What Supplies Do I Need For Dip Nails
In addition to dip powder and dip liquids linked above, youll need a several supplies on hand to make your nails look their best.
Buffing Blocks Youll want to use these to smooth your dip nails after activating but before applying a top coat.
Cuticle Pusher If you dont already have one of these on hand, youll need one. Making sure your cuticles are pushed back and cleaned up is the number one secret to success with dip nails.
100% Acetone is absolutely necessary to removing your dips without ripping them off in a fit of rage.
Orange Sticks The trick to a clean cuticle line is running an orange stick, or a toothpick, around the edge of your cuticle after each and every dip. Slightly labor intensive but well worth your time!
Nail Files Essential for shaping and smoothing your nails before and after application.
Gel UV Light While its not essential, I prefer to finish my manicures with a gel top coat as it helps them last even longer. Pair it with this top coat for shiny nails that last.
How To Do A Manicure At Home
This article was co-authored by Mia Rubie. Mia Rubie is a Nail Artist and the Owner of Sparkle San Francisco, a nail studio based in San Francisco, California. She has over eight years of nail artist and management experience and is known for her push-the-envelope designs and artistic eye for colors. Her clients include Sephora, Target, and Vogue. Her work has been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle and StyleCaster. She holds a BBA focusing on Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations from San Francisco State University. You can find her work on her Instagram account @superflynails.There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 88,422 times.
If you crave a good manicure but don’t want to spend money at a salon, try giving yourself one at home. Be sure to trim and condition your nails before painting them for the most professional-looking finish. With the right tools and some patience, you can do a beautiful, salon-caliber manicure at home.
Step #: Apply Seal Protect
Once the clear powder has been applied it is time to apply the Seal Protect in your Dip Powder Starter Kit; this bottle is labeled as #3. Seal Protect is going to activate your powders. Without Seal Protect, the nail will never dry properly. Youll know the first Seal Protect layer is dry when you tap on it. If you hear a little click sound when you tap on your nail, youll know the nail is dry and you can move onto the next step!
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Regular Nail Polish With Gel Topcoat
- Time: 15-20 minutes, but with a 24 hour wait time between regular and gel coats
- Difficulty: Easy
- Lasts: 10-15 days
Ok, ladies. This does work, BUT there are some caveats.
You have to wait 24 hours after putting the regular nail polish on before you can add the gel topcoat. Also, it doesnt have the long-lasting effect that an all-gel nail will. It will by shiny and pretty like gel nails and will last longer than normal nail polish, but not nearly as long as an all-gel nail.
The gel topcoat will still require a UV light and 30-60 seconds to cure on each hand.
Which Begs The Question: Are Dip Powder Nail Kits A Diy Or A Dont
Full disclosure, Ive only ever done my nails with the usual lacquer and have never worn acrylics. Gel manicures have intimidated me for years due to my worry about harming my natural nails. But when I saw my sister-in-laws dip powder manicure on social media, I was inspired to try one for myself. Plus, now that I had plenty of time on my hands, I felt ready to dress them up. I bought a Peppi Gel dip powder starter kit online and figured that as long as I followed the instructions to the T, Id get it right in one try.
Wrong. So very wrong. Dip kits take more precision than it seems or at least more than Im used to.
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What Are Powder Dip Nails
The powder seems magic, but the articles Ive read say it is acrylic powder. A base coat is applied and then the nails are dipped into the powder. Another layer of polish is applied and the nails are dipped again. The chemical reaction that occurs between the polish and the powder means it dries instantly and creates a tough, durable layer immediately. The powder they used on me was clear, but they also come in different colors. The benefit of clear powder is that I can change my polish color as often as I want. I actually opted to get a gel coat on top, not realizing there was colored powder.
First, a base coat is applied, and the nail is dipped into a powder. The process is repeated a couple of times depending on how many coats you want. Then, the rough, powdery layers are transformed into a smooth, glossy finish once a sealant is applied. The best part: You dont have to worry about the possibility of skin damage from UV lamps. Unlike the classic gel manicure, it dries instantly.
Diy Dip Nails At Home To Save Money
VOILA!
You now have beautiful, professional-looking nails!
If you dont get the exact look youre going for the first time, dont get frustrated! It may take a few times to get in the groove and learn what works best!
Keep trying. The cost savings over time is so worth the time you put in now. I always see the learning process as an investment in myself.
If youd like to see the tutorial for professional salon quality gel nails at home to save an additional $2,000 a year, you can learn those steps here.
If you tried my tutorial on how to do dip nails, let me know in the comments below or send me an email with a picture of the outcome! =)
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Everything You Need To Know About Dip Powder Nails
Have you tried this nail trend yet?
There is nothing worse than chipped nail polish. After spending all that time and effort achieving a perfect manicure, it is always such a bummer when simply opening a can of soda messes up your nails. As hard as I try to be cautious after a mani, it only takes a day or two before I start looking like I crawled my way out of a coffin.
Over the years, I have simply accepted the fact that I will never have the nails of my dreams. But there is a lesser-known nail polish product that is promising to help even klutzes like me keep our nails perfect.;Its called dip powder, and Glamour describes it as somewhere between a regular mani and a fake nail.
Glamour also notes that this process isnt new, but its gaining some new attention thanks to social media.
What Are The Best Dip Powder Kits
The dip powder nail industry has exploded recently and there are so many companies selling powders and liquids.
Kiara Sky Starter Kit Kiara Sky is one of the big names in the dip nail community and they have a huge product line. Their dip starter kit is more expensive than most, more than double the cost of each of the kits listed below, but it comes with a full complement of liquids.
Modelones I impulse purchased a kit from Modelones on Amazon when long shipping times were making me anxious to get started. Modelones is affordably priced and their kits come with a number of useful items like a cuticle pusher, file, buffer, liquids, and a variety of dip powder colors. If youre just dipping your toe into dip nails, this might be a good place to start. However, there was a noticeable difference between Modelones and the next product on this list.
Revel Nails Revel is one of the first brands that I tried and I really love the quality of their powders and liquids. Its worth noting that Revel is experiencing some shipping delays
A post shared by Sparkle & Co. Luxe Nails on Oct 21, 2020 at 2:31pm PDT
I love the quality of the powders from Sparkle and Co, but their subscription boxes are what set them apart. They have a variety of options for all budgets and their subscriptions often come with a few fun surprises!
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What Are Gel Nails
Gel nails look more like real nails. To create gel nails, you will apply a gel primer on each nail and allow it to dry. Then you will apply gel foundation and polish to each nail and then cure your nails under an LED light.
There are a few steps involved with doing gel nails, however, one of the bonuses is that they will normally last longer than doing acrylics. The downside though is that having them done by a nail tech will set you back a bit more.
Our contributor Kenda, did a fantastic tutorial on Doing Your Own Acrylic Nails at Home. She also put together a step by step DIY nail tutorial using the Kiara Sky Dip System.
Pink And White Acrylic Tip Set
- Time: 3 Hours
- Difficulty: Very Hard
- Lasts: 2-3 weeks
This is the technique where the white tips are glued to the tip of your nail with both a pink and white acrylic applied.
I kid you not. This technique is EXTREMELY difficult. The nail professionals make it look so easy, but its definitely not. I was determined to learn, but I finally decided that keeping all my hair was more important. =)
Its been a few years since Ive tried this technique again, but I had tried for several months and wasnt able to achieve the professional look I wanted. Id still recommend going to the nail salon for this type of nails, unless you have a lot of patience.
However, I do have a way to achieve the same look using dip, which can be found in my nail dip tutorial.
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How Much Money Will You Save By Doing Your Own Nails
I used to invest in getting my nails done because I do believe a well-manicured nail positively impacts my life, both in my career and my first impressions with people.
When I have my nails done, I feel more put together when they look flawless and I feel better about myself. I find that even when Im in yoga pants at the gym covered in sweat, having a shiny beautiful nail makes me feel feminine and sexy.
Plus, I work for a Fortune 500 company and meet with global organizations on a daily basis so I need to look professional.
Therefore, a beautiful nail is a MUST in my life.
However, getting your nails done every three weeks can get expensive quickly. I had gotten them done for years at nail salons, until I calculated how much I was spending.
I was spending $65 every three weeks on getting my nails done.
I realized I was spending $1,000 per year just on my nails. That amounts to over $5,000 over the last 5 years just for my fingernails!
Not to mention, I was spending another $55 every 3 weeks to get my toes done! All together, I was spending over $2,000 a year on toes and finger nails, which amounts to over $10,000 over the last 5 years!!
HOLY SMOKES!!! Thats ridiculous. I could buy a car for that! There must be another way! I wanted to invest that money in the stock market so it could earn interest over the years and make me money, instead of going down the drain.
I decided I needed to take it in-house and do my nails at home to save money. How hard could it be?
Mistakes I Made On My First Dip
Getting too close to the cuticle I wanted to get close to the cuticle because I was worried about them growing out too fast, but what ends up happening is theres too much product pooled around the cuticle so when it grows out, theres a big ridge of product there. Stay a little ways off the cuticle to avoid this!
Too many layers of dip I accidentally applied more pro base on step 6 instead of activator! So I had to dip all my nails again and did one too many layers. It made my nails a little thick but it wasnt a huge deal!
Not filing away lumps In step 8 you have the opportunity to shape and file the nail. I wasnt thorough enough here and had a few lumpy spots I didnt smooth out! Not terrible, but next time I will run my fingers over every nail feeling for lumps.
Inevitably on your first couple dips there may be a few kinks to work out. Make sure you read the troubleshooting tips that come in the pamphlet with your kit and also join the for more questions and troubleshooting tips!
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How Much Do Dip Nails Cost
Ive clearly explained why Im overly obsessed with dip nails, but one of the biggest questions is always: how much do dip nails cost at an average salon?
The question of how much dip nails cost will depend on your location and salon, but I can give you a general idea.
The cost of a regular dip manicure should be anywhere from $30-$50, including tax but before adding a tip. Gel tips will run you about $20-$30 extra, depending on how many you need and what type of tips the salon uses.
You should always ask how much dip nails cost before booking with a salon. If the price is too low, they might use 2nd rate dip products, while a super high price just wont be affordable for regular upkeep.
I also recommend asking how much do dip nails cost if youre planning on adding fancy designs, sparkle nail accents, or each nail in a different color.
If youre wondering how much dip nails cost at home, the answer will depend on the kit you get. Ill link some of my favorite kits a bit lower down, but the price will mainly be for the initial investment. If youre committed to doing dip nails at home over time, then the cost will get cheaper each time you do them.
What Is An Sns Powder Dip Manicure Exactly
Different to your standard gel or acrylic nails, an SNS manicure uses a gel base polish to begin and then while wet, the nail is dipped in powder for colour. It dries instantly and doesn’t require an LED or UV lamp to cure the nail .
According to SNS creators the gel base polish is packed with nutrients including vitamins A, E, D and B5 to help protect your nails.
For anyone who has had an SNS manicure before, you’ll understand how complex the process is it’s definitely a skill that will make you appreciate your nail technician a whole lot more but after a few practice runs it’s possible to master salon-quality nails at home, on your own!
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How The Dip Powder Process Works
The process is pretty simple, which means this could be a great option for at-home manicures. Not having to hit up a nail salon to get an acrylic or gel polish done would certainly save some dough. You also dont need to worry about dust inhalation, as you do with acrylics or with UV exposure, as you do with a gel manicure.
And, perhaps one of the biggest selling points is that the color is applied to your nail in powder form, so if you get it on your skin it wont stick like a typical nail polish will.
Check out how simple the dip powder process is below:
After dipping your nails into the powder, you seal the color with a protective clear polish. Its an easy process, and the nails dry instantly!
And it has impressive resultsreviews say it can last up to two to four weeks. Nor do you have to go to your local nail salon and shell out big bucks for the procedure. Many companies sell kits that allow you to apply dip powder at home, such as Kiara Sky Professional Nails.
What Do You Need To Start Doing Nails At Home
You dont need a lot of accessories to do your own nails, however, make sure that you have everything you need before you begin.
One key thing to keep in mind is that you will want to cover and protect the surface where you will be doing your nails. I have actually ruined our kitchen table by making the mistake of not having it covered enough.
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Step #: Apply Clear Dip Powder
Now you can proceed to your clear layer! The clear powder is extremely important to your dip application because it will protect your gorgeous color pigments when it is time to file the nail.;
This step is completed using the Kiara Sky Dip Powder Recycling System. This Recycling System will help to prevent any cross-contamination of other colors with your clear powder.
Apply your Base to the entire nail once again, grab your clear powder, and gently pour it over the nail, allowing the excess to be collected by your Recycling System. You can then reuse the excess powder and use the scoop to pour over your next nail!;
