At home acrylic nails

Hi guys!  I'm slightly OCD about my nails lol  I would dare to say my husband and son are the only 2 people in the last 7 years to see me without my nails done (and that would only be for a day at most) Once my son was no longer in diapers, I started using the Kiss and Revlon glue on artificial nails.

They were my every day nails for about 5 years.  I love the polished look of a french manicure and I liked the length these gave me.  At $7 a pack, they were more economical than having my nails done at the salon.  Everyone thought I had them done professionally and would ask who did them.  The thing I didn't like about them is they would start popping off after a little over a week and I would lose one at the worst times.  I also could never get the seal quite right around the perimeter and would have a teeny bit of water leakage underneath.

So, I took the plunge and got in to the world of gel polish aka Shellac & Gellish.  Gel polish is awesome.  The finish wears like artificial nails, as in it does not scratch, chip or peel like normal polishes.  My nails are very flimsy and gel polish would make them firm and durable.  I would change polish because of nail growth rather than chips, etc.  I used this for about 2 years and although I do love it, I miss my nail extensions.  My nails would get fairly long with gel polish but not the length I really like.

I started looking online and researching doing acrylic or gel overlays with tips at home.  I found several options I want to try but today, I got the
Kiss Lightening Speed Salon Dip Powder Manicure Kit.  I chose to try this one first because you do not have to have a UV lamp to use this kit.  I have a UV lamp from doing the gel polish but I dont think that's something the average Joe has on hand so I was trying to find a kit that everyone could use.  At Walgreens this kit was $14.99 regular price.

This is what it looks like:

And this is what you get:



• Activator spray .64 oz
• Brush-on gel .25 oz
• Acrylic dip powder .26 oz
• Gel activator spray nozzle
• White buffing block
• Nail file
• Manicure stick
• 24 white tips
• 20 natural tips

To start, you push your cuticles back, cut/file your natural nails pretty short and make sure they are clean of dust from filing. This is what mine looked like (see why I have to have my nails done? lol) :

Next, you match up the tips you want to use.  I chose the white tips.  You hold them up to your natural nail to see which ones fit width wise.  If they are too large, you file the sides down until they fit.  My first beef with this kit was I had to file almost every nail, none of them matched.  Once you have the nails filed to size and ready to go, you take the brush on gel and paint a thin little line on the bottom on the tip.  Then you press it on your natural fingernail for a few seconds until it has dried.  Continue until all fingers on one hand have tips.  Then, you cut and file the tips to your desired length.  You also want to buff the line where the tip meets your natural nail just a little bit so it will blend in nicely.  This is what mine looked liked after I had cut and filed.



Then the fun starts.  You take the brush on gel and apply a thin, even coat to your thumb nail, then you dip your thumb in the acrylic powder, shake the excess powder off.  Repeat on your remaining fingers until they all have acrylic powder on them.  Then you brush the gel back on your thumb nail, on top on the powder.  The mess begins now.  After you do this, the gel and powder start to harden - you are instructed to wipe your brush before dipping it back in the gel to move on to the next finger.  My brush immediately started stiffening.  As I completed the 2nd layer of gel on that hand, the end of the brush was hard as a brick making it nearly impossible to evenly coat the nails.  After this step,  you spray on the activator spray on your nail and then buff your them with the provided white buffing block.  At this point, I was annoyed with the brush but pretty happy with the results.  I put a coat of clear polish on top to make them nice and shiny.  Here is what they looked like after the clear coat:

From a distance, I think they look great.  Up close, I see lots of imperfections.  The second hand was a million times harder to do with the brush being nearly impossible to use.  I was even dipping it in pure acetone between dips back in to the bottle and it was still a huge mess. 

Overall, for $15, its a good looking artificial nail.  The tips are well attached and feel very secure.  The smooth gel coat over top gives a really professional nail look.  If you can paint your own nails, you can do this kit.  Even with the trouble I had on the second hand, it looks good and no one just glancing at your nails would see the imperfections.  Although there are still tips, activator spray and acrylic powder left to do another set of nails, the brush on gel is cashed in.  Will this be my new go to?  Probably not.  I'm going to try some other gel and acrylic overlay products in hopes to find one I like better.  I'll update and let you know how long these last.  If you have any at home products that you love or any that you would like to know how they work, let me know and I'll try them out!