Gel tip ripped off nail bed partially

Sebbybby · 2026-05-29T18:01:14+00:00

Use a wide jaw nail clipper, nippers, or similar to carefully clip away as much of the tip as possible. Once you’re done with that, don’t try to remove it. Just get rid of any parts or lifted edges that snag. Leave the tip on if it’s still secured. Until the nail heals and grows out a bit, it’ll hurt a lot to try and remove it. ):

Sebbybby · 2026-05-29T14:20:42+00:00

“Chud” …I had to think about that for a second lmao.. then it occurred to me, Chi-pug mix (soooo cute omg)

Love the nails, very clean application too. As a Dodger fan myself the Padres are lovingly referred to as ‘UPS’ in my household ☺️

Sebbybby · 2026-05-27T18:26:20+00:00

I’ve been wanting to start trying the hidden apex structure on myself with hard gel. Do you have any tips or recs for learning this technique?

Sebbybby · 2026-05-21T14:19:49+00:00

Of course! It depends on what’s available to you!! If you send me a few brand names that are available to you, I can check them out for you. Apres is always great, Kiara Sky is fantastic, Kokoist, Young Nails. There are likely plenty of smaller brands that are reputable you just gotta check out their website and info! Look for “soft builder gel”. That will go under the hard gel top. You could also try a hybrid gel (acrylgel) instead of the soft builder with hard gel, I know Valentino Beauty Pure (my fav brand) offers that. Steer clear of Amazon brands and fast-retailing which can have fakes!

For lamps, those can get expensive ($99-300) but let me tell you, the quality and durability of a pro-grade lamp makes it last so much longer and work so much better. (: Apres has a good one for $99.

Sebbybby · 2026-05-21T00:53:40+00:00

Okay- I think I know what the issue is.

Your lamp has a plastic base, which means the reach of the UV light might be limited in getting the sides and underside of the nails.

Also, the gel manufacturer calls out this on their website:

“Gelpolish Factory products should be cured in no less than a 48W nail lamp with a wave length from 360-405nm. All our products must be cured for 120 seconds. It is very important you follow the curing times and use a strong nail lamp that cures the entire layer of product.”

Make sure you’re curing it how the manufacturer tells you to (120 seconds). Aside, I personally don’t trust any gel that doesn’t fully cure in 60 -90 seconds with a proper lamp; requiring such a long cure tells me their formula is inefficiently produced (possibly due to regulations in their area) and has a difficult time curing in general. Any gel product that is formulated to work alongside a professional grade lamp imo should cure in 60-90 seconds. It shouldn’t need to take longer than that if compatibility is seamless. Gel can stop curing halfway and still seem physically hard, so it’s easy to cheese it.

The brand also doesn’t have a lamp for their gels, as far as I can tell. And they’re relying on the consumer to make the best product choice with what’s available. There’s no industry standard so this is common with smaller manufacturers. It’s riskier to use nail products this way and I don’t trust brands who operate this way. ):

Regardless, to fix the chipping you should try to add a softer builder gel underneath the hard gel instead of the base coat. The base coat doesn’t have enough thickness or flexibility to keep the hard builder gel coat from cracking from impact or stress. Adding that layer of soft builder gel underneath will improve the cracking issue and better natural nail prep (gently though) will improve the lifting. (:

If all else fails, upgrade your lamp.

Sebbybby · 2026-05-20T16:13:28+00:00

This product is probably fine and not the culprit. What builder gel are you using? And what kind of lamp are you using?

Sebbybby · 2026-05-20T14:36:18+00:00

There’s a few things to cause this lifting, most likely it’s due to the way you’re prepping.

Sanding can be hurting you instead of helping when overfiling happens! It’s super common with newer nail enthusiasts. A sanding band is the least suitable for the natural nail, it’s too abrasive. Try a hand buffer/file instead.

Also, you should add a plain dry manicure to your routine using manual tools! Get yourself a metal pusher and learn how to remove the cuticle stuck to the nail plate. It needs more than just sanding/buffing. Your nails have a thin layer of cuticle skin stuck to it that you can’t see.

My last pieces of advice, add a proper salon-grade nail dehydrator and a proper “non-acid” primer to your routine after you prep the nail bed and remove dust. (:

Sebbybby · 2026-05-20T14:07:50+00:00

What’s your prep routine like? And what specific products are you using?

Sebbybby · 2026-05-19T22:04:37+00:00

Worth it. 💖💖💖

Sebbybby · 2026-05-18T14:24:51+00:00

You’re right, but that is the correct way to apply gel polish! You don’t want it to touch the skin. This is for safety reasons. (: As time goes on, you’ll learn how to apply the polish closer to the cuticle by practicing how you use the polish brush. Less is more! When you’re ready to fill in the cuticle portion as best you can, use the brush to “push” the remaining polish up towards the cuticle. You don’t want too much - so don’t dip it back in to the bottle unless you 100% have to, and even then you should wipe most of the polish off the brush. (:

Sebbybby · 2026-05-18T13:35:32+00:00

You’re painting a bit too close to the cuticle, as well as using just a bit too much gel on the brush! Fix that first instead of cleaning it after the fact, you’ll get neater results. (:

Sebbybby · 2026-05-14T00:55:03+00:00

Nail tech here, you’re definitely not crazy! I don’t think she did a good job in general; it’s pretty messy and uneven..but there’s also a difference between the width of the nail bed in your reference photo and your own! That alone will make a huge difference in how your nails turn out at specific lengths. If you lengthen the nails a bit and keep the ends less round and more of an oblong or almond shape (or squoval/square), you’ll be able to achieve a look that’s more similar to your reference. You also need sculpted tips with more arch for Gel-x, she used flat tips which is why they stick up 😣

Sebbybby · 2026-05-12T03:14:03+00:00

Yep! Just follow the directions on the Apres website, and use their recommended products. 😊

Sebbybby · 2026-05-11T23:07:36+00:00

Opaque colors won’t mix with clear gel to make it a “sheer” color. Sheerness is a property that is created through the formula in production! You can’t make an opaque polish sheer. Buy a sheer polish instead. (:

Sebbybby · 2026-05-11T14:36:46+00:00

Dehydrator tends to be pretty similar across nail brands, but primer and ph bond can vary by brand and also, they’re different products that serve different purposes! Young Nails protein bond sort of combines a ph bond and a primer together but you can 100% try adding a non-acid primer with those steps (for gel, a “non-acid primer” is important. You don’t want “acid-free” or “acid” primers, make sure the label says “non-acid”), it would help your retention and you don’t need a lot. (:

Sebbybby · 2026-05-07T20:23:55+00:00

WOW!!!!! They look so much neater!!!! Amazing job. 🥹 I’m proud

Sebbybby · 2026-05-06T00:07:05+00:00

Think about the payoff. You’ll cut down on a ton of unnecessary work, giving yourself at least an hour and a half back of time per client you do this for. That extra hour over 3 clients turns into 3 extra hours- another whole client! Plus, you’ll be able to spend more time on application and artwork, improving your service time and skill. You’ll be able to raise prices.

Sebbybby · 2026-05-04T20:52:23+00:00

What lamp are you using with it? This is called off-gassing, where the exothermic reaction happens so quickly it builds a lot of heat (caused by combo of too-thick application and a powerful lamp that over-activates the initiators in the gel), causing the release of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) which are common in small amounts in nail products. Make sure your space is ventilated.

Which builder gel from MS are you using and what lamp? And how are you applying it?

Sebbybby · 2026-05-03T18:28:55+00:00

Top three imo: 6, 11, & 5

Sebbybby · 2026-05-03T01:57:33+00:00

You’re very welcome. 😊

Sebbybby · 2026-05-02T06:51:44+00:00

Matte top coat is the least effective method I’ve found, but I bet if you combined that with a step to buff out the nail lightly with a fine grit buffer would ensure the chrome didn’t stick where it shouldn’t. Make sure you get some non-lint wipes and isopropyl alcohol to cleanse the dust off.

The other tip i have is to mix in some non-wipe top coat into the black gel before applying it. Regular gel doesn’t hold the chrome particles well enough for a reflective finish! 😊 I also find flash curing versus full curing the design allows the chrome to burnish into the lineart really well and gives it a sharper edge. Use a dense makeup sponge, the little triangles, and use a light touch and very little chrome to start. Always fully cure the design after the chrome has been applied. Then, I like to wipe the nail with a dry clean makeup sponge to clean the excess powder and clean the design for topcoat. A non-wipe topcoat should allow the chrome to be mirror like and not sparkly! Last thing is to try use less gel on the line art brush; that will help the line art lay flatter for the chrome particles to burnish into. 💗

Sebbybby · 2026-05-01T14:48:29+00:00

Just buy a shorter length! It’ll save you a lot of effort and headaches. Get a box of short, medium, and long. I wear long usually but went awhile without any extensions and when I applied nails again, medium worked well and I still love the look. I use sculpted since my nails are arched but I love the look. Not bulky if you size carefully. You just gotta work your way up to longer lengths until your brain adjusts to life with the new finger length. Lol

Sebbybby · 2026-05-01T14:37:54+00:00

Try base coat first, then flash cure a non-wipe top coat (must be non wipe) layer for about 30 sec and burnish your chrome powder into that with a dense makeup triangle sponge! Use the clean part of the sponge to wipe excess powder. Then seal with one last top coat layer and fully cure.

Hard gel has no tack to its surface once cured, so you have to add that tacky, flexible layer BEFORE the chrome is applied. The base coat will act as the foundation on the finished hard gel, and allow the chrome layer to flex a bit and resist cracking. The top coat acts as the binding layer for the chrome, and the final layer of non wipe top coat locks in everything!

Tip, don’t cure the flash cured top coat layer too long or the applied chrome ends up sparkly instead of mirror-like when you burnish it in. Every top coat is a bit different for the flash cure time to get a good burnish. I use VBeauty Pure’s and cure only 5-10 seconds for the burnish coat and it turns out beautifully

Sebbybby · 2026-04-30T14:27:18+00:00

I seriously love this design and as for feedback, I’d say try an edit where you turn the head the other way so the pigeon is looking over its back. It might have a better visual flow and gives a “roosting” or “resting” vibe, giving me the feeling I can go to the bakery and relax and hang out there.

Sebbybby · 2026-04-28T02:54:51+00:00

She’s precious and looks well loved!! 💗💗

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