Nail Care
Shorten Your Gel Nails and Rock Your Grown Out Mani
Is your gel completely grown out? We hear you. With salons temporarily closed, we’re sharing ways you can take care of your nails at home. A few days ago, we talked about how you can remove your gel mani all on your own, but if you find yourself wanting to hold onto what’s left of your gel, we’ve got tips on how you can give it new life.
Under normal circumstances, we wouldn’t suggest a DIY solution, but since we’re figuring out this new normal with you, we chatted with one of our OPI Pros, Rosanne Sollecito, to come up with two ways you can revamp your nails: shortening them or growing them out in style. Let’s start with how you can shorten your gel mani…
How to Shorten Gel Nails
Start by filing your nail in the same angle as the shape you already have established, and be sure to keep the nail file parallel. Pro tip: flip your hand around to be able to see from different angles so the shape remains correct! This helps especially for those with almond and round shaped nails.
Next, file the sides of the nail, this time keeping the file parallel to the edge of the nail bed. Round off any corners slightly to help smooth out the overall shape. When you’re done, use the buffer to smooth out the very edge of the nail on the surface – angling the buffer down helps create a softer edge. Be sure to check out @missrosanne for the step-by-step on Instagram.
Be Careful when Shortening Gel Nails
It’s important to note that any clipping or cutting of gel nail polish can result in a broken seal or cracked gel, and the possibility for water and other bacteria to spread underneath a trapped nail surface becomes much more likely. If this happens, we suggest you remove your gel nails. Read our latest blog on how to safely remove your gel nail polish manicure at home until you can get back into your favourite nail salon.
TOP TRICKS
Once you’ve smoothed out your nail surface based on the above information and have set a good foundation to better manage your grow-out, grab your favourite Nail Lacquer shades and read on for some fun DIY ways to disguise your manicure grow out!
Try a Ruffian Design
Although the ruffian design looks a lot like a reverse French, it’s made the opposite way! If you’re working with grow-out, simply adding colour into the space will give the same effect.
Add Embellishments
Sometimes we just need a little help from our friends – dots! Dot manicures are all the rage, and we love the idea of adding dot nail art into the grown out space to add a bit of excitement.
Embrace the Negative Space
Negative space nail art is another trend we can get behind. Try adding designs on top of your mani to help embrace the negative space from the grow-out.