DIY Acrylic Nails
If you are a girly girl like me, your fingers just feel incomplete without a manicure. Acrylic nails are the pinnacle of glam nails but they can be very expensive to maintain. Not only is the initial manicure expensive, costing anywhere between $40-$60 but the maintenance, (rebase or filler) can cost around $25-$35 about every 2-3 weeks. Not to mention the time it takes to get a manicure. If you don't have an appointment, sometime you can get stuck waiting and then once you finally get into the chair it can take from 30-60 minutes depending on the manicurist's experience. I have found the best and most effective way to have my fingers always look on point; is to do it myself. (My nails are not painted and all ready to go in this picture.)
Doing it yourself sounds like a huge and impossible job but it's really not, and will save you a ton of money. For the kit and the tools, you will need to do your nails like a pro; is about the cost of one manicure. Most kits have enough supplies to provide about 7-10 manicures. Not to mention all the really awesome deals you can find on the internet. From Wal-Mart.com to Wish, you can find some really cool kits with some really cool tools. You need the right tools for the job. I have used a few kits but the Beauty Secret Nail kit at Sally's Beauty Supply is my favorite. I love shopping at Sally's because you can bring anything back for a refund if you simply just don't like it. The kit includes nail tips, acrylic powder and liquid, but I in addition to the kit you will need a really good nail file and a good buffer. I invested about $25 in a sculpting/buffing tool which makes things a little easier but is not essential to achieving a good acrylic manicure. Make sure you read and follow the instructions to the best of your ability.
The first thing you need to understand about doing your own nails is that you are going to suck at this for a while. It's very hard, especially if you are not ambidextrous. If you start doing your nails when you are young and have practice, it will be worth it in the end. You can look fab and save a ton of money if you learn to do this by yourself. With that being said, just make sure that you never do this for the first time the day before a big event. Job interview, prom, first date etc. ​​​​ There are a ton of videos on YouTube with great tips and tricks but the thing you need most of all is practice. There are no short cuts, there's nothing that you can do to fast-track this process, you just need to be patient and willing to put in the work. As I mentioned before if you can start this when you're young you can probably be really good at it by the end of one summer.
Don't forget that unless someone asks to grab your hand and examine your nails, no one will even suspect that you did it yourself. If you have the confidence to just say, I did it myself and I'm learning, I honestly think you can master this in about 3 months.
Things that I've learned that no one told me:
Clean your Brush- Look up some articles and videos on how to clean your brush while you are applying the acrylic and when you have finished your manicure. If you do not clean your brushes properly the acrylic and liquid mixture will harden on the brush and ruin it. You will not be able to use the brush again. Even soaking it in acetone doesn't get it totally clean.
Liquid and Powder Ratios- Too much liquid can make the acrylic too runny and impossible to shape. Too much powder and make the mixture too clumpy and it will not stick and form on your nails. Learning just the right amount of liquid and powder will take a lot of practice.
How to store your liquid and powder and how to use it. - When you are learning how much powder and how much liquid you need it's best not to dip your brush into the powder container. Set some aside on the lid of the container. If you don't and the liquid settles into the powder, it just continues to absorb and waste the surrounding powder and look like this.
​​Learning to shape the nails is hard but learning the correct liquid to powder ratio is the hardest. - At the very least these kits are awesome when it comes to maintenance on a professional manicure. If you can't really get the hang of it there is no shame in going to a professional. When I have a special occasion coming up and want my nails to look out of this world, I go to the salon. After a few weeks, I just do my own re-base. The kit costs as much as one re-base or fill and has enough supplies in it to maintain your nails for at least 2-3 months. Saving you approximately $125! Having this kit around is also very convenient for a broken nail. Example:
I was making dinner for a party my husband and I were having at our home when I broke a nail. I didn't have time to go to the nail salon and get it fixed. With travel time it would have taken me an hour and people were supposed to show up at any minute for this party. After saying hello to all my guests and making sure everyone was situated with a drink and a conversation I quietly slipped away into my bedroom. It took me about 10 minutes to glue on one nail, shape it and cover with acrylic. Buff it out and paint it. It took me another 5 minutes to get the nail polish to dry. I came back downstairs and it was like I was never gone.
Painting your nails is so much easier when your nails are fake for some reason. BUT no matter how much easier it is you need to keep it simple and allow yourself a lot of time for the paint to dry. I hope you give it a shot ans succeed at doing your own nails. Please share your experience with me and or other kits that you have tried and like.
