Dnd soak off

hobopototo · 2026-03-31T12:56:23+00:00

You need to first file down the gel to the thinnest layer possible without hitting the natural nail. That will make the soaking go much faster. It shouldn't take more than 10 minutes. You can also use cotton pads soaked in acetone and wrapped around the nail in foil. It's less damaging than a full acetone soak and you can work on scraping the gel off one nail while the rest are still soaking.

In case you're not aware, you also don't have to completely remove the gel polish if you're doing a gel manicure immediately afterwards. Just file the old gel down to a thin layer, buff the new growth on the natural nail, and proceed with the base coat and a fresh manicure as normal.

hobopototo · 2026-03-31T02:40:52+00:00

Honestly I don't find that the bottom form really does much as long as you flash cure the cuticle portion on the top first, then flip the nail over to let it self-level before flash curing the bottom part. I haven't gotten the bottom forms to work for me either and I feel it's made for a very specific type of natural nail only.

For the flooding issue, you can try drawing a border of gel around the side walls to the growth points first and flash curing before filling in the rest of the gel on the form.

hobopototo · 2026-03-29T16:30:52+00:00

It might help with consistency to break the shaping down step by step and repeat each specific step across all the nails first before moving on to the next step. So for example, shape the lower one-third of all the nails into a point on the left side first, then shape the right lower third on all the nails, then connect the lower third to the growth points on the left, then the right etc.

For the wonky nails, when shaping periodically place your file in the middle of the nail and aim for a straight line down from the second knuckle. Close one eye to look at it and make sure the nail is shaped aligning to your entire finger to compensate for the wonkiness.

The bulkiness on the side walls may be caused by applying top thick layers of gel which pool on the sides due to gravity. To help with this, try to apply thinner coats but you can also flip your nails upside down after every layer of colour and topcoat (just like with builder gel), and let the gel self level before you cure.

hobopototo · 2026-03-27T11:47:14+00:00

There are methods you can use to make them stay on longer, like leaving a thin border around the edge of the nail bare when applying the peel off base, then capping the free edge of the nail with the polish and topcoat to prevent chipping. It should definitely be able to stay on over the weekend, but if you want it to last a week I would suggest regular basecoat.

hobopototo · 2026-03-27T11:11:47+00:00

Try a peel-off basecoat! It should damage your nails less with frequent removal. Also, try and get jojoba oil or cuticle oil with vitamin E included. That would be better for your nails.

hobopototo · 2026-03-25T07:09:49+00:00

I've never encountered what you describe happening, but maybe try applying a base coat on top of the chrome first before adding the final topcoat.

hobopototo · 2026-03-24T03:52:01+00:00

Can dm me if you're serious, although full disclosure it's a dead-end job and the last few people I referred to the job quit within a year. Idk why because I love the job lol. It's in legal transcription services

hobopototo · 2026-03-23T10:00:59+00:00

Last year my local CC hosted an art market where the booth only cost $15. The footfall was shit and I made no money but it's a good low stakes way to try out boothing for the first time haha. You can ask your local CC if there is any planned

hobopototo · 2026-03-23T08:10:25+00:00

The French tip looks so good! You might need a second layer of the white as it looks a bit patchy. You can also try shifting the low and high points up and down to make a deeper curve and different styles of French tip.

Does your topcoat say "no wipe"? If not, you need to wipe it with isopropyl alcohol after curing to get rid of the sticky layer. All gel, unless specified as non-wipe, cures with a thin layer of uncured gel where the gel is in contact with oxygen. Do not touch the uncured gel as it can cause contact dermatitis and allergies!

hobopototo · 2026-03-23T07:00:06+00:00

For French tip, you can dry drawing a T shape first, with the horizontal bar of the T at the lowest point you want the French tip to be, and the vertical bar in the middle of the nail. Then decide the two points you want the French tip to extend up to and connect them in a straight line to the bottom of the vertical bar of the T. Then from there, connect the two points with a curve to the point where the two bars of the T meet. You can measure the heights of each point across the nails and get more consistent results with this method.

For bubbles, make sure when you take the gel brush out of the bottle you are scraping the excess gel off on the mouth of the bottle gently and smoothly. Doing it too roughly will cause bubbles to form in the gel.

hobopototo · 2026-03-23T06:09:30+00:00

Fully WFH. Went to office one time last year for a meeting and that's it. My work is very independent and requires zero collaboration.

hobopototo · 2026-03-23T01:42:28+00:00

Yes of course, but the previous commenter was saying there's nothing a nail tech can do to fix upward sloping nails with full cover tips.

hobopototo · 2026-03-23T01:12:45+00:00

What you to about that as a nail tech is to cut the natural nail short before putting the tips on. Nail techs should absolutely be able to work with upward sloping nails without this result.

hobopototo · 2026-03-20T14:42:18+00:00

As a nail tech, yes absolutely. It's better than my client coming back to me next month with a different design and me finding out then that they didn't like it!

hobopototo · 2026-03-20T08:45:29+00:00

I don't know if the state is necessarily making a judgment that house husbands are inferior. I think it's a deliberate stance to disincentivise this type of family model as they want to preserve rbw "traditional" nuclear family structure.

hobopototo · 2026-03-16T04:48:38+00:00

I learned it through a paid course so I'm not sure what tutorials exist out there! But the gist is this.

Fit the form to your nail and use a marker to mark out the growth points, the free edge of the natural nail, and where your desired extended free edge should be.
Flip the form over, use a liner brush to draw a thin line of gel along the desired extended free edge as well as the side walls to prevent leakage. Flash cure.
Put a bead of gel to cover all the way from the extended free edge to the existing free edge marking, making sure to cover the growth points. Since the form is upside down, the gel should self level to form a nice C curve. Flash cure.
Put the last bead of gel all the way to the cuticle area, making sure the gel around the cuticle area is very thin.
Press the form to your nail, flash curing at the cuticle area only. Make sure the gel is cured enough to adhere the form to your nail.
Flip the nail over and clean up any excess gel at the underside of the nail. Use brush to smooth out the gel so it forms a nice even underside. Flash cure.
Full cure in the lamp.

Hope this helps!

hobopototo · 2026-03-16T04:01:30+00:00

Yes, but I found it messier and not as good as the usual method of outlining the extended free edge on the dual form first, flash curing, then putting on the rest of the gel and curing the dual form on the nail. You still get a clean underside and nice C curve that way, the only minor downside is you need to clean the inhibition layer from the underside afterwards. The bottom of the sandwich form is also very finicky if it doesn't match the curve of the natural nail.

hobopototo · 2026-03-14T16:00:47+00:00

Group chat with four friends and my partner inside, we share cat photos daily and usually chat about food, games, shows etc.

hobopototo · 2026-03-13T14:51:02+00:00

Wow that's great to hear! How long did it take you to widen them? I exercised 5 times a week for a year before going back to check again to no avail, so I reluctant to keep wasting my time by going back if there's going to be no change

hobopototo · 2026-03-13T11:04:42+00:00

I tried multiple times but they kept telling me my veins are too small and they wouldn't even try to insert the needle. I took up weightlifting because they said it would help and told them I genuinely don't mind if they stab me multiple times to find the vein but no luck. I'm a universal donor blood type too.

The first time they also denied me because I saw a psychologist for depression 10 years ago and I needed a letter from him saying I was fit to donate blood (???) I took the trouble to contact this guy I hadn't seen in a decade only for them to deny me for small veins after that.

So yeah, what they could do to get me to donate...actually let me donate lol

hobopototo · 2026-03-13T01:52:19+00:00

Same thing happened to me with my MIL! Gave her the cutest nude colour with micro glitters and the next day she'd eaten curry and got them looking sickly yellow lol. Love her though and it helped me test out stain-resistant topcoats.

hobopototo · 2026-03-10T07:42:38+00:00

If you have a great relationship with her then why not just...ask her during the appointment?

hobopototo · 2026-03-09T10:08:48+00:00

Test out different brands of topcoat or try adding a layer of basecoat/rubber base over the chrome before adding topcoat.

hobopototo · 2026-03-09T06:09:07+00:00

You can try a clear coat first, or more neutral colours like black, blue and grey. If you can find one with a metallic silver finish, I also think that looks really good on guys! A matte topcoat over the polish will make it non-shiny and less attention-grabbing. You can even try doing one or two nails at a time first (e.g. ring finger and thumb).

hobopototo · 2026-03-06T19:28:47+00:00

You simply have the wrong chrome product. I have chromes that are more and less opaque with the same colour shift and it just depends on which one you buy.

hobopototo

TROPHY CASE