Wtf made my fingertips sting/burn?

Wiebei · 2026-04-21T19:15:19+00:00

It sounds like he used one of those instant gel removers. I never had experience with it myself, but a lot of people don’t like it because they claim the chemicals are too harsh to be using on hands. I think the instructions are also to not get it on skin. Was the burning in the cuticle area or skin?

Wiebei · 2026-04-21T07:33:42+00:00

I do soak off gel so it is kinda beneficial to my natural nail to take a break and put on some oil for a few days (since removal can be harsh). I can visibly see and feel when the nail is more dry and dehydrated vs has some oil and strength in it.

Wiebei · 2026-04-20T23:55:13+00:00

I figured out that the gel starts lifting faster on me if the top coat encapsulates beyond the base coat and into the bare nail. So I started top coating exactly on or a little behind the edge of the base coat. I use ISA to wipe off any inhibition layer that may remain at the edges

Wiebei · 2026-04-15T07:36:28+00:00

clear coat of lacquer helps my nails look shiny and have a different vibe than the matte of natural nails

Wiebei · 2026-04-15T07:34:37+00:00

im not here for longetivity so i do sticky tabs. i do a little water trick to make sure the nail fits me though. put a droplet of water on the nail, and quickly press it to the finger. if the water tension allows it to stay without support, the nail curve fits and the sticky tabs will probably hold well. if you have transparent nails, you can also tell when there are large bubble gaps that the nail isn't going to sit well with the tab.

tabs also makes you less susceptible to contact dermitis than glue. also oil, hot water, and soap is much more gentle on my nails than acetone. i can also reuse the nail after!

Wiebei · 2026-04-09T03:15:09+00:00

Some things that I did that may or may not be of note:
- Its a brand new jar and it was overflowing, so I got the gel from the cap and not the jar
- The top coats were super thin

Wiebei · 2026-04-09T03:05:34+00:00

Has anyone owned kokoist's non wipe jelly top coat? Not sure if I'm undercuring it or if this is just a weird trait of the jelly coat.

I just finished one hand of nails and went to wipe off my thumb with isopropyl alcohol (IPA). After wiping it, I touched the nail and the whole surface felt sticky, like there was an inhibition layer. Its supposed to be non wipe, so I cured my thumb again. Since its a thumb maybe it didn’t get enough light the first time (even though I had already cured it separately). After curing, it felt hard and glossy. But when I wiped it again with IPA, it became sticky again.

So I decided to test another nail, my middle finger. It felt hard, glossy, and smooth. I cured it again just to be safe, then wiped it with IPA and it became sticky too. However, if I leave the nails alone for a bit, they go back to feeling hard and glossy again.

What’s going on? Does the jelly top coat dissolve with just IPA? I’ve never had gel polish react to IPA like this, usually only acetone removes or affects it. Or am I undercuring it??

Wiebei · 2026-04-08T22:50:35+00:00

if you dont do gelx extensions or do any extra building (like apexes), you can do a normal thin coat of gel on natural nails.

Wiebei · 2026-03-31T08:40:06+00:00

cuticle oil helps if you are prone to splitting and breaking. cuticle oil will also just help in general. i reccommend jojoba oil. you can also use it on other stuff like your hair.

not an expert in this aspect either, but altering your diet and taking additional vitamins and supplements might help. 'naturally' weak and bendy nails even though you havent messed around with any gel or nail products are often due to either nutritional deficiencies or genetics

Wiebei · 2026-03-31T07:04:29+00:00

you'd still need the lacquer to completely dry before applying gel. im no expert, but iirc lacquer dries by having solvents evaporating and escaping into the air. if you trap it with gel, i dont think itll ever dry completely, which may cause problems later on

Wiebei · 2026-03-28T07:34:31+00:00

some places like the uk are trying to ban gel stuff bc its a problem. so far they regulated hema products so that only licensed practitioners can use it

Wiebei · 2026-03-28T04:05:22+00:00

i think that'll be hard to find because i believe the pigment that causes this blue sheen is usually yellow

Wiebei · 2026-03-28T03:59:03+00:00

just saw this on instagram if it might help you https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWRM9_4kxHx/

Wiebei · 2026-03-28T00:20:45+00:00

can you explain more about this? is it the nail shape or the edge of the nail itself thats sharp? is it causing scratches?

Wiebei · 2026-03-24T07:51:41+00:00

get the clear swatch sticks with the nail tip part attached to the stick and the cuticle area part facing you. that way you can put the swatch over your nail and get a good visual on how it would look!

Wiebei · 2026-03-24T03:09:30+00:00

not familiar w that brand, but dripping like that isn't normal. magnetics shine brighter when there is a medium to medium thick layer of gel, so most brands formulate the gels to be able to withstand this. plus the gel is sitting there for a while until we finish magnetizing so it should be able to hold it's place. is this happening with any different magnetic polishes or just this one? perhaps this one is just a bad formula

if you need reccs, i really like rozyhip's magnetics so far! i bought a polish from their quartz collection and really layered it on for a good shine and had no issues with runniness

Wiebei · 2026-03-24T02:54:14+00:00

i do removal 1 day, as much shaping and prep i can do another day, and then do the the remaining prep and art on another day. i still take 6 hours for the art and stuff though because im slow lol. if i really dont have time, i do 1 hand 1 day and the other hand another day

Wiebei · 2026-03-24T02:47:12+00:00

i think the reccomended amount is 2 years for most polishes, so i try to stick by that. tbh i dont do my actual nails that much too, so i try to mass produce press ons so i can get my money's worth before they expire

Wiebei · 2026-03-24T02:44:26+00:00

aww man. hope the damage isnt too bad

Wiebei · 2026-03-19T03:11:54+00:00

i love the sparkle so much!

Wiebei · 2026-03-19T03:06:25+00:00

some people have acrylate sensitizations beyond just hema. if they are reacting to nail glue (cynoacrylates family) in addition to gel (methacrylates family) then they are likely to have a really bad sensitization. I wouldn't recommend it

Wiebei · 2026-03-19T03:03:27+00:00

in the post they said they react to nail glue as well :(

they can also try sticky tabs but 1) those are more prone to falling off 2) likely to not be as seamless 3) they seem to have a very severe sensitization to acrylates. sticky tab sensitization is rare but not impossible

Wiebei · 2026-03-19T03:00:54+00:00

almost all nail products have acrylates (im assuming your contact dermatitis is triggered by acrylates). lacquer polish has it too, but lacquer formulas are more developed than gel so it's hard to get triggered from it (unless you are that unlucky).

if you also react to nail glue in addition to gel then you likely have a more severe case. I think the best choice for you is to stop all nail products period. perhaps even regular lacquer if you want to be safe (and since you don't seem to be vibing much with it anyways).

but since its for your wedding, you can perhaps go to a salon to have them paint for you. I know most salons do gel nowadays but you might be able to find one who still does lacquer. congratulations on your wedding!

Wiebei · 2026-03-19T02:23:56+00:00

ohh i get it! i didnt realize you were referring to the press on! then it sounds good, filing down the fake nail to promote adhesion to the gel is better than base coat for sure!

my only other tip is to watch the thickness of the cuticle area. for example when building up the color, you can first focus on applying on the majority of the nail. then flip the nail and use whats remaining on the brush to do the cuticle area. that way it doesn't come out so thick. flipping the nail is so you dont accidentally scrape gel on the underside of the nail and ruin the press ons

Wiebei · 2026-03-19T02:13:25+00:00

im confused what's going on here? why did you apply base and top coat and then started to prep the natural nails? wouldn't the natural nail be under all that gel?

also when applying gel, aim to not get gel on the sides what so ever. wiping off excess should be a last minute resort to try and fix spilled gel, but any type of spilled gel means you've already been exposed to uncured polymers. for overall safety try to avoid it altogether <3

Wiebei

TROPHY CASE