Fake Nails

I think the difference is just what kind of powder and tips they use. Gels are done the same way as acrylics, but they come out clear instead of opaque. Pink and whites are clear pink gel with white tips and white powder on the tips. They're more expensive, because they're harder to do. Instead of gluing on the tip and then painting the stuff over the whole nail, they have to do the tip separately with the white powder. I'm not sure what UV nails are.

The pink and whites are the lowest maintenance. The always look perfect and they look pretty natural if they're short, because they're not painted. The problem with them though is that they look great at first, but they don't grow out well. It always looked gross when the fake white tip would grow past the tip of my natural nail, because the real tip looked yellow underneath. So I didn't like that...

Silks did the least amount of damage to my natural nails underneath, but they didn't stay on. The last time I had them done I paid $50+tip and my pinky nail popped off before I even got home

Acrylics are the cheapest and last the longest, but they also do the most damage to your natural nails. When I would finally take them off, it would take about a month for my nails to recover. They're good for vacation when you want your polish to stay on for 2 weeks without touch ups. That's the only reason I would ever have them done again and if I did, I would just get an airbrush american manicure, which looks just like pink and whites...

 

Well, for one, all enhancements--gels, L&P (liquid & powder) and wraps---are some form of acrylic. Now, onto the individual types....

Liquid and Powder are the most common types of acrylics and the cheapest. Sometimes the products and application are inferior because alot of these corner salons use their own products and they are also not licensed, using an electric file, mutilating and overfiling customers' natural nails. This causes the damage, not the products.

Gels are just what they're named--GELS. If it's not sticky and coming from a pot, it's not gel. There are a lot of L&P systems that are promoted as gel, but if you're not getting a pot of clear or colored GEL, you're not getting 100% gels. You're getting taken. And, this is common practice nowadays.

Silk and fiberglass wraps are the weakest forms of acrylics. They are layers of woven silk or fiberglass sheets that are secured to the nails using resin/glue.

Oh, and before someone chimes in on "Solar Nails"......These are regular pink and white (usually liquid and powder) nails with a buff or layer of gel top coat.

 

I would also look into how hard they are to apply.

 

Gel is NOT the same as acrylic....you naturl nail bed breathes better with gels than acrylics....also, acrylics are harder, gels crack easier.

 

It's not that difficult with practice. I did my own acrylics for awhile....

 

This is an absolute myth. Whatever you put on your nails they do not "breathe". Gel is as hard as acrylic nothing can get through either (or nail polish for that matter). Think about it, if air could get through so could water.

These sorts of myths are spread by nail technicians trying to get people to switch to whatever they are using. Don't believe it.

Someone else said above that gel is clearer than liquid and powder acrylics. This is also not always true, there are plenty of clear liquid and powder brands.

 

Very well said, Glynis.

Your nails do not breathe. They don't have lungs.

 

acrylics are the worst things you can do to your nails. i got them down once and my nails were really damaged (from the sanding down the the glue they used). i had to wait until the entire nail grew out again for me to have normal nails!

 

Acrylics are not bad for your nails. A nail technician badly preparing your nails first is what is bad. They should not use an electric file on your natural nails, they should just lightly etch them first. If you have been somewhere where they really badly sand down your nails first it is often because they are using inferior products or because the nail technician is inexperienced. That is what will have wrecked your nails, not the acrylic. Picking them off will also damage your real nails.

People would never go to a hairdresser because she was a) The first one you saw b) the quickest c) the cheapest or d) you don't need to make an appointment, just walk in. So why do people often choose nail technicians on some of this criteria?

 

I agree that they are bad for your nails. I use to have acrylics done to my nail and it really messed it up!! my nail was so thin and I had to get them grown back. even then they havent been the same.

 

Again, it is not the acrylic that ruined your nails it is the nail technician that did them. Your nail takes approximately 6 months to grow from cuticle to tip, after that the damage will be gone. Your nail grows further down the finger than the cuticle so it is unlikely that any technician will do permanent damage.

 

I had the Pink and White Gel nails for over 2 years. From my experience they keep their shine for much longer. Also, they are much stronger. I think in my 2 years I only had a nail fall off once. So imagine how hard I had to of hit my hand in order to lose a nail.

Gel nails are nice and clear. This was great because I became a little lazy on the time I spent between refills. One of my nails started to get sick because water got in between the nail. Thankfully I was able to spot this immediately and have the gel nail removed before my real nail got worse. If my nails wouldn't have been clear I would have never seen that my nail underneath was getting sick (green).

 

I've had acrylics and gels, two of the strongest versions of enhancements. Silks and wraps are more often used just to cover a crack or provide a natural look to a nail with a bit more strength.

I agree that it depends on how experienced the technician is and what kind of product they are using. I've had bad experiences with nails and VERY good ones to where my nails were not damaged when I removed them. How you remove them also is telltale. Make sure you don't rip them off, use 100% acetone and soak them off gently.

Gels are more porous, it is true, and will flex more than acrylic will which is why they fall off less. I personally prefer acrylic as they are best suited to my lifestyle. I also keep them very short which helps!

The thing I tell people to remember is this: do not treat your nails as tools, treat them as treasure and your nails will be in better shape. People do horrible things with their nails, which contributes to them getting in worse shape after they use enhancements.

 

I should also add that every step of gel nail application involves curing them under a UV light. Some people have sensitivity problems with this as the UV light causes the electrons and different particles in the gel to bond together (move) which can cause some people slight pain.

Acrylic is usually in powder form and sets as it dries on your nail.


Make sure you massage solar oil or rose salve or some kind of balm on your cuticles every day and your nails will look beautiful for much longer. I used to have problems with lifting and such (which is when the acrylic sort of peels away from the nail and what caused Lissi to get fungus under her nail) but once I started using cuticle oils and Rose Salve, I can go up to a month before my next fill.