Nail Tips From an Up and Coming Nail Artist

Have you recently gotten into doing your own nails? Because I have! As a college student, it is far too expensive nowadays to pay for new nails every three to four weeks, so I’ve taken up doing my own. Over the past few months, certain tips from other nail artists online have changed the game for me, and I’m going to fill you in on just what I learned!

1. Use a dehydrator and primer

Dehydrator gets rid of any oils on your nail so the gel can adhere properly and stick down. The primer locks that in and helps form that strong adherence to the nail! These are absolutely vital to longevity and took my nails from lasting a week to lasting over four! 

2. Make sure you are curing long enough, at least one to two minutes

Curing long enough is key to a long-lasting nail. If the gel doesn’t cure fully it will remain in semi-liquid form underneath the hard surface causing your nail to smoosh around and become messy. 

3. Use sunscreen or a UV protective glove 

UV curing lamps use UV radiation similar to that of the sun! Because of that, it is still vital to protect your skin against the radiation in order to prevent skin damage and reduce your risk of cancer. To do this, I prefer to use sunscreen on my hands, however, you can also purchase UV protective gloves. 

4. Use a headlight 

This was a new investment of mine and I’m never looking back. Before, I was struggling to do my nails in a dorm with minimal lighting. Purchasing a headlight solved that completely! Now, I wear my hot pink headlamp to do my nails and my visibility has improved tremendously. 

5. The base coat is vital

Base coat is the glue that keeps your nail stuck on, and is so necessary to the nail process. I love the BEETLES brand base coat, but experimenting with different brands is best to find what works for you!

6. Trim those cuticles gently 

Trimming cuticles is a dangerous game so I highly recommend trimming very gently. A great product to soften the cuticle is Sally Hansen’s Cuticle Remover. This works to soften the cuticle so you can gently scrape away the dead skin.