d.i.y.: easy gel nail polish removal

hihi.
today im gonna share this simple method of removing gel nail polish.
after 19days my nails looked like this and i couldn't stand it any longer


about 2mm or more of nail growth and i got bored of the colour so i decided to remove it.

and becos i couldn't bear to part with sg$20-25 for soak off removal at the salon so i decided to do it at home myself
(read: c h e a p o. hahaha)

the main thing you need to get is special nail polish remover for gelish nails or pure acetone.
i got a bottle of harmony gelish artificial nail remover.


a 120ml bottle that can last for 4 to 5 removals.

note that this gelish artificial nail remover does contain some acetone still, just that it has other ingredients that make it not as drying as pure acetone.
but pure acetone works well too.

all in all, you will need:-


10 aluminum foil squares
10 cotton wool squares
cuticle pusher
gelish artificial nail remover or acetone

note: cut the aluminum foil generously according to your finger size.
lint free cotton wool squares are recommended but i didn't have any so i used the ones tapered at the sides.

#1 soaking of cotton wool


saturate a cotton wool square with the nail polish remover

#2 wrap nail with soaked cotton wool square


place the soaked part of the cotton wool square on your nail and wrap the remaining around your finger

#3 wrap finger with aluminum foil square


to generate heat to ease removal of the polish, wrap your finger with the aluminum foil square

place your cotton wool covered finger on the dull side of the foil facing up, fold into half as shown in the picture above and secure your finger tightly by pressing the foil around your finger


after folding in half, fold the sides inwards around your finger and seal the sides tightly till you get something like the picture above

#4 do the same for the remaining fingers


till your hand looks so glam like this *snigger*

#5 wait for 15-20mins
chillax during this time.
at this step i would indulge in my korean drama. make sure you don't tilt your fingers up so that the liquid from the wool would not seep out

#6 gently remove the foil and cotton squares


looks disgusting but this picture shows you that the gel nail polish comes out in hardened pieces/flakes

#7 remove remaining polish on nails


your nails would still have some remnant polish bits, use the cuticle pusher to gently scrape them off

note: just scrape the remnant polish off, be careful not to be over zealous and scrape your nails too hard

#8 final cleanup
you can use a buffing block to gently buff your nails now

what i did was to wash my nails thoroughly with soap to remove any remaining acetone, dry them and apply cuticle oil.

i recommend opi's avoplex cuticle oil.

the end result should be...


an edited picture with photoshopped glitters...
errr no. i mean you should have clean nails free of gel polish!

repeat the steps for the other hand.
so there you go.

it is not that hard to do but if you still find it a hassle, go to a salon and have the manicurist do it for you.

just don't scrape the gel polish off without soaking!
don't ruin your nails!

xoxo,
nais.

my first gellish manicure

hello.
this afternoon i went for a long time coming manipedi by using a groupon voucher i bought online.

i can't even tell you how i have neglected my nails (especially toe nails) and how overgrown my cuticles are. eww...

i chose a different colour each for my hands and toes...
both are butter london polishes - a shimmer nude-ish taupe for the hands and a hot pink (butter london cake-hole. they call it 'nearly neon pink') for the toes.
but then...

i got persuaded by the manicurist to try gellish for my hands and i was like 'why not.... chinese new year is coming, a little treat is due for the festive season!'

yeah right.
every day is a festive season :P

i chose a nude brown with 3 sizes of scattered champagne gold holo glitter (fine, small and medium).
this gellish polish brand is called gelle.

now, the pics shall talk.





up close.
you can see the holo radiating their goodness here but being a glitter addict, a magpie, this amount of glitter is average for me haha.

i like how the finish is a translucent jelly, the nude brown is subtle and compliments my skin tone and how this gellish mani is gonna be low maintenance for me.
it better be!

overall thoughts
i didn't know what to expect from a gellish manicure actually, all i know is that it should last much longer than a classic mani at 3-4 weeks.

initially i chose a nude pink but the manicurist recommended this shade to me, believing it to be nicer on me than the blah nude pink. this polish will be able to match any outfit and the holo glitter adds pizzazz to the nude.

i have to agree with her choice as the shade of nude brown did not make my skin go sallow and glitter does make everything nicer.

Glitter makes the world fabulous!
☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆

so after alternating between applications and putting my hands under the uv lamp, my first gellish manicure was done!
the manicurist asked me to press my nails when i asked her repeatedly if they are totally dry. and i looked at her with disbelief... but they were indeed dry! no more waiting (even with seche vite!)

even while retrieving my wallet to pay i subconsciously pry my wallet very carefully in order not to ruin my manicure, only to have 3 ladies tell me that it's ok i need not be careful with my nails.
heh. too used to doing the eagle claw with my hands to avoid smudging...

would i do gellish again?
maybe. when im in the mood to spend more on my nails.
maybe not. cos the colour range is limited.

now all i need is to bear with having the same colour on my nails for about a month :(

to end this post, here's another pic of my mani taken in the day.


buhbye!
xoxo,
nais.