Natural acrylic tip and overlay application. Video Tuturial

Hi, my name is Gemma Lambert, I'm times UK nail champion, international nail technician of the year ... [Read more]

Hi, my name is Gemma Lambert, I'm times UK nail champion, international nail technician of the year and an international judge. This time we're going to do a natural tip and overlay using blending tips. The client has already been and washed her hands but you could use a normal pump gel sanitiser.

We're going to start by pushing those cuticles back then scraping any excess cuticle away using the other side of the cuticle pusher. If you applied the acrylic extension on top of this,
it would lift straight off, so you do need to make sure that you remove it. The next step is to file over the natural nail, we're going to use a grit nail file, nothing to strong. Letting the file do the work, not pressing on too hard. Concentrating on that cuticle area and side walls but making sure that you remove the shine from the whole nail.

The next step is to file the free edge, into a nice neat and tidy shape. Keep it nice and gentle so that you don't damage that nail, We then need to remove the dust so that it doesn't get trapped in our extension.

This time we are going to use a half-well tip and we're going to blend it on to the nail. Using a small amount of resin fill that well with the resin. Make sure you go all the way up the sides of the tip. Coming down the nail at a deg. angle until you feel a click then press the nail flat, making sure that you get no air bubbles in the tip so your coming down the nail at a deg. angle making sure that you get no air bubbles in that tip, as you press it down flat. You then need to press those side wings in, to make sure they are stuck down as well. Check your nail to see if there's any air bubbles in it. If there is you can always pop a little more resin on there.

The next step is to cut the nail, to what ever size your client wants. Making sure the blade of the cutter is always at your side and not the clients.

We're now going to start blending this nail, again using a 180 grit file because your, going to be going near a natural nail so you still don't want to go to a higher grit. keeping the file nice and flat on the tip, slowly start filing the shine off the tip. Making sure your not filing the natural nail, keeping the pressure nice and gentle. Nothing too firm, again you are near that natural nail. We don't want to be filing on the natural nail. Keep moving to different areas so that you don't, build up any friction and burn the clients fingernail, we're just going to dust that nail now, to get rid of any nail dust. As you can see, I've only blended in around the smile line. I haven't touched this area, there is no need to because where doing an acrylic nail and not a gel nail.

The next stage of prep is to dehydrate the nail plate. The reason we dehydrate a nail plate is that nail plates are alkaline based and the products we are using (the acrylics) are acidic based. so we need to change the ph balance of the natural nail to match the products, small amount of dehydrator, just on the nail bed area. No need to put it on to the plastic tip. That's the prep of this nail done now…

So we've already applied and blended a natural tip. We're now going to apply a naturally acrylic overlay. We're using three powders still, natural, clear and pink. The first bead is a natural colour, that we're to place on, and apply just like we did our French White. The next bead we're going to apply is clear onto our zone two. Pressing it out either side and pulling over our natural area. The next bead we're going to apply is pink, down near the cuticle area. Spreading to both sides, and blending down over your zone two. We're just going to wait for this to set a bit now before we pinch it. Okay, so this nail is now set enough, to put your pinching tool on. Pop your pinching tool on nice and central. Once it's on you can let go. This nail is now set enough for us to take our pinching tool off and we can start our filing. We're going to start by filing our free edge first. Working or our shape, then on to the side walls. Keeping that nail looking nice and slim and parallel to the finger. Next we're going to start filing on our zone one, which is where you applied the natural powder. Long sweeping moves, not too short.
then on to zone two which is the stress area, So not too much filing, in this area, because you want this to be the highest point of the nail. Then down to the cuticle area, your zone three.
Being very carefully near the cuticle area, so you don't damage the natural nail. Checking your nail from every angle, to make sure that it's thin enough, and that your apex is in the right place.
Make sure you've got no frills underneath that nail and now we're just going to remove the dust.

To finish off we're going to apply a gel top coat. This gives the acrylic nail a water tight seal. Once you've applied applied a gel top coat, It's time to put the nail into the lamp for two minutes to set. That gel top coat is now fully cured all we've got to do to finish this nail off, is to apply a small amount of cuticle oil near the cuticle area. and massage it in.

That's a natural tip and overlay, done. [Read less]