 2012
Get the Dish on Gelish! A Step-by-Step Guide to Applying Gel Polish 13
Gelish Caution
My fingernails are naturally pretty strong and grow long, so I like to keep them polished and looking nice. Gel nail polish is one of the greatest inventions ever… no more chipping and peeling after just a couple of days. Gel polish typically lasts about 2 weeks, and it stays super shiny like it was just applied. It protects your nails and makes them stronger, preventing them from breaking or ripping. And one of the best advantages is that it dries instantly after curing in a UV light for just a couple of minutes (or 30 seconds in an LED light), so you can immediately get back to work without having to worry about messing up your polish.
I was getting gel manicures at my local salon every couple of weeks, but it was an expensive habit to maintain. After watching the professionals at the salon do my nails so many times, I thought I would try to do it myself from home. I did some research on the different brands of gel polish and decided that Gelish was the best option for me. It was easily accessible on Amazon.com and cheaper than most of the alternatives. Gelish also has a pretty big selection of colors to choose from. I purchased all of the equipment that I needed to get started for about $150, which is the equivalent of about 4 manicures at the salon. Now I do my own gel manicures from home, as well as for a few family members and friends.
People always ask me;
- Are your nails real? – Yes
- Do you do them yourself? – Yes
- Is it hard to do? – No! It’s actually pretty easy.
Below is a step-by-step guide to applying Gelish nail polish.
- Trim and file the nails to the desired length and shape.
- Push the cuticles back with an orange stick or cuticle pusher.
- Lightly buff the surface of each nail with a block buffer.
- Clean the nails off with Gelish Nail Cleanser and a lint-free wipe OR sterile alcohol wipes.
- Apply Gelish PH bond to your nails.
- Apply a coat of Gelish Foundation to each of your nails.
- Place your hands under the UV light for 1 minute.
- Optional: Apply Gelish Structure and cure for 2 minutes. (read our Structure guide)
- Apply the first coat of the Gelish color polish of your choice.
- Place your hands under the UV light for 2 minutes.
- Apply a second coat of Gelish color polish.
- Place your hands under the UV light for 2 minutes.
- Apply a thin coat of Gelish Top It Off to your nails.
- Place your hands under the UV light for 2 minutes.
- Wipe your nails off with the Gelish Nail Cleanser or sterile alcohol wipes. (This removes the tackiness).
A few tips:
- If you get polish on your cuticle or skin, remove it with alcohol or nail cleanser BEFORE curing your nails under the light. If you allow the polish on your cuticles to harden it will likely cause the polish to peel or chip. Try to keep the polish on the surface of the nail only.
- If you mess up a layer of polish, it’s super easy to fix as long as you do it before curing under the light. Just wipe the layer of polish off with your nail cleanser or alcohol (use a lint-free pad or paper towel). Then just reapply the layer.
- You can repeat steps 11 and 12 to add additional layers of color if you prefer. To spice things up, try adding a sheer sparkly layer like Vegas Nights.
» Learn how to remove Gelish polish from home.
» View Our Gelish Swatch Gallery!
Watch my video tutorial:
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Wow. I love your mani. Thanks for your great tutorial too. How do you keep your polish so flawless? I’ve just done my first self Gelish and I did try and clean up the edges but it still looks messy and in my opinion wrecks the entire look! *sad face*
Thanks, Lauren. I am very careful when applying polish and keep both hands steadied on a table or surface while polishing to keep the lines as clean as possible. If I get any polish on the skin or cuticle area I clean it off with a brush and acetone before curing.
I just bought my starter kit on the weekend and did my first mani. I love the shellac I was getting at the salon, but as you said, the money starts to add up. I chose a lighter brown color to start so my messy application wouldn’t be as obvious. I need more practice, but I’m pleased with the results so far.
Great blog and great tips. I’m 51 years old and never had the time, patience or money to take care of my nails, but I love nice nails. Now I have them.
Thanks so much for commenting. I’m glad your first experience with Gelish went well! Your skills will improve with time.
how many volts is your uv light? mine is 9 and it doesnt seem to cure right
Hi Chris, the light that I use is 45 watts. I’m not sure how that converts to volts.
Hi, my understanding is that the ‘standard’ required lamp for curing gel nails is 36w, mine has 4 x 9w bulbs. I’m no expert, but I assume the lower wattage means you will need longer curing time.
Hi Lisa. I’m not an expert either, but I would also assume you would need a longer curing time
Thank you for the clear tutorial! I actually got some questions; what is a pH bond? and is there a alternative? Tutorials on youtube show me that people apply the uv gel on the tops of their nails as wel. Is that necessary? Because its hard to do so and very messy. My last question is: when I allow my polish to dry under the uv light my polish tend to drip to the sides of my nail. What to do?
Sorry for all the questions and thanks!
Hi Sophie. PH bond is a product that Harmony Gelish sells and it’s used when prepping the nail. It basically dehydrates the nail so that the gel polish will stick better. It’s made mostly of alcohol, so you could alternatively wipe your nails with alcohol (I usually do both). You should cap the tips when you polish your nails with any polish to ensure that it will last longer. Usually pooling happens during application. I recommend using a small angled brush dipped in a little alcohol or acetone to clean around the edges before curing.
Thank you for this post! I recently bought all I needed to apply gelish polish at home and was shocked that even after curing the polish was tacky. So good to hear and read that this is normal. Have you ever tried using the French tip guide stickers with gelish? Would you recommend removing the tackiness after the base coat when using the guide stickers? Thanks. I’m definitely a new fan of your site.
Thanks for your nice tutorial on gel nail polish.There is obviously a lot to know about this. I think you made some good points in Features also.
Regards,
Jane Sanders