Young girls need to take care of their nail manicures the most. It is partly because they need these embellishments to impress their boyfriends. Another reason is that these girls are active, whereby the chances of damaging the nail polish are higher than what women regularly experience. Therefore, an OPI gel polish kit should be an indispensable accessory in every young girls’ makeup plans.
An OPI gel lacquer could be an ideal Christmas or birthday gift for these girls as they need it the most. Let us see how to choose your OPI gel and learn how to use the OPI gel polish kit at home.
The ideal nail care kit
While shopping for your nail care kit, you should ensure that it has the following components.
LED or UV Lamp – Curing your gel nails is a critical part of your gel manicure. You need an LED/UV lamp to accomplish this purpose.
Nail prepping ingredients and Wipe solution – Preparing the nails for the manicure is vital. Your kit OPI gel should contain the necessary components like nail clippers, nail files, nail wipes, alcohol solution, nail sanitizers, lint-free cloth, etc.
Basecoat and Topcoat – Generally, the OPI gel lacquer come with basecoat and topcoat together, but you can purchase them separately.
Gel Polish Color – The OPI gel polish kit offers an extensive range of colors to choose from. It is possible to go wild with your celebrations and experiment with all the shades available on display.
Nail Polish Remover – You need a nail polish remover when you feel the need to remove the existing nail polish and apply a new layer. Generally, a gel polish manicure lasts for around three weeks. It is better to ensure that the nail polish remover is an essential component of your nail care kit.
Other miscellaneous accessories – These comprise minor ingredients like orange stick cuticle pusher, lint-free pads, emery boards, nail brushes, and other items that are handy for your nail manicure.
Now that we have discussed what your kit OPI gel should contain let us see how to use the OPI gel polish at home.
Step by step apply OPI gel kit at home
Step 1 – Preparing the Nail
Before commencing with your fresh gel manicure, you need to prepare your nails for the job. It involves removing the existing polish layer, trimming your nails, and cleaning it of all oils and debris. You need to care for your cuticles. Your nail care kit contains the items necessary for performing these jobs. A gel manicure requires the polish to stick to your nail and remain there for a minimum of three weeks. The proper preparation can ensure that it does so.
Step 2 – Apply the basecoat
While applying the basecoat from your OPI gel and lacquer combo kit, it is advisable to ensure that the coating is as thin as possible. The basecoat should start from as close as possible to the cuticles (a gap of 1mm should be ideal) and extend to the nail tip. It helps to seal in the polish. As a result, your polish does not chip off.
Step 3 – Curing the basecoat
The most important step in your gel polish manicure is curing the nail polish. It is essential to cure the application layers at every stage. As soon as you complete the basecoat application, you should cure it under a UV/LED lamp. You might have to spend a couple of minutes to ensure that the curing is perfect and complete.
The nail will still feel tacky, but you should not touch it with your fingers.
Step 4 – Apply the OPI gel color of your choice
Your gel application might require multiple coats depending on the thickness you prefer. The initial layer should be a thin one. On completing the first layer, it is essential to cure it under the UV/LED lamp for a minute or two. You can proceed by having multiple layers of the same color or different colors, depending on your choice. However, every application layer requires curing under the UV lamp for a couple of minutes to get a perfect nail manicure.
Therefore, the UV/LED lamp must be present in your OPI nail polish kit.
Step 5 – The topcoat application
The topcoat application is critical as it helps the gel polish stay in place and provides a shiny look. If you want a glossy finish, you can apply a generous coating, whereas a matte finish does not need multiple topcoat layers. Besides, you should also ensure that the layers are not lumpy, making the nails look strange. The final part is to cure your nails again under the UV lamp.
Step 6 – Wipe your nails clean with the Prep and Wipe solution
It is advisable to use lint-free cotton wipes to clean your nails with the prep and wipe solution available with the kit OPI gel. You can also massage your nails regularly with cuticle oil to help the nails retain their moisture levels.
Conclusion
As you can see, applying gel polish is not a challenge at all. Anyone can master the process with some practice. Go ahead and have an excellent time showing off your gel nails on social media.