I am a sucker for an at home manicure routine. That is because I am the most anti-social person in the whole world. I cannot think of anything worse than working a 10-hour shift in an office where I have to make small talk. Then having to go to a salon and have to speak to a nail technician for a couple of hours. Don’t get me wrong, I think you can have a great life-changing conversations with your nail tech.
However by the time I am done with my day at work there is nothing left in the tank. I am sure that I always come across as rude. So, a couple of years ago I decided that I would become the own master of my manicure. Slowly but surely began to teach myself how to do my manicures at home.
When I first started, I was a little over-ambitious. I thought that I would become a queen at acrylic nails. It is safe to say that I never mastered acrylic nails. I simply ended up with a headache from the fumes in my bedroom. Not to mention that the set of nails that were chunky and fell of after around 2 hours. That was when I decided that gel would be the way to go. I thought it looked just as simple as painting your nails. So, I bought a Sensationail kit from Boots and it did the job for a number of years. I quickly learnt that if I wanted a high-quality manicure, I was going to look into high quality products. That is when I stumbled across The Gel Bottle Inc. I am sure that if you guys stalk Instagram like I do!
The Gel Bottle Inc are just amazing, and they have so many great products and colours. The thing that really intrigued me the most about this gel brand was that they have the ‘BIAB’. It is a gel builder in a bottle. So you apply it with the same precision that you would a normal gel polish and you are good to go. I have tried other gel builders in the past, where you get a pot of product and a synthetic brush. I have found them to be messy and super sticky. This company is pro only. This means that you can only go ahead and purchase if you have previous experience in using gel items. You also need to have certification to prove that you have had training. Fortunately for me, I did a gel nail course when I was in college!
Anyway, my manicure that I am wearing and loving at the moment is a classic French. I was praying that there was going to be a day where the classic French moment made a comeback because for many years it was out of style, but I think that it is just super chic and I have been rocking it for many moons before Bella Hadid happened to walk out wearing it once. I use simply 4 products from The Gel Bottle Inc to get my manicure. That is the BIAB in the shade Teddy, Gel Polish in the shade Marshmellow, Gel Polish in the shade Daisy. I top it off with the Ultra Shine Top Coat. For me to do all of my manicure from having blank nails to my hands being completely finished it takes me only around an hour and a half.
First off, I start with completely naked nails and I make sure that there is no remanence of my previous manicure in site. From there, I wipe over the nail with some pure acetone and after leaving it for a moment for that to soak in, I begin to go in with my product. I start out by adding one thin layer of the Teddy shade BIAB to my entire nail and then I cure under the lamp. Next, I then apply a second layer of Teddy BIAB, but slightly thicker this time ensuring that I am avoiding the cuticle at all costs and capping of the nail well, before curing under the lamp I turn my hand upside down which helps to create the apex. I will then repeat this step until my nail is the kind of thickness that I require.
Once the Teddy BIAB are in place and cured, I go in with one layer of gel polish in the shade Marshmallow. This is a light pink shade which is super sheer and it just gives a nice wash of pink to the nails without looking overpowering or too Barbie pink. When the Marshmallow has been cured underneath the lamp, that is when I go in with the white Daisy shade to add the tips to my nails. I have tried to find the perfect way of getting the tips to look consistent and I find that the easiest way is to paint the gel polish on the tip of my thumb and then I press that to the tip of my nail and it gives me the most perfect white line across the end of my finger tip. I then go in with two coats of clear coat!
Like I said, my at home manicure routine is super simple. I tend to always stick to the same style as I find that it is classy and chic. I like my nails to look well-manicured, maintained and natural. Make sure to leave me a comment down below. Let me know if you have tried out any of these items. Do your manicure at home or do you like going into the salon for a little pamper!
