These are kind of random pictures but very important for the scientific advancement of nail art! 🙂
The first is my own gel nails I’ve had on for a few weeks now. I’ve been wondering for a long time if acrylic nail art would adhere to gel polish. I LOVE 3D bows and flowers but don’t want to glue them on because that would be fruitless so I finally figured out I am my best guinea pig and tested my theory…and I am happy to report that acrylic holds VERY well to gel polish. I mean these suckers are not budging. I did file the top layer of my gel polish lightly to rough it up and cleansed it really well with alcohol before I applied the acrylic. On a regular client I would have added a gel top coat over the entire nail after the acrylic had dried completely but on myself I just put a coat of Seche Vite.
These were partly the inspo for my desire to add acrylic 3D art…Queen of Nails is Amazing!
Here is my little experiment. I used EZ Flow Voodoo Black Acrylic powder. The diamond on the bow did fall off right away…I think I needed to put it on the acrylic right away and I waited too long.
Here’s a little side by side comparison…ok it’s not really a comparison at all..I’ve got a long ways to go. But not too bad for my first attempt right?!? I ordered some acrylic brushes from Amazon because I am using my size 8 CND brush which is WAY too big…as soon as I get my new brushes I’ll make some videos.
The next experiment is just my first time using Essie Gel Polish. I loved the application but I’m nervous because someone on Instagram said it didn’t hold up at all. That would be terrible because they have so many gorgeous colors. One complaint I have is the expense of Essie Gel vs. other brands. It’s significantly more expensive but I would not be surprised if the price comes down a little bit over the next few months. OPI dropped their price on GelColor from $17.50 to $14.95 after about a year so I think Essie will realize they are going to need to do a price adjustment to compete, especially if they get the reputation of not being durable.
The color I chose was Pole Dancing because Nicole wanted a purple pink magenta color and the next closest I could find was OPI Miami Beet, which is a great color, but not quite what we wanted. I LOVE the color–it would be so pretty with a pretty magenta glitter over it. And some gold or silver accents. I love it by itself as well though. It’s a great year round color!
This photo is not filtered or retouched at all 🙂 Her nails really are that perfect 🙂
I love experimenting with nails. I definitely will break the rules as long as I feel like it’s safe for myself and my clients. One tip I have to new nail techs starting out is don’t be afraid to try new things. If you have an idea, run with it. Be creative. Always. 🙂
I’ve got some fun nails coming up this week so stay tuned!
Tootles–Anna
