Gel overlay

Sometimes we don't want a french nail, bling or a complex design. Sometimes we want it simple. A gel overlay is great to give strength, it's a good base for nail polish and it has an amazing shine.

This woman still has her uv polish from 2 weeks ago. It's grown out quite a bit. So I am going to be removing the color, but not the existing gel that is underneath. I am going to use that existing gel in my advantage so that I don't need to add that much more later on when I fill the nails.

As with any nail service, I push back the cuticles.
Removing the color by simply filing it off with a 180 grit file. Also reshape the free edge and if needed make them shorter. If for some reason there is a bit of lifting near the cuticle, also remove that. Also removing the shine of the new nail growth for better adhesion.
I removed all the dust and sprayed the nails with IBD prep, this will dehydrate the nail and get rid of any oils on the nail bed.

With NSI superbond, I prime her natural nail only.
I applied a thin layer of IBD builder gel clear to the entire nail. Then I fill in the nails with the string technique . I went around the cuticle area with a rosewood stick and let it cure for 3 minutes. Repeat on all the nails.

I removed the tacky layer with a lint free wipe and none acetone nail polish remover, reshaped the side walls and free edge and applied a high gloss topcoat. And as always, use some cuticle oil to finish off your service.

If doing a gel overlay on a natural nail, the steps are as followed: push back cuticles, remove shine from natural nail, prep and prime, coat of clear gel with strings, cure, remove tacky layer, reshape side walls and free edge, clear nail polish and finish.

This overlay can be left like this, or you can apply nailpolish, which will last you for weeks without chipping.