Applying gel polish
Applying gel polish, what is the best way to do it?
Applying gel polish can take some time, but with the right steps and supplies, you can enjoy a beautiful manicure for longer. This guide will help you apply gel polish to your own nails or someone else's, step by step. Make sure you have all the necessary materials at hand before you start. Let's get LAKKIE!
What do you need?
- Top coat
Step 1: File your nails into the desired shape. Read more about different nail shapes here.
Step 2: Push your cuticles back a bit using a cuticle pusher.
Step 3: Roughen the top of your nails slightly with a coarse nail file. You do this so that the gel polish adheres better to your nail and you can enjoy it for longer. Now clean your nails with a degreaser. Put a little degreaser or acetone on a nail wipe and thoroughly clean the edges as well. Make sure the nails are completely free of dust and fluff.
Step 4: If you want to go for even better adhesion, apply nail prep to your nails first. Let this air-dry for 30 seconds. (Nail prep is optional)
Start with a base coat. This can be a regular base coat, a rubber base coat, a covering rubber base coat, or possibly a BIAB application. Apply a layer and be careful to keep about 1 mm of distance from your cuticles. If you want the layer to fit more nicely against the cuticles, use a thin brush, but make sure the gel polish does not come into contact with your skin. While applying the base coat (and subsequent layers), make sure to also coat the front edge. We call this sealing the nail. This prevents air from getting under the gel polish, and as a result, it stays on much better. An important step, then. Next, let this layer cure under the UV/LED lamp.
Step 5: Now apply a thin layer of the gel polish color of your choice. Keep the distance from the cuticles in mind here as well. Otherwise, use a thin brush again to make the gel polish fit nicely at the cuticles. Ensure that the gel polish does not come into contact with the skin. 
Ensure that you seal the front edge well here too with each layer. Then let this layer cure under the nail lamp again. Repeat this step until you have the perfect coverage. Do keep in mind that you should apply really thin layers, instead of very thick layers. Thick layers of gel polish often become ugly quickly and can also wrinkle, a waste of all the work you put into it.
Step 6: Are you satisfied with the result? Then apply the no-wipe top coat and also let this layer of gel polish cure under the UV/LED lamp. This can, of course, be a glossy top coat, but also a matte top coat.
Step 7: And finally, take care of your cuticles with some cuticle oil. With the brush, you can easily go around the nail to apply the oil. After you have applied it to every finger, massage the oil in well so that it penetrates properly. It is best to apply cuticle oil twice a day.
Wasn't too bad, right? And don't forget, practice makes perfect!
Can't wait to start with gel polish? Check out the LAKKIE'S:
- Let's get LAKKIE gel polish starter kit
