Articles · Topic
Gel nails
Gel manicures that last: prep, colour, curing and removing them the right way.
13 articles
Why hospitals ask you to remove gel nails: colour and fingertip oxygen meters
Fingertip oxygen meters shine light through the nail, and some gel colours skew them. What a 2019 trial and a review found, and how to prepare before hospital.
4 min readHEMA-free gel is not allergy-free: what a Danish test of 70 gels found
A 2024 Danish test of 70 gel polishes: HEMA-free gels still held other acrylates, and 15 had wrong, incomplete or missing ingredient lists. How to read the label.
4 min readThe EU banned TPO in gel polish: where ASEAN and Thailand stand, and label tips
The EU banned TPO in cosmetics from 1 September 2025; as of October 2026 the ASEAN list and Thai rules still allow it with limits. Rules, reasons and the label name.
5 min readPress-on nails: sizing, glue or adhesive tabs, how long they last, safe removal
Pick sizes that never touch skin, prep the nail so they stay on, choose glue or tabs for how long you need them, and take them off without peeling your own nail.
6 min readApply gel smooth and even: thin coats, capping the edge, no flooding
A glass-flat gel finish: load the brush lightly, three floated strokes, 0.5-1 mm from skin, let gel self-level before curing, plus fixes for waves and shrinking.
8 min readBase and top coats: rubber base, no-wipe, matte, and why tops go dull or yellow
What a base coat does, regular vs rubber vs strengthening base, wipe vs no-wipe vs matte top, what the tacky layer is, and the real causes of dull or yellowed top coats.
7 min readGel colour types: opaque, jelly, glitter, cat-eye, chrome and thermal explained
Gel colours do not all apply the same way. Type by type: how many coats, what extra you need (magnet, chrome powder, no-wipe top), and the problem each is known for.
7 min readGel lifting, shrinking, bubbles, wrinkles, dull top coat: symptom, cause, fix
Every common gel problem in one table: symptom, usual cause, fix. Then the five most frequent in depth: lifting, shrinking, bubbles, wrinkling and a dull top coat.
6 min readPolish, gel, builder, polygel, dip, acrylic: how nail coatings differ
Six ways to coat a nail compared on wear, time, removal and difficulty, so a beginner knows where to start. With common mistakes and the chemical safety basics.
6 min readNail extensions: tips vs forms, builder gel vs polygel, and where the apex goes
Full, half and press-on tips vs forms; builder gel vs hard gel vs polygel. Where the apex sits, how thick is safe, real timings for a full set, and the common mistakes.
7 min readHow to pick a gel colour for your skin tone: warm, cool or neutral undertone
Three at-home undertone checks, the colour theory you actually use at the shelf, a skin tone to colour family table, colours by occasion, and a 5-minute two-finger test.
6 min readSimple gel nail art: French tips, sponge ombre and marble, step by step
Three basic gel designs, simple tools: a crisp French line with a liner brush, sponge ombre, and marble on an uncured layer. Layer counts, cure times, common mistakes.
6 min readGel nails at home, step by step: from prep to top coat
The order that makes a gel manicure last: prep, base, colour and top, each layer cured, with the reason for each step and the mistakes behind lifting and allergies.
4 min read