Applying gel polish
How do you best apply gel polish?
Applying gel polish can be time-consuming, but with the right steps and supplies, you can enjoy a beautiful manicure for longer. This tutorial will help you apply gel polish step by step to your own nails or someone else's. Make sure you have all the necessary materials on hand before you start. Let's get LAKKIE!
What do you need?
- Topcoat
- Degreaser/acetone
Step 1: File your nails into the desired shape. Read more about different nail shapes here.
Step 2: Push back your cuticles a little using a cuticle stick.
Step 3: Roughen the top of your nails a bit with a coarse nail file. You do this so that the gel polish adheres better to your nail and you can enjoy it longer. Now clean your nails with a degreaser. Put a little degreaser or acetone on a nail wipe and also clean the edges well. Make sure that the nails are completely free of dust and fluff.
Step 4: Start with a base coat. This can be a normal base coat, a rubber base coat, a covering rubber base coat or possibly a BIAB application. Apply a layer and make sure you keep about 1 mm distance from your cuticles. If you want the layer to fit your cuticles better, use a thin brush, but make sure the gel polish does not come into contact with your skin. When applying the base coat (and the subsequent layers), also take the front of the nail into account. We also call this sealing the nail. This prevents air from getting under the gel polish, and it will therefore stay in place much better. An important step. Then let this layer harden under the UV/lamp.
Step 5: Now apply a thin layer of the gel polish color of your choice. Also take into account the distance of the cuticles. Otherwise, use a thin brush again to let the gel polish fit nicely at the cuticles. Make sure that the gel polish does not come into contact with the skin. 
Make sure that you also seal the front well with each layer. Then let this layer harden again under the nail lamp. Repeat this step until you have the perfect coverage. Make sure that you apply really thin layers, instead of very thick layers. Thick layers of gel polish often quickly become ugly and can also start to ripple, a waste of all the work you put into it.
Step 6: Are you satisfied with the result? Then apply the no wipe topcoat and let this layer of gel polish harden under the uv/led lamp. This can of course be a glossy topcoat, but also a matte topcoat.
Step 7: Finally, treat your cuticles with some cuticle oil. With the brush, you can easily go around the nail to apply the oil. After applying it to each finger, massage the oil in well so that it penetrates well. It is best to apply cuticle oil twice a day.
It wasn’t too bad, right? And don’t forget, practice makes perfect!
Can't wait to start gel polish? Check out the LAKKIE'S:
- Let's get LAKKIE Gel Polish starter set