I got really curious this one time after seeing a few videos on using firm Puddy gel to adhere full coverage tips, and I thought, Do I have anything in my arsenal of gel nail products that is a little thicker to help me adhere full coverage tips.
In other words, I wanted to experiment if using a higher viscosity gel does indeed help adhere to these types of tips way easier.
And well, I figured that to do that, I would need to have some firm texture gel, and that’s when I thought about DGel’s pumping gel.
And as you may already be aware of full coverage tips are super flexible plastic tips that can be applied with a soft gel onto the natural nail for an immediate gel nail extension.
This is totally just for fun, I wanted to see how this would wear, and I thought I’d bring you along for the process.
Just a quick intro to this pumping gel. It is made in Korea, and it is a soft gel, which means it soaks off. If you want to give it a try for yourself, I’ll link the distributor down below.
You don’t need a bonder or dehydrator when working with this medium.
Here’s The Recipe For This Look:
Materials:
- I used the following items to create this look.
- Dgel Pumping Gel
- Lint-free pads
- 90% Alcohol
- Kokoist Gelip Full Coverage tips in Short Oval
- Leafgel base
- Kokoist Mega Stick Base
- Flash-curing Kokoist Mini Light Cake
- Anemone Dust Collector
- Saeshin E File
- Arbour band
- Leafgel 485
- Leafgel square brush
- Fixgel Leafgel
- Assorted high-quality crystals
If you would like to recreate this look using the same materials, you can find these at Zillabeu and Kokoist and use code PPN10 for a 10% discount on your purchase.
Step-by-step:
Step 1: You must first size each tip to your finger, measuring sidewall to sidewall. Each hand could be a little different from the other, so don’t assume that the other will be its twin once you’ve sized one hand.
When you’ve found the correct tip for each finger, you could gently roll the full coverage tip to create a deeper C curve. This isn’t necessary if you have flat nail plates.
Step 2: To prep your nails, grab 90% alcohol and a lint-free pad/towelette. The pumping gel does not have an adhesive component, so use a Leafgel base or another base.
Spray alcohol onto the towelette and scrub the inside of the full coverage tip and your nail plate very well. Do not touch the inside of the tip with your fingers because you could transfer your natural oils, which will interfere with creating a strong bond between the base and tip. This will lead to lifting. Be sure to also clean the underside of your natural nail with your alcohol solution.
Avoid alcohol with less than 90% alcohol to water ratio, since this will leave moisture on the nail tips and contribute to lifting.
Step 3: Use a dedicated base gel brush to apply your gel base generously. No thin layers here, please!
Full cure your base layer, and clean up any gel touching your skin before your hands go into the curing unit.
Step 4: Press down on the dispenser to release the gel from its container.
Apply the Dgel material onto the inside of the Gelip tip, avoiding trapping and leaving air bubbles in the gel.
Step 5: Press the tip onto your natural nail from the cuticle area to the free edge with a gentle touch to avoid gel seeping out and onto your skin.
This material’s viscosity is much thicker than what I am used to, and you can see how the tips stay where they were placed. This makes it a much more beginner-friendly product.
Go ahead and flash-cure each tip for a few seconds to secure it in place before moving to the next finger. Don’t forget to use a full curing unit to completely polymerize the Duel, to get the most out of your new enhancements, and avoid potential allergies. I recommend curing for 60 seconds since the UV light must penetrate through the plastic and then the gel beneath.
Step 6: If there are any gaps between your free edge and tip, take a liner brush and apply the builder gel to the crevices before giving it a full cure.
Step 7: Use the alcohol to cleanse the inhibition layer from the enhancements that may have seeped through before moving on to blending. To blend the tip to the natural nail with your efile, use a fine or medium arbor band, taking care to use a light and controlled touch. Use this time to also remove the shine from the surface of the full coverage tip, as this will create a grip for whatever you put on top. Remain gentle and use a slower speed; the aim is to create a seamless blend, tapering the sidewall areas, not reshaping the apex. Alternatively, you could use a sponge buffer to remove shine from the Gelip if you are uncomfortable with using an efile or do not own one.
Step 8: Next, we will overlay the full coverage tip with Mega Stick Base or Leafgel base gel with a light touch. You are not creating structure here. That is what the tip is there for.
Fully cure this overlay for 60 seconds.
Step 9: Now you are ready for color and nail art. Creating a gradation with Leafgel 485, first apply it to the whole nail on each finger from the free edge to the cuticle area. Cure this layer when the gradation is complete.
Step 10: Use Fixgel by Leafgel to adhere stones, creating a bejeweled look that feels like wearing jewelry. Place these to your liking and enjoy the sparkle of the crystals decorating your nails.
Step 11: Finish with a top coat, avoiding the top of crystals as this may dull their sparkle, and fully cure each hand. Be sure to wipe the inhibition layer away with cleanser/isopropyl alcohol. Your gorgeous new nails are ready to shine.
And here’s a fun piece of news, since the recording of this video, Kokoist released Gelip Bond. This is an adhesion gel designed explicitly for adhering full coverage tips, and the Kokoist Brand is called Gelip. And the biggest upgrade to this gel (P.S. Before creating this gel, you would attach the full coverage tips with Kokoist Mega Stick Base), so the biggest upgrade is that this gel has a thicker viscosity, making it very similar to the higher viscosity gel we used today, mind readers!
Content by Paola Ponce and Marta Kida Markowska
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