Poly Gel Nail Extensions

Poly gel is an acrylic/gel lovechild. It has all the benefits of gel, and doesn't stink like acrylic liquid. I want to share my first impression of polygel, and how I applied it. Is it as easy as it looks on nail videos???

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You will need:

​Poly gel 
Slip solution
Dual forms
Brush and spatula tool

I found a complete poly gel kit that has everything you need to get started. 

 

​The forms are numbered for tip size at the top (the higher the number, the smaller the tip size) Also, you can use the grid as a guide to make sure all of  your nails are the same length. 

Always start every mani with clean, prepped nails. Click here for a nail prep tutorial. Choose the best form to fit each finger from sidewall to sidewall without touching the skin. Add a base coat to protect your natural nails and cure for 30 secs./LED or 2min/UV lamp. 

Squeeze a small amount of poly gel from the tube.  Dip the spatula in the slip solution before picking up the bead of polygel, to prevent the gel from sticking to it. 

Place the bead into the form. Dip the brush into the slip solution and begin spreading the polygel into the form.

Place the form onto the nail starting at the cuticle, and apply gentle pressure down the rest of the nail to push out any air bubbles (bubbles cause lifting) 

Turn the nail over and smooth out the back of the nail extension so it's smooth as well. Don't skip this step! As you can see from the before and after photos, it will be lumpy and gross underneath your nails if you don't. If you get any polygel on your skin, remove it before curing.  Cure 60 secs.LED/2 min UV

​Let me just say that at this point, I am not impressed. It was soooo sticky and hard to hold the sides of the form and spread the product. It was all over my fingers and as you can tell from my picture, all over the front of the form too.  Maybe it was just my inexperience, but that sucked!  Strike one for poly gel!

Slowly peel the form away from the nail. I wiggled mine side to side as i pulled up towards the cuticle area and it came off easily. 

Now it's time to file into your desired shape. Add a top coat and you're done! Or are you? Why not try the leopard nails design! I loved the colour of the polygel so I just added gems because there's always room for bling!

​                         Pros:

• Very  little filing required
• Don't have to add polish
• No chemical smell
• Strong and durable 
• No heat spikes
• Form created the perfect shape
• Dual forms can be reused

                                 Cons:

• Very sticky and messy​
• Time consuming (at least for me it was!)

I have to say that I am shocked at how well the poly gel extensions turned out. The dual form shaped the nail so nicely that I barely had to file it. It was time consuming smoothing the gel into the form and cleaning up where it squished out. But again, maybe my inexperience with this technique is a factor. Would I try it again? Yes, the end result is worth the sticky mess. Try it! Comment below and tell me what you think!