Confused about GEL versus SOLAR versus ACRYLIC nails!!!...

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Kupa Inc. - Video scroll down to the backfill drill demo and that way you can see what a back fill is and how it is done.

If it is a good tech you wont be able to tell if it is a full set or fill. Tecks can make amazing smile lines with never touching a tip do a bit more research also check out Nail Zoo - Champion nail technician salon in Sydney, Australia - natural looking acrylic nails he has a bunch of educational vedios

another is Young Nails - Nail Art Products for Professionals and watch the reverse application
 
Thanks for those good videos!... I was actually looking for videos of how they are applied.

But I am confused whether I should remove my acrylic nails and let them heal before getting new gel or acrylic on top because I have a feeling that he drilled my nails waaaay too much (and put MMJA on me) and damaged them... or is it normal that my nails underneath are like tissue paper and bend like paper now??? I am not exaggerating... my natural nail underneath is extremely soft and EASILY bendable. Is this because he drilled them too much and if so should I remove my acrylic and let my natural nails heal before getting a new set?

Do you guys recommend gel or acrylic for long term use? I am confused! Not sure which is best....
 
JulietP said:
But I am confused whether I should remove my acrylic nails and let them heal before getting new gel or acrylic on top because I have a feeling that he drilled my nails waaaay too much (and put MMJA on me) and damaged them...
It would be better for the health of your nails to leave the protective L+P on your nails and get them rebalanced by a technician who knows what they're doing and cares about their client's natural nails as well as creating beautiful enhancements. Without the L+P on your nails will split and break very easily because they've been over filed. It will take a good 10 weeks for the nails to get fully regrown with healthy nail.

or is it normal that my nails underneath are like tissue paper and bend like paper now???
No, it isn't normal, the reason they're in that condition is due to over filing before the L+P was applied.

Do you guys recommend gel or acrylic for long term use? I am confused! Not sure which is best....
Either/or to be honest... as you've found out for yourself, it's not the product that damages the nail it's a technician who doesn't know how to use a file correctly.
The problem you will have by having them removed is that no product will have longevity because the foundation has been ruined.
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Whereabouts in Florida are you?
There is a listing on the Creative USA site for salons all over the world, perhaps we can find one for you.
 
I'm confused why you ask the same question 3 times in one paragraph!

I'm also confused as to why you would want your whites wider than you've got. Nail Enhancements are just that....enhancements.....to enhance to look of your natural nails.....last I checked natural nails don't "fan" out....just my 2 cents, I'm huge on making my clients enhancement look as natural as possible....to the point where people have to ask if they are real or not.

I think the combination of your natural nails being drilled off as well as MMA (if in fact it was MMA) could be the cause of your nail feeling like toilet paper. Neither one is good...

I would find a great nail tech who actually sculpts nails with pink and white product rather than white tip and overlay. Have the tech remove as much of the product as they can (from what I hear it's a b*tch to remove) and have them sculpt you a new set.

As for the long term, doesn't matter to me. The difference between Gel and Acrylic is application. In my opinion, Gels have a slight flex to them and acrylic are quite rigid. Both should be fine for long term as long as you take care of them and you find a great tech to maintain them for you.
hope this answers your question
 
Artsy Canadian said:
I'm confused why you ask the same question 3 times in one paragraph! sorry but what was repeated 3x in one paragraph? At least she is asking questions and trying to educate herself

I'm also confused as to why you would want your whites wider than you've got. Nail Enhancements are just that....enhancements.....to enhance to look of your natural nails.....last I checked natural nails don't "fan" out....just my 2 cents, I'm huge on making my clients enhancement look as natural as possible....to the point where people have to ask if they are real or not.
Not everyone has the same taste as you. In some places a VERY VERY flared nail is more popular than an even a fake looking but straight from the sidewalls nail.

I think the combination of your natural nails being drilled off as well as MMA (if in fact it was MMA) could be the cause of your nail feeling like toilet paper. Neither one is good... The term used was tissue paper but nice bit of rude not needed there let me guess you do stand up at the local comedy club.

I would find a great nail tech who actually sculpts nails with pink and white product rather than white tip and overlay. Have the tech remove as much of the product as they can (from what I hear it's a b*tch to remove) and have them sculpt you a new set.

As for the long term, doesn't matter to me. The difference between Gel and Acrylic is application. In my opinion, Gels have a slight flex to them and acrylic are quite rigid. Both should be fine for long term as long as you take care of them and you find a great tech to maintain them for you.
hope this answers your question
Click to expand...
and that was all that needed to be said
 
Artsy Canadian said:
I'm confused why you ask the same question 3 times in one paragraph!

I'm also confused as to why you would want your whites wider than you've got. Nail Enhancements are just that....enhancements.....to enhance to look of your natural nails.....last I checked natural nails don't "fan" out....just my 2 cents, I'm huge on making my clients enhancement look as natural as possible....to the point where people have to ask if they are real or not.

I think the combination of your natural nails being drilled off as well as MMA (if in fact it was MMA) could be the cause of your nail feeling like toilet paper. Neither one is good...

I would find a great nail tech who actually sculpts nails with pink and white product rather than white tip and overlay. Have the tech remove as much of the product as they can (from what I hear it's a b*tch to remove) and have them sculpt you a new set.

As for the long term, doesn't matter to me. The difference between Gel and Acrylic is application. In my opinion, Gels have a slight flex to them and acrylic are quite rigid. Both should be fine for long term as long as you take care of them and you find a great tech to maintain them for you.
hope this answers your question
Click to expand...

As a nail tech i know where you are coming from..but its awfully blunt and hurtful to criticize a client on how she chooses to wear her nails..she loves them and has paid for them.
Imagine if you loved your new 'do and a hairstylist basically said it looked terrible.
Everyone is different, thats why a nail tech needs to be versatile and listen to want the client wants first..a happy client always returns.
 
If I did repeat a question it's probably because I still wasn't sure what the answer was. I am new to all this... I used to bite my nails for years and recently quit 5 months ago. Now I am obsessed with nice looking nails and wanted to learn as much as possibloe in getting that perfect french manicure.

I LOVE wide white tips. Everybody has different preferences. I've had wide white tips and also narrow white tips like I have now and I MUCH prefer the wider white tip. I like my nails to be short and with a wide white tip it gives the illusion of having longer nails but the comfort of a shorter length nail.
 
http://www.scratchmyback.ca/images/akzentz 1 Oct 6.jpg

Here is the white tip width I like... just on a shorter nail length. I've had it like that with nail polish and it looks quite nice. I didn't like it when I received a narrower white tip. Different strokes for different folks I guess. No pun intended =)
 
JulietP said:
beatynails,

When you get a french manicure you can either have them paint on the white tip thin or wide.

Here's a THIN white tip:
http://jpwear.com/mynails.html

Here's a WIDE white tip (white tip in this pic is twice as wide as tip in pic above)
http://www.scratchmyback.ca/images/akzentz 1 Oct 6.jpg

I prefer the WIDE white tip even on my shorter nail length. Not sure how I'm confusing you? :?:
Click to expand...
Oh I get you.
When you say wide white, you're referring to the length of the white?
When we say wide we are referring to the width across the nail.
Although having longer white, on a short nail can actually make your nails look stubby.
 
Ah I see sorry. Yes now you understood what I was saying.

I wasn't referring to the width of the nail... just the length of the white tip.
 
Bernadette is right having a longer nail bed gives the illusion of longer nail maybe a deep smile line would work for you the center nail bed would be extended but you would still have white up higher like you preffer.

Personally I love deep smile lines
 
florence,

I'm just curious... is that a gel nail or acrylic in that photo? I am still stuck on whether I should get gels or acrylic.... guess I should try the gel again and make up my mind!

I have noticed though that gel seems to feel a lot more flexible and acrylic feels harder/stiffer?

PS- I have a short nail bed... but I still love the wider white tip even if it makes my nails look more stubby. I just really dislike tiny white tips.
 
I believe it's liquid and powder(acrylic)

If you found someone that does custom blending you can have your smaller nails plated extended to look longer and then a nice large but evenly proportioned white put on!
 
JulietP said:
I am confused and would be really grateful if somebody here who is experienced can clear it up for me.

I LOVE french manicured nails but HATE achieving it with nail polish because that only lasts for a few days at best and then always chips and looks very ragged. So for the first time ever I got gel nails put on but the tech did a TERRIBLE job. They were VERY thick and lumpy and my nails were filed very uneven!

So I had the gel removed by another tech some place else and got acrylic put on which looks much better than the gel but it's NOT nearly as shiny as the gel nails were.... and the tech filed my nails like CRAZY (with the drill) before putting the acrylic on. I didn't like this at all. I hope I didn't receive MMA nails!

My main question is... the 3 main types of articifal nail coverings are GEL, SOLAR and ACRYLIC right?

So which is the best and healthiest one to have that will cause the least amount of damage to the nails? If I get solar nails... will my natural nails have to be drilled down just as badly as when I got the acrylics put on? All this filing with the drill has me worried...

I can't seem to find a tech who does a good job and I'm avoiding all the cheapie places... I am giving up here. It seems most salons are very cheap and run by chinese people (no offense)... but they can barely speak english and do a super fast terrible job!
Click to expand...

Hello Juliet. I wanted to take a minute to respond to your dilemma. My name is Melanie and I have been a nail tech for the past 10 years. There is a lot of misinformation out there regarding acrylic nails. If your nails are damaged, it is directly the responsibility of the nail tech or the client (ie: client picking at the nail or ripping them off). Acrylic nails are not bad for your nails, nor is primer. You can soak nail clippings in primer for years before they start to break down. Primer IS corrosive to the skin, however, and should never touch the cuticle or surrounding skin tissue.

Nail Techs should NOT file on your nail bed. The only time a file should touch your nail bed is when the shine is buffed off to assist in the adherance of the acrylic or gel application.

It is true that acrylics are not as shiny as gels, but that can be remidied by adding a really good topcout (Out the Door by INM) or by adding a gel glaze over top (INM Integrity Gel Glaze)

The biggest difference that I have found between gel and acrylic is strength. I find that gels do not stand up to my every day life. I also find gel application is often too thick (my acrylics are business card thickness and I have 3 different color layers). There is also a lot of versatility with acrylic nails. I am able to create inlay art, 3D art such as plumeria flowers I have built and applied to my nails, color fades, and pinching. You cannot pinch a gel nail to add the beautiful C curve, nor can you create life-like art.

Neither nail enhancement should damage your nail beds period. Thats the bottom line!

Hope this helps, have a great day!
 
mely-bely said:
The biggest difference that I have found between gel and acrylic is strength. I find that gels do not stand up to my every day life. I also find gel application is often too thick (my acrylics are business card thickness and I have 3 different color layers). There is also a lot of versatility with acrylic nails. I am able to create inlay art, 3D art such as plumeria flowers I have built and applied to my nails, color fades, and pinching. You cannot pinch a gel nail to add the beautiful C curve, nor can you create life-like art.
Click to expand...

I beg to differ... Gel nails can be very strong, do not need to be thick, and there is also plenty of versatility with gel nails. And you CAN pinch a gel nail to add a beautiful C curve :) (see the pics below)

DSC00725.jpg

DSC00733.jpg


As with any product, product knowledge and proper training can make all the difference in the world. Liquid & Powder acrylic and gels are both wonderful systems, one may work better than the other depending on the client and the technician providing the service.
 
Gina Silvestro said:
I beg to differ... Gel nails can be very strong, do not need to be thick, and there is also plenty of versatility with gel nails. And you CAN pinch a gel nail to add a beautiful C curve :) (see the pics below)

As with any product, product knowledge and proper training can make all the difference in the world. Liquid & Powder acrylic and gels are both wonderful systems, one may work better than the other depending on the client and the technician providing the service.
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more Gina. A nail is only thick because the technician has applied it so, it has nothing to do with the system! I have clients who get on better with gel, some who get on better with l&p and some who are fine with either ... and some whose lifestyle is not suited to nails at all. (fab nails in the pics too wowser!)

BTW you should never file a nail bed (oucheeeeeeeeeeeee), it's the nail plate that needs the shine only removing! Get to the nail bed and you have gone waaaay too far. Sorry just a technicality, but there is a big difference in the anatomical parts of the nail! :hug:
 
I know this topic is a year old but it made interesting reading, wonder what she did in the end.

I didn't know you could pinch a gel nail, in fact I'm struggling to fathom how or when you would do it. I rebalanced yesterday on my own nails, got great smiles and promptly filed the ears off of some of them trying to get sidewalls that looked nice to my eye. Not used to that as I must admit I pinched them gently as per my training when I did them with L&P.
 

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