Pedicure with gel polish: how to make and decorate beautifully?

A beautiful pedicure makes the feminine look flawless. Despite the fact that you can do it at home no worse than in a nail salon, not every woman has information about the main nuances of the pedicure technique. This does not require huge investments in the purchase of equipment and the varnishes themselves. The material in this article will help to fill the lack of information.

Gel polish is a hybrid varnish that combines the properties of varnish and gel. The secret of a beautiful pedicure using gel polish lies in two rules: quality and stylish design. Quality is achieved by using good lacquer products and decor, as well as adherence to all stages of the pedicure. If you ignore the rules of execution, the coating will not hold for a long time.

Therefore, it is selected before the start of the pedicure, choosing decorative elements for a specific female image or for everyday outfits. Since this coating lasts longer than conventional counterparts, the design is selected in such a way that it fits most of the items from the women's wardrobe. In this case, you can use different elements of decoration (from flat to volumetric 3D).

The gel polish used today for pedicure differs from the usual coating in the greater attractiveness of the color tones and the durability of the applied composition. Depending on the manufacturer's brand, it lasts from two to four weeks, or even more. Sometimes the nail plates have time to grow well, and the coating does not chip off. The secret lies in two factors:

• the thickness of the layers to be applied, which in total can be up to five for a pedicure;
• using a quality lamp to dry each layer applied to the nail plate.

Each layer applied should be very thin, almost airy. So it will be distributed over the nail plate without stripes, and in addition, it will not flow over the cuticle and lateral ridges of the nail. It is important to understand that the equipment used in a nail salon is different from that used by women at home. The method for removing pterygium is also different, because in the salon it is hardware, and at home they take ordinary manicure tools for this.

The type of pedicure itself also matters, which, in addition to the usual, today can be unedged or the so-called European. If the traditional technique associated with soaking nails is almost always associated with the difficulties of removing the cuticle and pterygium (and sometimes a burr), then the European or dry type (aka Japanese and spa) is more gentle. With it, the cuticle is not cut off, but pushed back. Some masters are sure that it is a dry pedicure that lasts longer on the nails, since with it the nails do not change their shape, which cannot be said about the traditional version (they become flatter). However, in general, it is not the type of pedicure that is important, but the correctness of its implementation.

Before applying layers of gel products to your toenails, it is important to prepare the nails themselves, because without this you can not count on a high-quality and durable result. Preparation of nail plates has its own characteristics. As a rule, the task of the master is to create the ideal base for the coatings. Let's see how this is done in the traditional version.

You can soak your fingers in warm water for 10 minutes. From this, the pterygium, located on the sides of the rollers, will be easier to separate from the nails. It will be easier to remove it, as well as push it back, and then lift the cuticle itself. After the nails are soaked, they are wiped dry and, if necessary, a special softening oil is applied to the places of work with the cuticle.

Next, the pterygium and cuticle are removed. Tool movements should not be sharp or tearing. From this, the skin is injured and imperfections of the master's work appear. It is necessary to remove all unnecessary things in the direction not upward, but forward. To prevent cutting most of the skin in the cuticle area, it is first lifted using a special spatula, and then pushed back with fingers. Such a trick will eliminate the appearance of wounds, and the woman will see how much and where to remove.

If the tweezers are inconvenient to use, the cuticle can be cut off with nail scissors. Roughness in the upper part of the nail can be removed with a file, but this should be done before soaking the nails. After the pterygium and cuticle have been removed, and the upper edge of the toenails has been given a beautiful shape, it remains to remove the layer of gloss from the nail plates. This will enhance the adhesion of the gel polish to the nail and prolong the durability of the pedicure.

It is better to use a special soft grinder for this purpose. It will not injure the skin around the nail either from the side of the rollers or below in the cuticle area. Since dust particles after sanding can interfere with the application of coatings, they are removed with a soft cloth and a degreaser. If there is no such substance at home, you can use gel polish remover instead.

The quality of the pedicure will depend on the level of preparation of the toenails and the accuracy of the master. In fact, the process of applying layers of gel polish itself is not so much complicated as it is lengthy, because each applied layer will have to be dried. And if you consider that the master can first deal with one accent nail, making it out to the end, then it can take more than an hour for all nails.

First you need to prepare everything you need. The standard set includes:

• basic coverage;
• pigmented gel polish;
• top;
• UV curing lamp;
• decorative elements.

In addition, for decorating, it is worth preparing a thin brush with elastic bristles. If you plan to lay out a drawing of rhinestones, prepare the appropriate devices, because you cannot take small parts with your hands and create a pattern from them on a sticky basis. Let's consider the main stages of a quality pedicure.

If the master is unsure of the accuracy of the applied layers of varnish, he applies a special silicone coating around the nail plate (on the sides and bottom). This substance can be of two tones (pink and white), it dries up and after drying the last layer is removed from the skin in the form of a thin film. This is done so that the master does not accidentally smear the gel polish past the nail plate. The fact is that after hardening, it will be difficult to remove the coating from the skin, and such a pedicure will not look beautiful anymore.

The base coat is designed to better adhere to the pigment and top. By its structure, it is a transparent substance with a sticky consistency. It is applied to the nail plate as accurately and evenly as possible, without going over the side rollers and the cuticle area below. It is a glossy base that is applied in a thin layer and allowed to dry for one to two minutes (depending on the type of coating used and the type of lamp).

After the base has been applied and dried, they are painting the nail with gel polish using a coating of a pre-selected shade. As a rule, one thin layer is not enough to cover the nail plate. Therefore, the nail is painted with pigment twice. However, so that there are no stripes, after the varnish is applied, you need to wait at least one minute: the composition will stretch over the nail plate and the coating will even out. If you do not wait a minute, the strips will remain after drying.

A layer of finish or top - the completion of a classic manicure. This substance can have a different type of structure. For example, it can have not only glossy, but also matte, and even velvety effect, be with a sticky layer or not. Which option is better - each woman decides for herself. The sticky version is good for decorating, the glossy one allows the pedicure to look fresh for a long time.

There are situations where the steps of a pedicure may involve intermediate decoration. It depends on the type of decor used. For example, if these are water-based stickers, then they are glued after the base and the first layer of pigment. At the same time, in order not to change the expressiveness of the shades of the sticker, the light tones of the gel polish should serve as the basis for them.

After the pigment layer has dried, a top layer is applied to the nail. The film is removed from the stickers cut in the shape of the nail, then the workpiece is lowered into cold water. After two or three seconds, they take it out, remove it from the paper backing and apply it to the nail with a layer of top. The decor is leveled using a thin brush, spreading the adhesive evenly over the entire nail plate.

Next, the nail with the pattern is dried, and only after that the excess film is cut off from above. Then another layer of finish is applied and dried under a lamp. About a similar technology, nails are decorated with the famous Japanese decor kamifubuki. Crystals with small rhinestones are also placed on a not dried top, and then dried under a UV lamp. The same can be said about decorating toenails with microbeads and flock powder.

However, if adhesive-based stickers are used to decorate nails, then they are applied to the dry layer of the top. Then they are covered on top with another one so that the sticker does not fall off the base too quickly. If we talk about stamping, it is applied to the pigment. At the same time, the desired pattern and contrasting color of the gel polish are selected for stamping.After the pattern is pressed to the base of the nail, it is dried under a lamp, and then the nail is covered with a top and dried again.

There are other decorating techniques. Some do not need a final finishing coat over the decor, because, firstly, the decor is glued to the top, and secondly, the top layer can spoil the aesthetics of the pedicure's appearance. If we talk about modeling, then this decor cannot be called practical and durable. The reason for this is the constant touching of the nails with the pattern on the shoes, washing the feet.

It is much more difficult to remove gel polish from nails than a regular coating, because if you properly cover the nails on your feet, it lasts for a very long time (up to 5 weeks). As a rule, by sharpening the nail plates, the adhesion of the nail to the varnish is quite strong. Therefore, you will have to soften the gel polish with a special remover. A regular nail polish remover will not work here: you need one that is intended for shellac or gel polish.

After the required time has elapsed, they take an orange stick and use it to pry off and remove the varnish. It is rarely removed in one piece, so it will take a lot of time to remove the gel polish. You should not erase the coating with a file, because the nails become thinner anyway with a pedicure, which is harmful to them. It is useless to rub the nail plates endlessly with a damp cloth: this will not work. It will be difficult to remove gel polish from nails without softening.

This season, fashion trends have presented fashionistas with several new designs. For example, one of the extraordinary solutions today is the allocation of the cuticle area. If earlier it was customary to decorate the lower part with rhinestones in the shape of an arc, today the lower part is isolated almost close to the base of the nail throughout the entire area where the cuticle is removed. It is fashionable to highlight this area of ​​the nail with rhinestones, a pattern of rhinestones and crystals, as well as gilding and silver.

The jacket has also changed. If earlier he adhered to the classic arched lines or the so-called "smile", now he is striving for asymmetry. The lines of this season are diagonal, and a combination of different tones, connected by lace patterns and rhinestones at the same time, is welcome. This season, the jacket is especially elegant and spectacular: if the length of the nails allows, the design can consist of several shades and a pattern on top of them.

Newspaper pedicure is popular, for the creation of which ordinary pieces of newspaper are used. They are dipped in alcohol for a few minutes, and then applied to a layer of pigment (for about 30-40 seconds) and then the printed pattern is covered with a finish. Accent toenails are often decorated with small stickers to add a vintage effect over newspaper patterns.

This season's trends suggest paying attention to the design of toenails using special foil. If desired, a woman can choose an option between four varieties of this product, giving the pedicure not only a unique and spectacular, but fashionable and modern design.

One of the extraordinary solutions for this season is the partial decoration of nails. In this case, the drawing is applied to an unpainted nail. This design looks interesting and fresh. In addition, vertical lines are in fashion: the nail plate can be decorated with two contrasting shades of the product, closing the joint between them with a row of rhinestones or lace, pattern.

A beautiful and simple pedicure can be done on the basis of water stickers. They significantly save time for drawing small elements. This pedicure design looks beautiful and professional, as if it were done in a nail salon.Lovers of painstaking drawings should take a closer look at decorating toenails with broths and rhinestones, laying out various patterns on accent nails from tiny beads.

For information on how to do a gel polish pedicure, see the next video.