Happy Memorial Day!  I wanted to do something patriotic for the holiday, so I decided to try my hand at doing my own acrylic nails.  I know this has nothing to do with the holiday, except the nail art and color I used. My own nails are brittle and take forever to grow.  Plus I have man hands, and need longer nails to not look like said man.  I looked at some stick on nails, but they were too short and too small.  I thought about going to one of the many nail salons in town to get a full set done, and decided that I’m too cheap, and I bet I could do them myself.

So after reviewing Pinterest and YouTube, I decided what the heck, I can do this. So off to Sally Beauty I went. Salons in my area charge anywhere from $35 to $70 for a full set. I paid less than $45 for the complete nail kit, nail form kit and better brush.

First off I have to give the staff at Sally Beauty props.  Whenever I have shopped there the staff is beyond helpful and very knowledgeable.  I’ve never done acrylic nails before, so I had a lot of questions.  Plus I have a short attention span and didn’t want anything to difficult or too expensive.  I have a tendency to buy beauty products, then they end up under my bathroom sink, then given to my 20 year old niece six months later.

Let’s get started. I purchased this kit  Beauty Secrets 4 in 1 Extension Kit. Buy here. for $17.59 with my Sally club card.  It had everything I needed. I also purchased these Form a Nail Nail Forms Form a Nail Nail Forms. for $7.79.  This is the product which really sold me on doing the nails myself.  It is super easy to use. The nail forms are reusable and make for a smooth finish.

This is what sold me on the whole fake nail deal.

I prepped my nails, and off I went.  I have to say the brush that came with kit was really crummy. Given how crummy it was, I was surprised at my end result.  I bought another brush that worked way better for $9.29 at Sally. Beauty Science #8 Pro Sculpt Brush . Again the staff at Sally was so helpful.  One of my nails had popped off, so I needed to do a repair.  Using the Nail Forms makes it a breeze.  I also purchased Terrific Tips Nail tip cutters for $6.49 at Sally Beauty. Nail tip cutters

After I put the tips on and filed them I used this Gelous Advanced Gel coat to smooth things out. Gelous Advanced Gel Coat at Sally Beauty.  I use this all the time when doing a regular manicure, and it makes my nails look like I’ve had a gel manicure.  Next I used Revlon Colorstay Longwear Nail enamel in Indigo Night. Nail color Here it is on Amazon.  I bought mine at Dollar Tree for $1.  I also used L.A. Colors Art Deco in Silver L.A. Colors Art Deco in Silver another Dollar Tree find at $1. To finish things off I used my go to favorite top coat, Sally Hansen Insta Dry Top coat  Best top coat ever!  I’ve been using this top coat for years.  I have not found any top coat that works better.  It’s $5.99 at Ulta.  This stuff is so good that I can paint my nails before I go to bed, and they end up perfect the next day.

One last note, after the one nail popped off, I put nail glue in the crack between my natural nail and the tip on the back of my nail.  They feel much more secure now.

I hope you enjoyed my first DIY nail post.  Thanks for stopping by.