Hi all,

I use IBD acrylic withg french tips and popits. I've recently decided I'd like to try my hand at some nail art and have been reading lots of posts about the subject.

My question is - if I use polish or acylic paint and finish with a top coat I don't understand how this makes the design very chip proof? Do you seal nail art in with a layer of acrylic? Or acylic bright?

Much thanks in anticipation of support
Sufergirlie
Best Beauty Salon in Staffordshire

Wouldn't that depend on if the client is looking for acrylic enhancements with added nail art vs. if they just want a temporary design with polish on their nails?

Sorry I could be no help because I don't really do a whole lot of nail art and don't offer acrylic anymore.

Just my thoughts, if they don't want it to last as long seal with polish, if they want it for a longer period and their nails to be strong, seal with acrylic? Because the one sealed in polish is bound to chip eventually.

Hi Heather

Thanks for your reply. I guess I mean acrylic extensions with nail art. Though it's an interesting question regarding poilish. I can't imagine anyone paying extra for nail art with a polish manicure .. because polish only on finger nails is likely to chip within a week it would seem bad value to me to pay for nail art? However if you can seal the nail art with an acylic layer then it would stay put as long as the acylic. Just my very inexperienced and subjective opinion.

Why not seal with a gel topcoat?

If you are doing free hand nail art with paint wait for it to dry then you would put a top coat over and that does stop th art from chipping.
If you do it on natural nails it will last as long as the polish if you tell your client the truth, it is then her choice but prepping the nail prior is important as this help the longevity of the design

I've never used gel over acrylic before .. with IBD we have specific finishing products for that glossy look .. so you're suggesting letting acrylic nail art dry .. then curing a gel overlay onto it? I do use IBD gel system sometimes though I find that under the UV it often won't effectively to white (e.g. french tips).
If I use a gel top coat can I just put straight on top of dried nail art or is there any other prep I do for the gel coat?

Yes, you can definitely use gel over acrylic. Just let the nail art dry and apply your gel top coat. Use a medium-thin layer of gel to ensure a nice shiny cure.

Another thing I do is always cure my top coat for 3 minutes and it makes it extra shiny!

Thanks Carmen, do you need to do anything to make the gel cure to the acylic .. e.g. santitise/dehydrate sprays or primer/bonder? Or do I just pop it straight onto my nail art?

If I were to do nail art with polish .. `does gel cure to that?

So excited .. feel like I have a whole new toy to play with now

Gel will adhere to rough surface so just apply it after your art. I don't do l+p but from what I understand, there's a dispersion layer that you file off and it kind of balls up?? After you do that final file, the acrylic will be fine for gel to adhere to.

If you're using regular polish, you have to make sure it's completely dry. Do a search on here for gel over polish. I seem to remember way back there were quite a few.

HTH
Carmen