DIY French UV Gel Manicure

This week I’ve got on a French UV Gel polish – I’ve used a few different brands that I have as my current favourites and I am so impressed with how they turned out that I wanted to share it with you. When doing my nails I like to make sure I have  afew hours free where I am just sitting on the couch and catching up on TV Shows or a movie.Starting off, I lightly buff my nails and remove all of my cuticles and dead skin around my nail bed. I then apply my Orly Primer which I got in a SmartGels Starter Kit from the Orly website ($79.95). The first coat of polish is a clear base coat which came in the same Orly Starter Kit. I cure for two rounds of 90 seconds under my UV Lamp (e-bay $24.50).Now comes the tricky part. I take my Sally Hansen French UV Gel Polishes (the white tips bottle first) and carefully draw the tips on my nails. To clean them up I dip a little nail brush in some Sally Hansen Acetone Remover and drag the brush in a moon shape to create the French tip on the end of my nails. Keep in mind this will take a lot of patience and you may need to re-apply the white tips a few times, just try not to get frustrated! I cure for again 2 rounds of 90 seconds and apply a second coat of the white tips which will be much easier than the first coat, and cure again.Over the top I will apply two coats of the sheer pink nail polish, of course curing the coats in between.To finish the nail polish I will apply one coat of my Gelicious Ultra Glaze Top Coat, which I purchase from OZSALE for $19. In my opinion, the Gelicious brand is the best I’ve tried so far which is why I have used it as the top coat and not another brand. It is the most opaque and long lasting UV polish I’ve found and unfortunately it’s nearly $20 a bottle. If you would like a full review on this brand let me know. This one I’ll let cure two or three times. I believe using an LED light will cure your polish faster however I do only have a UV light so I feel the need to leave them in a little longer.I do rub in the cuticle oil that came in the Orly Starter Kit to each fingertip which will help nourish those cuticles.And here is the finished result!I know they’re not perfect but I am so happy with the result and five days later, no chips! The only thing that has happened is the middle nail on my right hand has lifted. However, I didn't do my right hand as good as I did my left.You too can achieve salon quality nails at home. I understand that the cost of the products is large to begin with but once you are set up, you can change your nails any time you want. You just need to have the time.oxo Crystal