I know I'm not alone, but lockdown this past year has forced this DIY thing but it's
fine, as I'm sure we've all picked up some small skills (I still prefer going to a nail shop though!) Check out my post here where I did a at home gel remover.
I got overlay done a few days before Christmas...then the nail shops got locked off again soo I got some supplies and removed them myself. It was very straight forward, just time consuming (I have 0 patience sometimes)- that's why I prefer to go to the shops, however gotta save them coins where you can!
Overlay is when a thin layer of acrylic powder added on top of your natural nails. I decided to go for this as I wanted to keep the natural length of my nails.
I definitely prefer this because my nails felt really strong and hard when I removed the overlay- which I was surprised about because when I get a full set taken off, my nails feel like paper (eek), extremely soft and they break very easily.
Below is a list of what you'll need and a quick step by step:
What you'll need:
Acetone
Nail file
Cuticle pusher
Glass dish
Two mini glass dishes
Two mini glass dishes
Boiling water
Base coat
Boil water and pour into a medium sized dish. Place two mini dishes inside this
Use nail file to file off the polish
Soak your nails in the mini dishes for 15-20 mins (you might need a bit longer)
Every now and again take your fingers out and use a cuticle pusher to scrap off the melting acrylic. You can also use some tissue to wipe it off- you'll notice the acrylic gradually becomes easier to scrap/wipe
Once done cut down your nails to desired length and use a nail file/buffer
Apply a base coat/nail hardener
Here's a quick clip of my process:
SHOP THESE PRODUCTS
Acetone- £1.99 from Amazon
Cuticle pusher and file taken from this kit- £8.99 from Amazon
Cuticle pusher (separate)- £2.77 from Amazon
Nail file- £1.49 from Superdrug