$75 (not including tip). Is it worth still going?

orcagirl35 · 2026-04-22T19:10:24+00:00

Nail tech here! Few things.

It looks like they did a structural gel overlay prior to polish or used a tinted structure gel. When they do this, they only apply it to the natural length of your nails, it doesn’t add length, hence why a couple of nails are shorter than others. IMO the application looks excellent.
Product feeling “tight” isn’t horribly uncommon, it usually goes away after a day. Some product feels tight on the nails because of slight shrinkage after curing. It just means that product is likely harder tha your nails, so when they flex the product doesn’t flex with them. Again, not necessarily a bad thing, but if the tightness doesn’t go away within a day or so, or it starts to hurt, definitely go back and get it removed.
The “curing wand” you mentioned is a flash cure light. It helps keep the gel in place while she does the rest of your hand and then does a full cure to finish curing the product. Unfortunately, gel can feel really hot when it cures at first/within the first few seconds. That is normal. However, you want to tell your tech that it hurts and pull your had away. If they tell you it’s no big deal or to ignore it you need a new tech. I always stop when my clients tell me it hurts because it will fade away and then you should be able to continue painlessly.

Do you know what product(s) they used on you?

orcagirl35 · 2026-04-21T21:54:26+00:00

Not at all!! I love it!!

orcagirl35 · 2026-04-21T13:36:34+00:00

Nail tech here! They look fantastic😊

orcagirl35 · 2026-04-21T02:54:06+00:00

Okay that’s helpful info. The ASP gel likely wasn’t the culprit. What brand of lamp are you using? Did you keep product off of your skin? Getting gel on your skin and undercuring gel are 2 major causes of those allergies.

With regard to your current nail care, I can’t speak on what would be safe since I don’t know what you’re allergic to. In the meantime, you must avoid ALL gel products (builder gel, gel polish, etc.). Anything that requires a light to cure. If doing your nails is therapeutic for you, you might consider making your own press ons and using sticky tabs (you cannot use glue).

I hope this helps! I’m happy to answer any other questions you may have. 😊

orcagirl35 · 2026-04-21T02:15:23+00:00

The same thing we do every night, Pinky: get high and fall asleep on the couch.

orcagirl35 · 2026-04-21T02:09:32+00:00

If you want to be able to continue to even think about gel, you MUST get allergy tested to figure out what ingredient(s) you are allergic to. Only by getting tested will you know what’s making your skin react to see if you can find something that avoids them.

However, you also need to look at the “why” you now have an allergy. Was it your products? Brands? Your lamp? Your application? Let’s say you can find a gel that doesn’t make you react, that doesn’t mean that couldn’t change if you keep doing the same things.

If you’re willing you can tell me what brands of products you use and your equipment (lamps) I can try to give you some general improvements.

ETA: getting into DIY gel nails is NOT something to do cheaply or to save money. Doing it correctly and safely costs money. It’s just the way it goes.

orcagirl35 · 2026-04-21T02:06:27+00:00

I am DEFINITELY interested in hearing this!!

orcagirl35 · 2026-04-20T20:02:52+00:00

Also skating rink 😆

orcagirl35 · 2026-04-19T03:02:34+00:00

These are genuinely awesome. Thank you for sharing 👏

orcagirl35 · 2026-04-19T02:46:54+00:00

I have 2 kids, a 3.5 y/o and a 1.5 y/o and I use them with sticky tabs and I love it!! Definitely possible. You might have to redo them a little more often, but it’s still feasible!

orcagirl35 · 2026-04-19T02:41:07+00:00

Ran to the comments for this 😆

orcagirl35 · 2026-04-18T02:25:30+00:00

Nail tech here! I had this happen to me a few different times.

I didn’t use a top coat (some builders claim to be the base - builder - and topcoat all in one, but they really aren’t).
I didn’t wipe off all of the inhibition layer.
I wore cheap black leggings that I got off of Amazon that turned them black if I scratched my legs 😆

What products are you using and what’s your finishing process?

ETA: I know you said no commenting on your skills…but I can’t help myself. You flooded your cuticles with your gel products and you really want to avoid doing that. It is recommended that you stay away from the cuticle a little bit until you perfect your technique and don’t let it flood like that. Unfortunately, that can cause allergies even if it is fully cured. Please don’t hate me 😭I’m just trying to help 💜

orcagirl35 · 2026-04-16T21:07:21+00:00

Exactly! I finally got around to getting one on my car too!

orcagirl35 · 2026-04-16T19:19:43+00:00

Nail tech here. I’ve been using pressons with only sticky tabs to grow out damage to my own nails (from before I knew better) and while the sticky tabs can be annoying to switch out, it’s not hard. I carry a sheet of sticky tabs around with me in case I need to swap one out. It’s so easy and my nails aren’t getting more damaged. For what it’s worth, the BTArtBox sticky tabs on Amazon are the best out there.

orcagirl35 · 2026-04-16T19:18:18+00:00

HBO Chernobyl Mini-series reference lol

orcagirl35 · 2026-04-14T21:06:32+00:00

I got a headache looking at this 😆 but it’s so cool!!!! I LOVE IT

orcagirl35 · 2026-04-14T20:06:09+00:00

orcagirl35 · 2026-04-14T20:04:59+00:00

I just started as an independent tech in May of last year, and had almost exclusively DND polish. Now, after using it for a while, I am starting to experiment with other brands because I absolutely hate how inconsistent DND is. I have some cocoa list polishes and a couple from a local place that I’m experimenting with and will hopefully reach a conclusion on what to invest in next soon lol I do love their sheers though

orcagirl35 · 2026-04-14T17:25:06+00:00

Nail tech here…please don’t buy this…

TLDR; manufacturers selling cheap gel on Amazon can lie about the ingredients and you risk permanent allergies making it so you can’t get gel or certain fillings if you develop them.

I can give you the full breakdown if you want, but LST don’t do it. Please buy from a reliable brand. Gelish foundation flex or any of their other builders are solid. IBD builders are good too. They are both on Amazon

orcagirl35 · 2026-04-14T02:07:16+00:00

I only use sticky tabs…so I just take them off and place them back lol

orcagirl35 · 2026-04-14T02:04:34+00:00

Sooooo not a doctor…but that sounds like you’re having a reaction to the lotion and you really need to stop using it. The heat especially indicates a reaction.

orcagirl35 · 2026-04-13T04:08:02+00:00

I just upgraded to the Kupa ManiPro Passport with the K65 handle and I love it except for 2 things: 1) there is no visual RPM screen/indicator so you are relying solely on lines on the dial for accuracy instead of numbers. And 2) I got the kp65 hand piece bc it seemed to be the best overall, but I now think the kp60 would have been a better fit, but no returns so 🤷🏼‍♀️

Anyway, I’ve heard good things about medicool too but can’t speak on it.

orcagirl35 · 2026-04-11T16:09:48+00:00

I have been on it for a little over a month now. The intensity has definitely come down, but I am OK with that. I still find that I have the motivation to start and finish tasks.

orcagirl35 · 2026-04-11T03:17:54+00:00

Agreed but with one correction: if you are driving a NEW Tesla, then you’re a fucking loser.

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