I've never done gel overlay or builder gel before, but recently ordered some to try at home. This video was really helpful to see how to apply it on short nails and the additional tips at the end were really informative too.
Great video! I am a constant hard gel user under my polish. I also do it for strength and want to add that I always use 100%pure acetone to remove my polish with zero problems. I do the fill method and never soak it off, I just file down almost all the way and add more... never leave an air bubble though! Thanks for this video! It's super helpful and practical!
Yeah! Hard gel is not soak off so acetone will do nothing to it. Hard gel is a fantastic option and since u don’t constantly remove it (but fill it) ur natural nail sees no damage! (I will try it sometime soon, because I think it would be a great option for me for swatching) - I just haven’t made the jump yet haha
My natural nails are soft and weak so a gel overlay is the only way for me to enjoy playing with nail polish and art. Haven’t tried this particular brand but I have been slowly getting better at the application and appreciate all tips! My only difference in use is that I typically use a gel top coat over the builder because that helps it survive multiple nail polish changes with ease. Thx for the video. 😍
Yeah I was thinking about that… idk if it will make the nail too thick to then apply polish also…. (Like for regular wear I’m sure it’s fine but idk if it will show bulky in my pics) - worth a try for sure!
This video was so helpful!! I’m feeling more confident trying builder gel again to strengthen my weak nails. Thank you! ❤️ I would love to see a video if/when you do an infill. Also, have you tried other builders in a bottle? Just wondering if Kiara Sky is your favorite after trying different brands. I currently have the cuccio builder and removal is amazing.
I have not tried many other brands, so this is not so much “my fav” but “a good one that I have no complains about so I haven’t used any other” haha - the infill… hmmm i can try to film that yeah 👍🏼
I've been thinking about trying a gel overlay for a while now so this was really helpful! Seeing a video on doing a fill would help a lot too! My main question is can you do a fill without an efile? The other videos I've seen on fills always use an efile.
Your step-by-step instructions were great! I've heard of the Kiara Sky brand and it looks like they're pretty good; I've also seen their wide range of polishes. Good to know that you can use regular polishes with this system. Excellent info; TFS!
Well, it’s not so much that u can “use regular polish with this system”… the system is over once the overlay application is done. What u so on top of them is unrelated to the system, u know?
This video was amazingly helpful! Thanks Larissa! I’ve tried swatching with overlays before but they deteriorated so quickly. Next time I’ll definitely remove with non-acetone remover.
Yeah I think with acetone they wouldn’t survive. However, if u do a hard gel (which r not soakable), no acetone or remover will do anything to them, so it will be ok :)
Very helpful! I’ve been curious about gel but afraid to use because my nails are not strong. I like that you can wear without color but if you do wear color, you can change color. Would you do a follow up video on the removal process?
I use gellish vitagel, its an overlay that stregthens natural nails( it soaks off super easy-5-10 min max) and also orly bodybuilder(i think that is name) but it soaks off w absolutely NO damage at all- I dont even have to buff my nail prior to application!
Hello! Did you do a fill video too? I can't find one. I am good about taking care of my nails but once they get a little length they just crumble. Hoping this will help but would love to see a full vid. 💕
I couldn’t tell you since idk what they were using, u know? I don’t see how we could buff a sticky inhibition layer 🤔 so maybe they were using another type of gel. Not sure
Can you do the same process with just a regular gel top coat instead of a builder? If so, would you do the base and top coat with no color in between or just the top coat?
I wouldn’t use a top coat directly on the natural nail. Top coats are not meant to adhere to the natural nail, so we use base coats for that because they are made for natural nail adhesion. I have never tried to do an overlay with just base/top coat, but it should work. It won’t protect as hard as a builder gel because those r stronger, but it will help some. ❤️
Thank you for this video! So helpful! Follow up question: do you know if the step 2 primer formula has changed since you made this video? I was prepping with alcohol and then going straight to step 3 builder then color with a gel Polish and they Peel off the next day. I bought the step 2 today and it’s just like an alcohol, it’s not sticky at all. I used alcohol for strep 1, then this new KS2 primer, then builder and gel color but not sure it’s going to be right yet. Hoping it bonds this time, would love to hear if anyone else finds that the KS2 primer is not sticky for them? Thanks!
I have the products I used here linked in the description and lamp, just find one in ur budget that’s 48 watts and “uv/led” so it cures anything. I have one linked on my Amazon store but u can just grab any with specs that make it good enough + has good reviews.
Somewhere…I saw that you talked about changing your polish brushes. What brand of replacement brushes do you use? I got the kiara sky jelly kit & like it but my brush in my top coat got so hard! Not sure what I did but I don’t like their brushes lol.
The brushes I replace are for regular polish. If the kiarasky brush got hard, you probably cured it by mistake (is it possible that this happened?). The replacement brushes I use are from glistenandglow.com and they wouldn't fit the Kiarasky bottles. If the brush got hard because you cured it, you can try dipping the brush in acetone (think of like a soak off, but for your brush), to see if you can remove that hard gel from the bristles.
@@PolishLabRat ok thank you! I’ll try the soak off. I did polish while too close to the lamp lol. I bet that’s what happened. Thanks again & I love your videos! Also, have you tried the Orly builder in a bottle? If so is it any better than Kiara Sky builder? The Orly is double in price so wondering your thoughts. Also I reached out to Kiara Sky & they are sending me replacement brushes & a new builder. I’m so excited.
Great video! I really need to consider this! This way I can change my color in 1 or 2 days again with regular polish but still have the stronger feeling of gelcolors!🎉 But how does the gel behaves when you cut your nails? Because mine grow super fast and I can not stand the feeling of longer nails! ( I cut them and then I file them in shape...🙈) And 2nd question, does it take longer for polish to dry on top? I now sometimes use polish from opi over my opi gelcolor to cover up the growth or when just really over the color I have on and need a change desperatly😂🙈❤
1. I file mine. Idk if that’s ok or not but I do it and nothing happens 🤷🏻♀️ I think if u cut, the gel might lift, but u can just file off the growth instead. 2. It doesn’t take longer. Seems the same for me.
I definitely needed this! I’ve been paying to get mine done because I’m afraid of builder gel but my nails need it. Have you tried any other brand of builder gel or just Kira sky? Just curious as to which is the most beginner friendly. I tried one in a pot and it didn’t go so well 😫
Anything in a bottle would be the most beginner friendly. I have not tried others. I have seen however, good reviews of the Aimeili ones and they even come with color! So u wouldn’t need to polish. Like sheer pinks and such
After watching this video (which was super helpful!!!) I purchased the ASP builder gel in a bottle because they offer colored options! This way, if my lacquer chips, I can just remove everything and cover up with a clear glossy top coat until I get the change to do a full manicure with stamping again. The builder was super easy to use, self leveling, and my mani applied so much easier and smoother after. It felt like cheating!!! The only thing I didn't like about the ASP builder was that after removing the tacky layer, the builder gel wasn't as glossy like in this video. Next time, I'll probably buy something else in a color that might by more glossy so I don't have to apply a top coat.
Great video, could the heat spikes can be caused of the gel products that i use? I don’t buff my nails and when i wen’t to the nail salon i didn’t had that problem. With my gel polish at home i do get the heat spikes.
@@PolishLabRat it’s like a fault in my nail, they pop up everytime my nail grows out & ive tried everything else so im hoping this helps them just until the crack is gone😭
Have you ever had this builder gel stain with regular polish? I used a Lemming Lacquer polish with this Kiara Sky builder gel and it stained the gel when I removed the polish. Never had that happen with other brands I've used (Aimeili and Beetles).
Could you do a dip powder overlay? I have been thinking about getting a clear dip powder to smooth and strengthen my natural nails, with one coat of clear dip powder. Then I would apply regular nail polish. Would that work? Would the removal process be more difficult than with a gel overlay?
I’m actually not sure if you can do a dip overlay. I mean yes ofc you *can* do it haha I just dunno if it would work. Not sure how changing polish would behave on top of dip. You can def use reg polish on top of dip but I’m not sure how the dip would survive polish changes or anything.
Okay I have this system but every time I try to do a gel overlay, it just peels off in one sheet. But when I use the gelly tipa, it stays on. Could there be anything I'm doing wrong?
I would have to know exactly what you are doing. If you have me on IG, DM me and we can try to troubleshoot. I cannot tell you without truly understanding your steps so we can see where it's going wrong
Just a cheap handheld flash cure lamp from Amazon, but I don't recommend it anymore because it broke super soon :( It worked great while it lasted, but it's dead now haha
Thanks so much; this was very helpful! I had gels years ago and the removal must have been improper because my nails became very thin and weak over the course of a year or so. This looks like a more gentle approach, especially since it would just be over my natural nail. Thanks again.
Gel can damage ur nails if u peel it off instead of soaking it off, also if ur nails are overfilled before gel application. So, the gel itself will not make ur nails thin but what it done to them in prep and removal 👍🏼
@@PolishLabRat thanks! The more I learn about the proper prep procedures and removal, the more I understand that this is what happened. My gels were never removed by soaking, but by clipping, sanding and "popping" them off. It makes me cringe to remember it!!!
I've never done gel overlay or builder gel before, but recently ordered some to try at home. This video was really helpful to see how to apply it on short nails and the additional tips at the end were really informative too.
Glad it was helpful!!! 🥰
Finally, such a helpful video. Thank you!!
You're welcome! 😍😊
Great video! I am a constant hard gel user under my polish. I also do it for strength and want to add that I always use 100%pure acetone to remove my polish with zero problems. I do the fill method and never soak it off, I just file down almost all the way and add more... never leave an air bubble though! Thanks for this video! It's super helpful and practical!
Yeah! Hard gel is not soak off so acetone will do nothing to it. Hard gel is a fantastic option and since u don’t constantly remove it (but fill it) ur natural nail sees no damage! (I will try it sometime soon, because I think it would be a great option for me for swatching) - I just haven’t made the jump yet haha
Eep!! I followed this tutorial today and my (normally weak af) nails look amazing!! Thanks for the confidence boost to think I could do this myself. 😍
Very glad it helped you!! Woot woot 🤓🥳
Thank you! Your videos are always so helpful.
Glad you like them! Tfw!
My natural nails are soft and weak so a gel overlay is the only way for me to enjoy playing with nail polish and art. Haven’t tried this particular brand but I have been slowly getting better at the application and appreciate all tips! My only difference in use is that I typically use a gel top coat over the builder because that helps it survive multiple nail polish changes with ease. Thx for the video. 😍
Yeah I was thinking about that… idk if it will make the nail too thick to then apply polish also…. (Like for regular wear I’m sure it’s fine but idk if it will show bulky in my pics) - worth a try for sure!
This video was so helpful!! I’m feeling more confident trying builder gel again to strengthen my weak nails. Thank you! ❤️ I would love to see a video if/when you do an infill. Also, have you tried other builders in a bottle? Just wondering if Kiara Sky is your favorite after trying different brands. I currently have the cuccio builder and removal is amazing.
I have not tried many other brands, so this is not so much “my fav” but “a good one that I have no complains about so I haven’t used any other” haha - the infill… hmmm i can try to film that yeah 👍🏼
@@PolishLabRat I second the request for an infill video 🙂
I've been thinking about trying a gel overlay for a while now so this was really helpful! Seeing a video on doing a fill would help a lot too! My main question is can you do a fill without an efile? The other videos I've seen on fills always use an efile.
You can def fill without efile, but an efile with a cuticle bit will help. I can try to film a fill yep!
Your step-by-step instructions were great! I've heard of the Kiara Sky brand and it looks like they're pretty good; I've also seen their wide range of polishes. Good to know that you can use regular polishes with this system. Excellent info; TFS!
Well, it’s not so much that u can “use regular polish with this system”… the system is over once the overlay application is done. What u so on top of them is unrelated to the system, u know?
@@PolishLabRat OH, ok. I'd love to be able to swap out my polish a couple times.
This video was amazingly helpful! Thanks Larissa! I’ve tried swatching with overlays before but they deteriorated so quickly. Next time I’ll definitely remove with non-acetone remover.
Yeah I think with acetone they wouldn’t survive. However, if u do a hard gel (which r not soakable), no acetone or remover will do anything to them, so it will be ok :)
Very helpful, thank you! I love your accent!
Thank you! 😊💕
Please do the follow up videos of infill and the. Proper removal. So helpful. Thanks!!
Proper removal is soak off like regular gel polish. I have a video on that on my channel 👍🏼 - i’ll try to film a refill
Love this video! It is very helpful to anyone who wants to learn how to DIY their own mani at home. 💗
Thank you!
Super freakin helpful and I’m so thankful 💕
Thanks for watching!! 🌼🌼❤️
Thank you. I had so many questions that you answered & now I know. Thank you.
Yw! Let me know if any other question comes up 🌸❤️
Will definitely give it a try! Could you please do a video on doing a refill or is this the process you do every time? Thanks for the lesson 💕
I actually have a video on how I do my fills. I’ll upload it as a short soon.
Very helpful! I’ve been curious about gel but afraid to use because my nails are not strong. I like that you can wear without color but if you do wear color, you can change color. Would you do a follow up video on the removal process?
I already have a gel removal video. Removing this is exactly the same as removing gel polish ❤️
I use gellish vitagel, its an overlay that stregthens natural nails( it soaks off super easy-5-10 min max) and also orly bodybuilder(i think that is name) but it soaks off w absolutely NO damage at all- I dont even have to buff my nail prior to application!
So so helpful! I want to.do this to strengthen my peeling nails
This is a cosmetic thing, this will not truly strengthen nails. Keep that in mind!
Orly and gellish have gel overlays made especially for natural nails, also
Ah yeah I’ve seen those! 👍🏼☺️ never tried them tho 🌸
This was a very helpful video. Thank you 😊 💅
Yw! TFW 😊💕
Hello! Did you do a fill video too? I can't find one. I am good about taking care of my nails but once they get a little length they just crumble. Hoping this will help but would love to see a full vid. 💕
I have a fill somewhere on IG on my reels tab. I don’t do gel content anymore tho. 💕
Thank you!!
Love your how to videos! Thank you! 💗
Thank you! 🥰🌸
Great video! I was about to ask you what was on your other nails! Lol Thank you so much!
Haha yw! 🌸🥰
thank you!
This was so helpful! I noticed that’s some people buff after they use the builder gel, but you wiped, what’s the difference?
I couldn’t tell you since idk what they were using, u know? I don’t see how we could buff a sticky inhibition layer 🤔 so maybe they were using another type of gel. Not sure
Can you do the same process with just a regular gel top coat instead of a builder? If so, would you do the base and top coat with no color in between or just the top coat?
I wouldn’t use a top coat directly on the natural nail. Top coats are not meant to adhere to the natural nail, so we use base coats for that because they are made for natural nail adhesion. I have never tried to do an overlay with just base/top coat, but it should work. It won’t protect as hard as a builder gel because those r stronger, but it will help some. ❤️
Thank you for this video! So helpful! Follow up question: do you know if the step 2 primer formula has changed since you made this video? I was prepping with alcohol and then going straight to step 3 builder then color with a gel Polish and they Peel off the next day. I bought the step 2 today and it’s just like an alcohol, it’s not sticky at all. I used alcohol for strep 1, then this new KS2 primer, then builder and gel color but not sure it’s going to be right yet. Hoping it bonds this time, would love to hear if anyone else finds that the KS2 primer is not sticky for them? Thanks!
I never bought it again so I couldn’t tell u if the step 2 stopped being sticky 🙈 thanks for watching, I’m glad it was helpful!
Omg thank you so much for this!
🙌🏼🌸☺️
Thank you for this!!
Yw! 🌸☺️
What about filing nails down when they get too long? Does it do any harm to the overlay? Thank you for the great video, as always!
I file them and it seems fine. Idk if it’s supposed to be a no no, or if it’s ok… but I do it and it’s fine.
Thank you for providing this tutorial. Do you have a recommendation for a website to invest in these items including the Uber lamp?
Thanks
I have the products I used here linked in the description and lamp, just find one in ur budget that’s 48 watts and “uv/led” so it cures anything. I have one linked on my Amazon store but u can just grab any with specs that make it good enough + has good reviews.
My Amazon store is here (go to the gel section)
amzn.to/39frwYb
Somewhere…I saw that you talked about changing your polish brushes. What brand of replacement brushes do you use? I got the kiara sky jelly kit & like it but my brush in my top coat got so hard! Not sure what I did but I don’t like their brushes lol.
The brushes I replace are for regular polish. If the kiarasky brush got hard, you probably cured it by mistake (is it possible that this happened?). The replacement brushes I use are from glistenandglow.com and they wouldn't fit the Kiarasky bottles. If the brush got hard because you cured it, you can try dipping the brush in acetone (think of like a soak off, but for your brush), to see if you can remove that hard gel from the bristles.
@@PolishLabRat ok thank you! I’ll try the soak off. I did polish while too close to the lamp lol. I bet that’s what happened. Thanks again & I love your videos! Also, have you tried the Orly builder in a bottle? If so is it any better than Kiara Sky builder? The Orly is double in price so wondering your thoughts. Also I reached out to Kiara Sky & they are sending me replacement brushes & a new builder. I’m so excited.
Did you apply builder gel twice or once
Once 💕
Great video! I really need to consider this! This way I can change my color in 1 or 2 days again with regular polish but still have the stronger feeling of gelcolors!🎉
But how does the gel behaves when you cut your nails? Because mine grow super fast and I can not stand the feeling of longer nails! ( I cut them and then I file them in shape...🙈)
And 2nd question, does it take longer for polish to dry on top? I now sometimes use polish from opi over my opi gelcolor to cover up the growth or when just really over the color I have on and need a change desperatly😂🙈❤
1. I file mine. Idk if that’s ok or not but I do it and nothing happens 🤷🏻♀️ I think if u cut, the gel might lift, but u can just file off the growth instead.
2. It doesn’t take longer. Seems the same for me.
Thanks for watching!
I definitely needed this! I’ve been paying to get mine done because I’m afraid of builder gel but my nails need it. Have you tried any other brand of builder gel or just Kira sky? Just curious as to which is the most beginner friendly. I tried one in a pot and it didn’t go so well 😫
Anything in a bottle would be the most beginner friendly. I have not tried others. I have seen however, good reviews of the Aimeili ones and they even come with color! So u wouldn’t need to polish. Like sheer pinks and such
After watching this video (which was super helpful!!!) I purchased the ASP builder gel in a bottle because they offer colored options! This way, if my lacquer chips, I can just remove everything and cover up with a clear glossy top coat until I get the change to do a full manicure with stamping again. The builder was super easy to use, self leveling, and my mani applied so much easier and smoother after. It felt like cheating!!! The only thing I didn't like about the ASP builder was that after removing the tacky layer, the builder gel wasn't as glossy like in this video. Next time, I'll probably buy something else in a color that might by more glossy so I don't have to apply a top coat.
Great video, could the heat spikes can be caused of the gel products that i use? I don’t buff my nails and when i wen’t to the nail salon i didn’t had that problem. With my gel polish at home i do get the heat spikes.
I'm going to show you a video, check it out, it's about gel and heat: ua-cam.com/video/I6099UqtlAw/v-deo.html
@@PolishLabRat thank you
can you do more than one layer of the builder gel if you have cracks youre trying to grow out?
Multiple layers should be ok, but I'm not sure about this being the right way to deal with cracks or not.
@@PolishLabRat it’s like a fault in my nail, they pop up everytime my nail grows out & ive tried everything else so im hoping this helps them just until the crack is gone😭
Have you ever had this builder gel stain with regular polish? I used a Lemming Lacquer polish with this Kiara Sky builder gel and it stained the gel when I removed the polish. Never had that happen with other brands I've used (Aimeili and Beetles).
This has definitely happened to me with both Kiarasky and Aimeili, just depends 😭
If my nails are paper thin and brittle, do you recommend that I apply 2 or 3 layers to strengthen the nail ?
I don’t know, you are gonna have to test it. Try with just 1 and see how that goes and adjust little by little 👍🏼
Could you do a dip powder overlay? I have been thinking about getting a clear dip powder to smooth and strengthen my natural nails, with one coat of clear dip powder. Then I would apply regular nail polish. Would that work? Would the removal process be more difficult than with a gel overlay?
I’m actually not sure if you can do a dip overlay. I mean yes ofc you *can* do it haha I just dunno if it would work. Not sure how changing polish would behave on top of dip. You can def use reg polish on top of dip but I’m not sure how the dip would survive polish changes or anything.
I wiped my top left phone screen at 9:45 lol 🤣🤣
hahahaha i hate when that happens on my mat! It's soooo like, "in ur face" haha
Okay I have this system but every time I try to do a gel overlay, it just peels off in one sheet. But when I use the gelly tipa, it stays on. Could there be anything I'm doing wrong?
I would have to know exactly what you are doing. If you have me on IG, DM me and we can try to troubleshoot. I cannot tell you without truly understanding your steps so we can see where it's going wrong
What was the mini light you used
Just a cheap handheld flash cure lamp from Amazon, but I don't recommend it anymore because it broke super soon :( It worked great while it lasted, but it's dead now haha
Thanks so much; this was very helpful! I had gels years ago and the removal must have been improper because my nails became very thin and weak over the course of a year or so. This looks like a more gentle approach, especially since it would just be over my natural nail. Thanks again.
Gel can damage ur nails if u peel it off instead of soaking it off, also if ur nails are overfilled before gel application. So, the gel itself will not make ur nails thin but what it done to them in prep and removal 👍🏼
@@PolishLabRat thanks! The more I learn about the proper prep procedures and removal, the more I understand that this is what happened. My gels were never removed by soaking, but by clipping, sanding and "popping" them off. It makes me cringe to remember it!!!
Tengo que comprar la máquina para curar, quiero intentar esto. Saludos.
Siii! Es útil! :) thanks for watching!
Can you file your nails as they grow with your gel overlay on without damaging the cured edge?
I do that yeah. Not sure if it’s recommended or not, but I def do it hahaha seems fine!
Hola: can I this product to fix a broken nail? Mi uña se rompió en la base bien arriba😔
Esto va a añadir una capa de protección, pero no estoy segura cuán útil sería para una uña rota 😭 la verdad no se!
If I will use a gel color, will I still need to cure the builder?
U always have to cure all layers of gel. So yes 👍🏼