I know, this sounds totally unbelievable. But a family friend of mine showed me how to accomplish the unthinkable, which was a breath of fresh air since as a college student, acrylics were way too much upkeep for me.
I had professional acrylic nails for 2 months, and to their credit, they looked beautiful. However, they also did not look like my nails, since they made my nails look unrealistically thick, and the tip flared out (which is totally not natural looking.) They also totally destroyed my natural nailIntr
But over Fourth of July break, a friend of mine showed me an awesome trick that has served me very well.
Introducing to you: Acrylic nails, drugstore edition!
For this process, you're going to need 3 products.
KISS Gel Fantasy Ready-to-wear Gel nails, sold at most major drug stores, but mine are from CVS $9
Coarse buffing board, CVS or any beauty supply store, $2
KISS Maximum Speed Nail Glue, CVS, $3
Alright, so here are the steps to putting on your fantastic nails! (And a homemade Youtube video to accompany it!)
Step 1 (For ladies that have painted nails/professional acrylics)
If you already have your nails painted, you need to take that off using any nail polish remover and some cotton balls. However, if you're like me and you had professional acrylics before putting these on, you're going to need to soak these off. First, using the coarse buffing board, rough up your acrylics. Then, soak your acrylics in PURE acetone for 45 minutes so that they'll dissolve.
Your hands are going to look a little dry afterwards, but with hand washing and either coconut oil or intensive hand cream, this will go away.
Step 1:
Using the coarse buffing board, rough up your natural nails. By the end of this step, they should look a bit like this.
Step 2:
Fit your fake nails. You can do this by putting the nails next to each individual nail and seeing which one fits. (Tip: there are numbers underneath the nail so that you can correctly match pairs.)
Step 3: After you've done that, using your nail glue, coat the entire bottom part of the nail. Press the nail onto your natural nail, and hold it there for about 5-7 seconds.
You're done! Now you just have to repeat the process to each of your nails.
The three benefits to this.
1) It doesn't cause a quarter of the damage that acrylic nails do. My natural nails are healthier now than when i had acrylics, since I'm not doing as much damage to them.
2) This is much more cost efficient than having acrylics. As opposed to going in every 2 weeks for a $20 refill (not to mention replacements if they break), this is a much cheaper alternative, since you only have to replace the glue and buffing board every 3 months.
3) Time effective. Instead of having to wait days to have my acrylics refilled or fixed, if one of them falls off or I want a different style of nail, all I have to do is either glue on the nail that's fallen off, or head to the drugstore and buy a new set! I have much more control over when and where my nails get done.
If you'd like to take these nails off, all you have to do is soak them in pure acetone for between 15-20 minutes, and they'll be totally off.
What do y'all think of the nails? Do you have any other nail hacks for college students?
Blessings!
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