A while back I promised a short review about the new nail extension system Gel X by Apres Nail. I wanted to review it as soon as I got it, but realized it would be best to review it after I had been using it for some time so I could get a real sense of it. Fast forward a month, I have been wearing the extensions during the entire time and I’m ready to tell you what I think about them!
This system is basically a set of full cover tips (like press on nails) which are not made of plastic but of gel. This makes them strong but flexible, and most importantly, fully soak off, so they dissolve in 100% acetone. The tips are adhered to the nails with “gel extend”, a soak off gel that you brush on, like regular base gel, and it cures with UV/LED light. The kit also comes complete with a small lamp for flash curing (you will still need a regular size lamp), primer, bonder, a gel brush, and a nail file. They were even nice enough to send me two packs of fancy crystals which are gorgeous!
The kit is super user friendly, and while I have no formal nail-ed yet, I wouldn’t exactly recommend that people who are completely new to nails try it at first. The tricky parts about application are the thickness of the gel layer (too thin is not good for adhesion, but too think will give you heat spikes and might make it harder for the tip to adhere and also to soak off.
The rough step by step is the following:
- After prepping the nail like you would for any extension, wipe with alcohol to remove any oils, creams, dust, etc. Size your natural nail against the tips to decide which sizes fit your nails.
- Use an e-file to remove the shine off about half of the inside of the tip. Basically the area that will touch your nail during application.
- Apply a layer of bonder to all nails.
- Apply a layer of primer to all nails.
- Apply a layer of gel extend to one hand and cure for 30 seconds. Repeat with other hand.
- Apply a layer of gel extend to about 1/3 of the tip, place on the nail starting at the cuticle, press so there aren’t any air bubbles and use the mini lamp to flash cure (about 15 seconds). This just holds the tip in place so you can finish the whole hand.
- Cure the whole hand in a regular size UV/LED lamp.
- Shape, shorten, etc, if necessary.
The first time I used this system, I didn’t have an e-file so I skipped that step. I had one nail snap off after a couple of days, but otherwise they all stayed intact. I had many air bubbles, which looked unsightly but didn’t make the nails fall off. After two weeks I removed the whole system by soaking off. Removal was actually pretty hard, the tip seems to dissolve into a jelly-like texture easily but the gel underneath stays hard (even shiny!). I ended up having to file a lot of it away, which was annoying and not the point at all. But I blame that on my inexperience.
The second time I made some adjustments. I roughly hand filed some of the inside of the nail tip, and I added more gel to the tips. This prevented the air bubbles, and I literally had none the second time around. Today I removed this set and I’m sad to say, it was still hard. I bought an e-file recently, so I was able to file the gel down quite a bit, and after soaking for 15 – 20 minutes, I had the same result. The tip becomes like a jelly, and the gel underneath is still hard and shiny. I had to file off a lot of it. I will put a fresh new set today and will try to make it as thin as possible without compromising the adhesion of the extension. Maybe that’s where my issue is. I have seen many videos of removal, and it seems to easy.
Overall, I really LOVE this system. It is super easy to put on, and you end up with gorgeous nails in about 15 minutes. They are also coming up with more tip shapes, so there won’t be a need to file at all, ideally. Like I said earlier though, I don’t necessarily recommend that you go buy this if you’ve never done nails in your life, but you can always inquire with your salon/nail tech if they are familiar with the system and they might be able to add it to their services. I know I will definitely offer this service for my clients!
This kit can be purchased together, or all separately, online from the Apres Nail website and will run you $87 plus tax and shipping. You can also buy different tip shapes and lengths separately.
gold & polish 