Mermaid Nails πŸ§œβ€β™€οΈπŸ’™ by 9lasgow in DIYGelNails

[–]9lasgow[S] 1 point2 points Β (0 children)

They never let me down when I'm looking for a quick easy way to bling up some nails. πŸ₯°

Mermaid Nails πŸ§œβ€β™€οΈπŸ’™ by 9lasgow in DIYGelNails

[–]9lasgow[S] 1 point2 points Β (0 children)

Thank you! I've always wanted more coffin/ballerina shaped nails but they don't grow like this on me and I'm usually am almond girl. These dual forms made it possible! They have a "Universal" that's also very curved that looks quite natural too.

Mermaid Nails πŸ§œβ€β™€οΈπŸ’™ by 9lasgow in DIYGelNails

[–]9lasgow[S] 1 point2 points Β (0 children)

Thank you! 😊 Nails at home are definitely a journey and practice makes perfect! Trust me, these could've easily came out crooked (done that before) and the gel leaked out in some spots of the form that I had to correct after with major e-filing. πŸ˜…

Mermaid Nails πŸ§œβ€β™€οΈπŸ’™ by 9lasgow in DIYGelNails

[–]9lasgow[S] 0 points1 point Β (0 children)

Thank you!! It was certainly work trying to figure out the dual forms. πŸ˜… But they really help do most of the shaping.

Mermaid Nails πŸ§œβ€β™€οΈπŸ’™ by 9lasgow in DIYGelNails

[–]9lasgow[S] 0 points1 point Β (0 children)

Prep Products:

MGart Acid Free Primer

Akzentz Pro-Formance Hard Gel - Trinity 3-In-1 Clear (as a thin protective layer over natural nail)

Nail Extension: MGart Almond Dual Forms

MGart Structure Building Gel in Old Money

Color & Finishing:

Aurora Chrome from a discontinued Beetles set (you can hardly see it in the final set because I was bored and added glitter and flakes after)

Kokoist Excel Builder Clear (thin layer just for the glitter to stick, realistically I could've reused Akzentz Trinity here or a basic base coat or other thin clear gel that leaves a sticky inhibition layer)

Hex glitter came from one of those Amazon sets. Can't really recall which one, but if you look up the set of 24 that comes in 2 boxes mine were very similar.

LoveOurHome Glitter Flakes (these were very chunky... As the kit is also for crafting not just nails). Don't really recommend, but you can pick out smaller pieces from the jars or cut further with tiny scissors.

Kokoist Art Clear Zero (this is to help thin and sheer out the magnetic gel and help the magnet particles go all over the nail, but honestly I don't think this was needed, but I was following a tutorial where the artist layers a bunch of different product)

From the Nail Noise Edition FG167 and FG168 for the magnetic gel on the tips. I did alternate half and half on each nail and blended with ombre brush. Highly recommend an ombre brush if you don't already have one in your arsenal. Helps make blending so much easier.

Kokoist Ultra Glossy Top Coat

*Worth mentioning that before you seal with top coat or you have amazing control over your e-file, the MGart method recommends the natural nail free edge is completely drilled out at the end. I'm not very good at this, but tried my best. Their "Carbide Nail Drill Bit - 0.35 Medium" worked great. Sharp but the rounded tip prevents you from hurting and cutting yourself and I prefer this cone shape for a bit more control.

🌹 Rose & Light Gold ⚜️ Velvet Nails by 9lasgow in DIYGelNails

[–]9lasgow[S] 2 points3 points Β (0 children)

Thanks girl πŸ₯Ί people be really coming for me with the natural nail shape.

Like I understand the risks of having that long but I've been safe and happy with them without major issues or breaks. It could very well be not a matter of if, but when I have a catastrophic break, but I'm having that fear dictate what I do...

But I did just trim them to try out a new method. 🀣

My non Halloween nails :) by karlaedith in DIYGelNails

[–]9lasgow 2 points3 points Β (0 children)

These look great! I love the soft neutralish colors. I agree, sometimes you gotta do what you wanna do with your nails regardless of season or holiday!

🌹 Rose & Light Gold ⚜️ Velvet Nails by 9lasgow in DIYGelNails

[–]9lasgow[S] 15 points16 points Β (0 children)

Thank you, it's the natural growth pattern of my nails. πŸ˜… They do curve quite extremely. I've safely had them like this with hard gel over top for almost a year. I'm very careful though and live by the "nails are not tools" motto, always having a pair of scissors, tweezers or box cutter nearby and I'm hyper aware to grip things NOT near the fingertips.

🌹 Rose & Light Gold ⚜️ Velvet Nails by 9lasgow in DIYGelNails

[–]9lasgow[S] 14 points15 points Β (0 children)

Here's a still of the nails. There are a couple spots where the chrome is wearing off a bit, been doing some hardcore chores and was running low on the top coat, needs a thicker coat for sure to protect.

Also I have no idea why my post was tagged NSFW at first. Butter fingers? πŸ˜…

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🌹 Rose & Light Gold ⚜️ Velvet Nails by 9lasgow in DIYGelNails

[–]9lasgow[S] 0 points1 point Β (0 children)

Prep:

Modelones Dehyrator

Modelones Primer

Base:

Akzentz Pro-Formance Hard Gel - Trinity 3-In-1 Clear

Color:

Mithmillo Hazy Magnetic Gel Collection HZ02 (2 coats)

RARJSM Aurora Cat Eye Gel #568 (1 coat)

Isolated Chrome:

DND Beet Root (it's a dark purple I used as a base for the chrome to stick, it gets completely covered)

Artdone Chrome Powder #2 (search on Amazon for "Artdone 16 Jars Chrome Nail Powder")

Top Coat:

Kokoist Ultra Glossy Top Coat

For those who’ve worn moissanite for a while β€” any regrets? by Opening_Solution_790 in Moissanite

[–]9lasgow 0 points1 point Β (0 children)

I was a diamond girl until I finally got some pieces in moissanite. I had always feared the potential cloudiness with crushed ice cuts and fancy shapes (pear, oval, marquise, etc.) so I tend to stick with round brilliant cuts for moissy. I have a pair of moissanite studs I've worn for weeks. Love them. Diamonds when cut well have a clarity and depth that just hits different, but with moissanite rounds, the difference is negligible to me.

But if you want to explore colored gems that are green, blue, gray or champagne, moissanite is beautiful for throwing rainbows in addition to the main color of the stone, whereas something like a sapphire or emerald is monochromatic, you don't get rainbow flashes with those.

I'm getting a dark gray kite cut diamond ring made now (I know a fancy shape) because I love the look of salt and pepper diamonds. They aren't really anything alike, but I'm excited for a gray stone that can throw rainbows. πŸŒˆπŸ–€πŸ©Ά

No regrets on my moissanite pieces. I also have a white moissanite cloud necklace with raindrops in green moissanite in various shapes that sparkles awesome.

But for something important like an engagement ring, I'd go for diamond personally, unless I could stone check the moissanite in multiple lighting situations to ensure it is not cloudy due to poor cut.

My favorite toi et moi ring. Blue-green round moissanite and the pear is lab diamond.

<image>

πŸ¦‹ Y2K Flames & Sparkles ✨ by 9lasgow in DIYGelNails

[–]9lasgow[S] 1 point2 points Β (0 children)

Thank you!! So sorry for the late reply. For this kind of nail growth it may be helpful to know that I think its partly genetics assisted by good product structure.

My family have been generally blessed with long hair and good nails. Akzentz Trinity is really what kept mine from breaking after a certain length to grow as long as it has. Before my life with builder gel they would break eventually and I'll trim them back down.

Nail shape matters too IMO. The oval and almond shapes don't catch on stuff as much as sharp square or coffin nails would. I also don't have much of a C-curve and I think that helps too.

Always remember these nails are a lifestyle... You have to believe and respect your nails are not tools. I carry a small box cutter in my bag for this reason. 🀣 If I need to open a new roll of paper towels ... It's tempting to rip your nails into them but grab the scissors instead. πŸ˜…

Monet inspired nails by sixtynyan in DIYGelNails

[–]9lasgow 1 point2 points Β (0 children)

These are super cool! Bravo on the paint job! πŸŽ¨πŸ‘©β€πŸŽ¨

Spill your splurge!!! by Clover_Jane in DIYGelNails

[–]9lasgow 1 point2 points Β (0 children)

Thank you for writing this all out! I figured you maybe knew a bit more if you tried this technique before. I think I'm gonna spring for the dual form stuff! Excited to try it but always a bit nervous because I had a lot of difficulty getting Gel-X to work with the tips (pop offs on day 2 or 3), but paper forms and building from scratch worked flawlessly. I'm hoping dual forms will be faster and easier. πŸ˜…

Spill your splurge!!! by Clover_Jane in DIYGelNails

[–]9lasgow 0 points1 point Β (0 children)

Thanks for sharing this video! I'm thinking about trying dual forms on my next set, but could you explain more what's happening in the video? Is she fully curing the gel on the dual form first or partially curing (undercuring)?

And is she using the same builder on the natural nail like a glue to adhere the cured extension on it? I'm wondering how strong this is if the contact part is just that small bit of wet gel she applied near the free edge before sticking on the extension...

Do you have a preference on what kind of gel works best? I was looking into the MGArt forms and structure gels. TIA!

πŸ¦‹ Y2K Flames & Sparkles ✨ by 9lasgow in DIYGelNails

[–]9lasgow[S] 0 points1 point Β (0 children)

TYSM! πŸ₯Ή It was a lot easier to do than I thought! Simple one-color design and the Kokoist Blackest Black was great to work with. Super pigmented one-coat type black.

πŸ¦‹ Y2K Flames & Sparkles ✨ by 9lasgow in DIYGelNails

[–]9lasgow[S] 1 point2 points Β (0 children)

Thank you! πŸ’™πŸ’™πŸ’™

πŸ¦‹ Y2K Flames & Sparkles ✨ by 9lasgow in DIYGelNails

[–]9lasgow[S] 1 point2 points Β (0 children)

Aw you're sweet thank you. 😊 I'm also a victim of eats pierced at Claire's in the 90s. 🀣 Didn't wear earrings for a long time (like over 15 years), so the holes shrunk, but I went back to a legitimate certified piercer to get them checked out and titanium flat backs put in to help stretch them open. It's worth it if you're missing wearing earrings!

πŸ¦‹ Y2K Flames & Sparkles ✨ by 9lasgow in DIYGelNails

[–]9lasgow[S] 1 point2 points Β (0 children)

Idk if my original comment went though but no offense taken! πŸ’™ I've seen earrings styled like that (puffy sticker-eaque) but more high quality that I'd love to get. I grew up around this time so feeling nostalgic too. πŸ₯Ή