How To Make Gel Press On Nails | DIY Press On Nails

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[@NailsByGenevieve]

The more Press On hype I see the more I’m inclined to join the club 👀 would love a video on how you prep your nails + options to adhere the tips. Like short term + long term options.

[@darkeyedfran]

Join the club! A lot of us nail queens wear press on gelly tips especially those of us who change out manis weekly

[@CaroleAnnette]

This sounds like a great video topic! Claire helped me a lot with a method to get mine to last longer with sticky tabs. 🖤🥹

[@HeythereHelena]

@@CaroleAnnette i would love to see advice on how to get more wear time on sticky tabs or press on glue!

[@SJ-dl6uc]

@@HeythereHelena im an immunobiochemist and I've spent the last 6 months perfecting the process of nail enhancements w as lil bodily damage as possible. especially through the laws of chemistry and not marketing. here's the best thing you can do: as a general rule, use a 1) hard gel, 2) hybrid gel, or 3) acrylic base overlay, aka a pseudo permanent condom for your nail bed, to protect it from acetone and filing. it's like pouring cement as a protection layer. then either use regular builder and/or hybrid gel nail enhancements, or use peel off base coats, like 'Jello Jello's Peel Off Base Gel' (Korean UV cured product). it comes w its 'One Kill Gel Remover'. it's a lil expensive but if you work with your hands it's worth it cz it's not water based and cures like a regular base coat. it's more sturdy. you still have to prep like usual but the remover reagent is a solvent for the gel and as long as you find a seam the reagent will dissolve the gel. the hard gel, hybrid gel or acrylic overlay ensures that your nail bed is protected at all times, even against 100% acetone. these three reagents are innert and do not affect nail health by design. it's the removal process that damages nails, not the product sitting on top of it. you never have to take the base overlay off and if you decide not to so nail enhancements anymore, you can let it grow out. i personally use e-file to do my nails because it's faster and when it comes to acetone, its volatility as a solvent has been greatly underestimated. I'd rather over file than over soak, because i can immediately apply the hard gel overlay and protect my nail, while acetone irreversibly damages the nail bed. no matter what, your nail bed will be inherently more brittle as soon as it comes into contact w acetone, until it grows out. acetone is so dangerous cz its reactions are fast, exothermic, and irreversible. tangent, us laboratory scientists hate drinking vodka (smells like ethanol) and hate using acetone for our nails cz both acetone and ethanol are solvents and solvents work by destroying what they're dissolving. hope that helps. ps. don't use Makartt's peel off or FZANEST's peel off base coats. they do not come off easily and it requires mechanical parying to take em off. ppl say it peeled their nails and i can confirm that it took part of my base overlay off.

[@kasiahaydenful]

@@SJ-dl6uc Thank you for taking the time to write this out! Do you have a product recommendation for the hard gel or hybrid gel or acrylic base overlay?

[@Banana-lk7tf]

Oh wow, why didn't I ever think of doing this??! Here I am putting on blank press on nails, painting them while they're glued on, and getting gel polish all over my fingers cause I can't "colour" in the lines.😂 And, I have the same problem! My left thumb nail requires a bigger size than my right thunb nail even though all the fingers on my right hand including my thunb are longer!

[@CaroleAnnette]

lol 😂 right! This saves time and our precious skin!

[@brittanyrobinson2156]

That color is beautiful

[@tammyslatten]

So pretty. Thank you Much 💜

[@JustNikkie_]

Thanks for the amazing tips. Definitely looking to get me some stand the separate for sure… thanks for sharing 😍💙

[@CaroleAnnette]

Anytime!! 🥰🥰

[@winnielane]

Thanks Carole! Looking forward to new press on videos.

[@CaroleAnnette]

Thank you 🥰

[@marthahollowell1550]

Love your videos so helpful. Just suggestion on tape for index cards. Foam tape from $1.25 store. This is a great idea . TFS

[@darkeyedfran]

Soooooo happy you’re on the press on train! I’ve gotta give my hands a break from filing so I’m rocking press ons the next few months and just keeping a thin layer of polygel on them since they’re really thin naturally and even thinner from removal 💀

[@CaroleAnnette]

I love the idea of a thin layer of a strong product under these tips! I need to give it another go. My allergic reaction a couple weeks ago deterred me from trying again. 😑😅

[@polished_and_ready]

Thanks for the idea of using carpet tape. Great idea. I’m starting my press on business and man! Sometimes they move too much for design lol. Thanks again 💕

[@CaroleAnnette]

So glad I could help! Those putty ones can be flimsy for sure!

[@polished_and_ready]

@@CaroleAnnette yes! I was battling with some putty the other day and they can be frustrating to work with.

[@18corazoncito]

I love the idea of press ons!!!!! It makes it a lot simpler but you get to do design. And more detail probably. Can you or have you done a video prep of nails before press ons? I just got jelly tips amd figured I'd treat them adding builder gel 🤷🏼‍♀️ but should probably use peel base ?! Love your videos!

[@CaroleAnnette]

Yes! I actually just wipe my nails with rubbing alcohol and a dehydrator to remove all oils from my nails. That’s it!

[@HeythereHelena]

i needed this! builder gel and dip was ruining my nails. attaching gelly tips with gel was making them peel. im ALL for press ons now!

[@CaroleAnnette]

Yes! 🙌 How long do you like your nails to last? I’ve been using sticky tabs and they’re definitely a more temporary option - but I’m experimenting with a more long term option.

[@HeythereHelena]

@@CaroleAnnette I would honestly prefer for them to last longer - a week or more. i like the sticky tabs as well (although that is short) as the dissolvable glue - like the one from static nails! that lasts longer

[@toymenagerie2947]

Great tips, they are very helpful. I'm new to press-ons. My nails are recovered from nail psoriasis, because of UV Polish. I hope press-ons will make my nails nice again. 😅

[@jillianappel2905]

I need a dip version of this! My press ons seem to shrink when I use dips!

[@randimaxam3144]

Haha. Yes i know exactly what you mean because 2 of my swatches have peeled right off! Weird now that I think about it, it only happened with Madam Glam Gel Polishes. That probably doesn't matter though. I like your press on nails. Always stunning

[@CaroleAnnette]

Thank you!

[@yas1880]

such a beautiful color 🤩 how do you glue the tips to your nails is it just normal nail glue?

[@CaroleAnnette]

You can use glue! I’ve been using sticky tabs. More temporary. amzn.to/3Qt5f9H

[@jayjaytarto]

Im gonna order a nail kit this month and im gonna do this :) i dont like the idea of using my nondominant hand to stick the clear ones on my nail and struggling

[@catnipz_n_dipz]

what do you use to adhere them?

[@CaroleAnnette]

Sticky tabs! But you can use glue too! amzn.to/3Qt5f9H

[@Skye21227]

Can you do a removal video? A removal with different products used such as nail glue, gel, peel base etc. Do you file off? Soak off? How do you remove press on's and save them to use again.

[@CaroleAnnette]

Yes, a removal video is on my list of things to do 🥰 Soaking your hands in water will do the trick and make them easy to remove if you’re using sticky tabs to adhere them.

[@DoeEyedReader]

How do you adhere them to your nails?

[@CaroleAnnette]

I’ve been using sticky tabs, but you can use glue. amzn.to/3Qt5f9H

[@angelabowers4513]

Thanks for this awesome tutorial! For us press on newbies, could you provide links for the tips and the double sided tape for the index card. 😊

[@CaroleAnnette]

This is the clear double sided tape: amzn.to/3oQgFb4 Tips: (they’re restocking Saturday) soldips.com/products/gelly-tips-small-coffin

[@angelabowers4513]

@@CaroleAnnette thank you!! Looking forward to getting started! 😄

[@kathylovely1035]

Hi Carole. Do you ever put builder gel and peel base on before your press ons?

[@CaroleAnnette]

I don’t 💖 it can change the size I need for my press ons.

[@marlenesandoval6800]

Did I see you seal the free edge with the gel color like you do with dip top coat? Or is that only done when dipping on your natural nail

[@CaroleAnnette]

Yes I do that so the tip isn’t visible when I’m wearing it 🥰

[@miriamm3780]

This looks easy! Is everything painted and decorated before putting these on? With sticky tabs, do they have to be cured? I may switch to this method for a while to let my nails grow stronger again. Thanks for all the valuable information! 🌸🌸💕💕😆😆

[@CaroleAnnette]

It truly is easy 🙌 I paint everything and even top coat before putting the tips on. The sticky tabs don’t need to be cured.

[@miriamm3780]

@@CaroleAnnette Thanks for another great idea! I'm jumping on the wagon. :) I wonder if they'd stay on with a dip pro base. I put tips on that way and they haven't budged in over a week.

[@CaroleAnnette]

They definitely would! I need to get better at my application with pro base because my first time seeped everywhere and I couldn’t reuse the tips 😩😩

[@kofoedsandy]

Hi... I'm watching all your videos about press on nails. Why do you like painted desert press on nails better than others? There's so many to pick from. 🤪🥴😳

[@CaroleAnnette]

They fit me the best. They aren’t super sculpted. They are strong as hell. They also have an amazing size range, there’s actually thumb sizes larger than my thumb! That’s hard to find.

[@bobbiscott7251]

Which gel tips have bigger sizes for wider nail beds out of the tips you have tried?

[@CaroleAnnette]

For me, I’ve found the Painted Desert has a wider range. I’m usually a size 3-4 in my thumb from there, where in other brands, I’m the largest size (0)

[@bobbiscott7251]

Thank you.

[@lorriangus]

Carole, how narrow are the finger thingies on both of these stand sets? I have the magnetics, which I like, but some of my pinky tips are so narrow that they won't sit nicely on the stands.

[@CaroleAnnette]

They’re very standard. So you may struggle with the pinky nails on these stands.

[@lorriangus]

@@CaroleAnnette Thank you. I used some builder gel to build a narrower tip on a couple of my stands. 😊

[@sallyanon5382]

What glue do you use to press them on?

[@CaroleAnnette]

I’ve tried several: - Makartt - Painted Desert - Dashing Diva “fastbond” I prefer Painted Desert and Dashing Diva, but my fav is Dashing diva. It’s a gel like consistency but it’s air dry. However, it’s only available as Sally Beauty (sold out everywhere online)

[@jarisurias9806]

I would like to know how you apply them 😊

[@CaroleAnnette]

Sticky tabs for right now 🥰

[@jarisurias9806]

@@CaroleAnnette water doesn't filter on press on nails if you use sticky tabs to apply them?? I always have thought on that and that's why I don't trust in press on method 😕

[@dani_9400]

Hey, I am branching into making press ons for myself but I am running into the problem that my thumb nail is bigger than the biggest size from both Sol Dips and Painted Desert. I was wondering if anyone knew of any tips that were a little bigger, my thumb nail is 16mm wide. Thanks!

[@CaroleAnnette]

I wish 😩💔 the largest width I’m finding is 14mm

[@SJ-dl6uc]

don't jelly tips (non ABS plastic tips) shrink when cured? both from chemistry perspective and visually, their shrinkage is consequential. I've used 5 different brands and every one of them shrink. how do you account for that? would LED vs UV make a difference in shrinkage?

[@CaroleAnnette]

In my experience, I haven’t experienced shrinking with traditional gels. I do know that hard/structure gels can affect the tips by causing them to curve/pinch when cured because of how strong the gel is. Same with acrylic and dip powder, as they’re not as flexible as traditional gel polishes.

[@carolyndurant8413]

What do you use to apply them?

[@CaroleAnnette]

Sticky tabs! amzn.to/3Qt5f9H You can use glue too.

[@carolyndurant8413]

@@CaroleAnnette thank you how log do they stay on with sticky tabs

[@CaroleAnnette]

It depends on how hard you are on your hands and how much you expose them to water. I get 3 days max but I’m testing a method a friend shared with me to get them to stay on longer.

[@DOINGITMYWAY100]

Can I just buy a painted set of press on nails and cure them with a uv lamp so they would stay on for longer? Is that how it works? I've seen creators go on to cure clear press on nails and add color after applying nails. I would rather purchase a finished press-on set and cure them with gel and uv lamp so they last loner...if that's a thing??

[@CaroleAnnette]

Yes! Cure the clear press ons and then paint over them afterwards. I have a playlist for “gelly tips”. What you just described is just like using Gelly Tips. However, you can’t do it with already done press ons. Since the UV/LED light can’t penetrate through the press on.

[@jennifercarota1473]

Soo...I made a set of press ons for my daughter and she said they were tight. They shrunk! How do you avoid this? I'm trying to figure out if it's the tips, the gel polish, the lamp. Help!?

[@CaroleAnnette]

What brand tips are you using and what wattage is your lamp?

[@jennifercarota1473]

@@CaroleAnnette these ones were gelish tips, lamp says 220w. Beetles gel polish.

[@clarejames3090]

Me too 😕

[@kofoedsandy]

And you are not allergic to these gel press on nails... and not to the gel that is cured on them. I've only five dip since those couple of major allergic reactions. Too afraid to even try the gels that I bought that are 7 or 9 free. But I should be able up use them now after they are cured on these press on nails...I think. I have NO gel colors. I'll have to get few to try. Can you tell me which gels are your favorite? Thanks!

[@CaroleAnnette]

I’ve been using gelly tips since last year and haven’t had allergies to them *yet, knock on wood* I have yet to have any kind of allergic reaction since using press ons. My skin is sooo healthy now! I’m loving Revel Nail gels, Nail Reserve, Triple D and Kimberz Kreations. My entire gel collection consists of predominantly their gels.