Tuesday Tips

Here is a set of acrylic nails I did last week. They have these blue strips of mylar encased in pink acrylic. In person they are so shiny and have a bit of sparkle from the mylar.

I received a question about gel polishes this week from a reader.

Q: I was told not to do gel polish on my nails because you can only file it off or use a tool and it would ruin my nails. Is this true?

A: Gel polish can be soaked off in acetone. If your nail technician has applied Shellac, Gelish, Opi or another brand of gel polish they can remove the polish with acetone or you can do it yourself safely and easily.

I have found Shellac gel polish is slightly easier to remove than other brands I have tried because you do not need to rough up the outer layer prior to removal. Saturate a cotton ball or a nail removal pad like these. If you are using the nail polish removal pads you just wrap these around your nails and wait 15-20 minutes. If you are using cotton balls you can hold the cotton ball on your nail with a piece of tin foil. Just place the acetone saturated cotton ball over your polish and wrap with a small piece of tin foil. Wait 15-20 minutes and wiggle back and forth to remove.
If your technician applied Gelish or another brand of gel polish you need to file the surface of your nails to remove the shine and break the seal before they will soak off. I use a 180 grit file to do this and gently file the surface of the nail until all the shin is gone, then soak a cotton ball in acetone and wrap with tin foil for about 20 minutes.
My tip is to get Pure Acetone from a beauty supply store like Sally's. I have found this makes all the difference. Do not ever heat acetone in the microwave or use in a room with an open flame as acetone is highly flammable!

~Shannon

Do you have a question you want me to answer about nails, jewelry or business? Submit your questions to formysweetdaughter@me.com and I will do my best to answer them in another Tuesday Tips.

~all of the above info is my personal opinion and findings. I have been a licensed nail technician in NY State for 11 years. Each state has it's own set of rules and regulations please consult professional in your state for state specific rules and regulations.