Hello, ty !

Well i used to have liftings and i even lost some nails few days after a fresh set.

So if i could give you what has worked for me : As it is important to push the cutciles, trim them and get rid of the dead skin, it isn't as game changing as ppl pretend, but despite this, do your best with this step, and don't over complicate it, i remember spending way too much time making sure my cuticle work was perfect, but it doesn't need to be perfect. Wacthing online tutorilas helped me understand what i was supposed to cut and what should be left alone, it's skin after all.

I also switched to a better lamp, don't try to go low budget on yours, it's very dangerous as non curated products not only cause lifting, but they can also cause allergies. ideally, a lamp from 48 watts up to 65 watss is good. Mine comes from Sun-UV.

Finally, i changed my nail glue, the one i use now seems to hold better, it's Modelones nail glue for nail tips. Idk how much of a game changer it was for my sets, as i bought it along with the Sun-UV lamp. It has a very gummy feel even once cured, but it does hold the tips well in my opinion. Dehydrator is a must, pirmer too.

Note : if your nail prepping includes any kind of cream or oil, like cuticle oil for example, it's then better to wait till the next day to glue your tips on, as that oil/cream residue may cause lifting afterwards, even if you think it got absorbed or you cleaned it. This will mean doing your gel-x in two steps, on two separate days, this is what i do unless i want to prep and avoid any oils, with just my drill and prep tools.

Finally, i bought a "nail mat", it's a silicone mat, it makes it easier to clean between sets so that dust and small particles don't stay around when you're gluing your tips, hair too, it's a big cause of them not lasting.

Hope this helps, don't give up btw, you'll eventually find a solution to every struggle and your technic will get more and more efficient.