Review- Gel Nails

I have always admired gel nails, from seeing them on Instagram to Pinterest, but have always been a bit nervous to try them because I have been told that they can ruin your natural nails. However, I was still very interested in getting them done. Last month I was going to Spain for a wedding, so I decided what better opportunity to get them done than then, so myself and my mom popped into Fifth Avenue Nails in Cork City to get them done. 

First of all, she completely cut back all my natural nails, which to be honest, made me want to cry as my nails are naturally quite long and strong, so this absolutely killed me. She then buffed and filed my nails so that they were in a suitable condition to apply the gel.
She then applied a form, which is kind of like a stencil for applying the gel extensions on each nail. The first layer of gel she applied was to act almost like a base coat. I asked for an almond shape, so for the second layer, she dipped the brush into the clear gel, which was quite a thick consistency, and applied it to the nail and the form into the shape and length I wanted. I then had to place my nails into a UV light to cure the gel. 

Once this layer was hardened, the form was removed so that she could continue working on building up the gel to make it stronger. (Just to warn you if you are getting these done, once you place your nails into the UV light, it feels like its burning while the gel is hardening. It actually hurt quite a bit for me!)
She then added another layer of gel, and once this was dry, she cleaned the nail and fixed up the shape by filing it gently. Once the gel extensions were ready, the shellac was applied as it usually would be. 

This all cost €56 which didn't include removal later on. I kept my gels on for 4 weeks...yes, I know this is probably way too long and my nails had grown out so much, but to be honest I was just too lazy to take them off. After about 3 weeks, the tip of the extension on my thumb cracked off which was quite annoying, but at least it was just the gel and not my natural nail!

I removed the gel myself, by buffing the surface of the nail, soaking cotton wool in acetone, placing it on the nail and wrapping it in tinfoil. I left them soak for 40 minutes and then used the scraper to gently scrape off the gel. 

To be honest, this is what ruined the whole experience for me. I loved the nails when they were on, but once I took them off my nails were damaged, weak and brittle. I now have them cut back with nail strengthener applied, so hopefully my nails will recover soon. 

As much as I loved them, I don't think I would be in too much of a rush to get them done again, unless I was to get them done for a special occasion. In future I think I might just keep my natural nails long and get shellac applied instead, as this doesn't do as much damage.

This is all totally my opinion, and obviously some of you might agree, some disagree, but I thought I would just share my thoughts on the whole experience seeing as it was my first time getting them done.

Thanks for reading!
BTW, I may have something exciting coming soon, so keep your eyes peeled...😉