OPI Crystal Nail File & Block Nail Buffer - Grab 2 or three different grits. Get a 4 sided buffer block as well.
2Nail Prep & IBD Natural Nail Primer - This draws all the oils/moisture off your natural nail so the acrylic adheres.
3Acrylic Nail Brush Set - Small ones are a little easier to control. Grab what you feel most comfortable with.
4Monomer Acrylic Liquid - There is actually a primerless acrylic, I haven't tried it yet.
5Acrylic Tips - There is a huge selection here, pick the ones that you like. I go for the semi opaque nude ones.
6Acrylic Nail Powder - This matters. The cheaper powders turn yellow with age and with UV light exposure. This means tanning beds or natural sunlight. There is more 'lifting' when a cheaper powder is used.
7Nail Lacquer - A base coat, a color, and a top coat.
To make life easier, you can pick up a pre-made kit like ASP Acrylic Nail Sculpture Kit that includes all of these supplies or save some money and just purchase a few things at a time. These tend to be a bit on the cheaper side (quality wise) but are great for quick acrylic nails. Or you can buy the professional kit like, IBD Professional Gel Kit
Professional supplies can be bought online easily or at a store with a cosmetologists' license.
- 1OPI Crystal Nail File & Block Nail Buffer - Grab 2 or three different grits. Get a 4 sided buffer block as well.
- 2Nail Prep & IBD Natural Nail Primer - This draws all the oils/moisture off your natural nail so the acrylic adheres.
- 3Acrylic Nail Brush Set - Small ones are a little easier to control. Grab what you feel most comfortable with.
- 4Monomer Acrylic Liquid - There is actually a primerless acrylic, I haven't tried it yet.
- 5Acrylic Tips - There is a huge selection here, pick the ones that you like. I go for the semi opaque nude ones.
- 6Acrylic Nail Powder - This matters. The cheaper powders turn yellow with age and with UV light exposure. This means tanning beds or natural sunlight. There is more 'lifting' when a cheaper powder is used.
- 7Nail Lacquer - A base coat, a color, and a top coat.
A tutorial on acrylic nail application
With supplies in hand...lets begin
- 1Wash your hands.
- 2Trim and file your nails short.
- 3Use a soft/fine nail file to remove the shine off your nails - don't go too hard - this is just to scuff up the surface so everything can adhere to the nail surface.
- 4Gently push back your cuticles - you may want to soak your nails in soapy warm water to make them softer and easier to push back.
- 5Apply nail prep also called nail primer - it is a brush on solution that removes the moisture and oil from your natural nail. Allowing the acrylic to better adhere to your nail bed and not peel off a few days later.
- 6Apply nail tips that fit each nail with adhesive. Super glue is generally provided in kits with the acrylic tips.
- 7Clip the acrylic tip to your desired length and file the edges smooth. There ARE special cutters to cut acrylic tips, its probably best for you to pick one up, they are very cheap on ebay and will prevent you from bending or creating dents in the acrylic tips.
- 8Reapply another coat of nail prep - this will again dry out the nail to allow for better adhesion
Dip your brush in monomer; drag along the side of the container to remove excess liquid. Now drag a line through the acrylic powder and a ball will form. Watch this ball as the liquid soaks up into the powder. Once a jelly like substance has formed, place that on the line where the acrylic tip and natural nail meet. This will deposit the thickest coat and now you can push the acrylic up to the cuticle and nail tip. Smooth it as best you can, use light delicate strokes. Multiple layers can be applied to achieve smoothness. Also note - this step doesn't have to be perfect as we will file the acrylic down to shape.
10Acrylic dries fairly quickly. Once you have applied all the desired coats, file down the top of the nail smooth. Use a coarser grit to start and then work your way down to a very fine grit. This remove scratches in the acrylic and make the nail appear smooth once polish is applied.
sorry it was so long.hope that helps
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