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At Home Nails – The Best Salon Gel Alternative

January 8, 2019 /
  • Nail Color is ‘Less is Aura’

Hey all! If you’re in college and love having nice gel nails but without the price of a gel manicure then this post is for YOU.  I was in the exact same position my freshman year of college. At that point, I was actually spending the money on a gel manicure about once a month and that was not a habit that my part-time job could keep up with.  I decided that I needed to figure out how I could do my nails on my own so that I wasn’t spending all my money on a manicure. My Essie and Sally Hansen nail routine came to the rescue. I do this about once every two weeks now and it’s my inexpensive way to relax and still have cute nails!

*I may earn a small commission when purchases are made through my affiliate links with Amazon.*

Step 1: Buff and Shape Nails

I don’t go crazy with this step in my nail process but I do like to make sure that they have more of a rounded shape and are smoothed out so they’re ready for polish!  I just use one of the 4 sided nail buffs that you can find at CVS or on Amazon.

Step 2: Essie Color – 2 coats!

I don’t do a base coat.  I’m not sure if I’m supposed to but I have never had any issues with skipping the base coat step.  I pick out one of my Essie colors and paint my nails. A key step to this is I wait about 10-15 minutes in between each coat.  I make sure that they are completely dry in between each coat.

Note: I know that there is actually a Essie Gel Brand and occasionally will use the Essie Gel Brand color that I own.  I don’t find that there is a huge difference with my end result in this step when using the regular Essie vs the Essie Gel.

Step 3: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Top Coat

Next up, I apply my gel top coat.  For this step, I am also making sure that my nails are completely dry before applying the gel top coat.  When my nails are completely dry, I have almost no issues with my nails chipping. It is amazing.

Note: I do see a difference in the Essie Gel Top Coat vs Sally Hansen Top Coat and that is why I use Sally Hansen in my final step.    

Below I linked the products that I use throughout my At Home Nail Routine.

Thanks for reading!

XOXO, Liz

*I may earn a small commission when purchases are made through my affiliate links with Amazon*