I know very little about Isopropyl Alcohol, but it was the biggest difference in the ingredient list. I didn’t notice my nails taking ages to dry, but that could be due to inexperience.
I’ll pop them here so you can cast your eye over them and see if anything else jumps out.
Yes, gels. Not much more expensive than ordinary polish and lasts a lot longer so I thought I’d go for it!
I might have a look at investing in my own gel kit - but I’m not very good at a neat application.
@Lovehoney_Brenna it is the first time I have ventured out from under my rock for anything frivolous for months… had to sign in with the Track and Trace app. Almost nail-biting!
So maybe learning how to do it at home is the way to go for a while…
So, advice please? If I bought a nail lamp, can I mix and match base coat, top coat, colours from different brands etc? Or do I have to pick one brand any buy everything from them?
Ready made sets come with loads of colours I don’t think I would use.
I have seen one set with the lamp, top and base coats, a couple of good colours and remover pads. Can I buy other colours from a different brand?
@MsR - You’ve just got back from getting gels done at the salon, intcha. Can you remember how long it took there? I would guess it’s about the same, unless salons have more powerful lamps or summat. They can’t be TOO powerful, though, cos it’s UV light and there must be a safety limit involved.
I know how long it took this afternoon, but the lamps I have seen online have 3 settings e.g. 30secs, 60secs etc so it does depend on power but maybe also the type of gel varnish and I haven’t a clue what I am doing.
Also, some promise that they don’t blacken your hands, which in itself is rather alarming.
So, if next time I post using all 8 legs, you’ll know it went a bit wrong…
This is why there are nail bars. We get all confuddled when we try to do it ourselves.
@MsR - I’m sure it’ll all make sense very quickly, once you get into it. I suppose you could always slather Factor 50 on your hands if you’re worried about a major skin-darkening issue. I suspect you’d have to leave your hands under there a very long time for anything like that to happen, though, or nobody would do it at all!
Now, while I’m here…
As this thread hits its 200th post in less than a fortnight, I just wanted to say how gratifying and affirming it’s been to read about everyone’s experiences, pick up nail-care tips and admire your lovely pictures. When I first mooted the notion of asking Brenna if a nail polish photo thread might be feasible, I harboured a secret fear that it would be an embarrassing failure: would consist essentially of little PleasureDrone banging on about his personal obsession to an almost empty room. Instead, it seems, I have prised the lid off a shared passion that was bursting to be expressed. Yaaaaay!
So, long may it continue: I look forward to many more happy hours of dipping the brush, swapping the goss and vardering your dolly, zhuzhed-up luppers!
Using suncream may be worth it, like with anything else UV is a risk factor so you want to make your odds as low as possible (this may just be me being paranoid since I’m an anxious mess anyway who’s done so many cancer modules in uni and had grandparents with cancers). Even just fingerless gloves may help, as it provides some shielding
I didn’t notice my nails taking ages to dry, but that could be due to inexperience.
I’m trying to multi task while working from home and clearly not doing a good job of it!
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