How to do a pedicure at home with gel polish with step-by-step photos

Benefits of gel polish

This coating is preferred if you do not want to injure your nails. When applying it, you do not need to cut down the nail plate much.

Gel polish is also chosen for the following advantages:

• long service life;
• beautiful appearance of nails;
• variety of color solutions;
• additional protection;
• ease of application and removal.

If all rules are followed, the coating will last for at least a month.

Red rich gel polish

Features of pedicure with gel polish coating

Gel polish combines the best characteristics of varnish and gel. Pedicure with its use is of high quality and has a fashionable and original design. In order for it to be well made and retain its appearance for a long time, it is necessary to follow all points of the protocol for this procedure and, of course, use only high-quality materials and decor in the work.

Since a pedicure coated with gel polish lasts for several weeks, it is better to think through its design in advance. Most often, the color and decor of a pedicure are selected to match the woman’s style, or preference is given to a classic design that will suit most outfits and looks of a beautiful lady. Volumetric decorative elements look original on nails.

Unlike regular polish, gel polish, which is used these days for pedicures, has a huge palette of colors; it can remain unchanged on the nails for two to four weeks.

Many fashionistas wear this type of pedicure for a longer period until their nails grow and lose their attractive appearance, while the varnish on the grown nails remains unchanged. What's the trick? It's simple. To make a pedicure last a long time on your nails, you need to:

• apply the required number of layers to the nails (up to five are acceptable);
• When working, use a high-quality lamp and dry each layer of varnish well.

Gel polish is applied to the nails in a thin layer. Be sure to ensure that the varnish does not get on the cuticle and side ridges. The thinner the layer, the more evenly it will be distributed over the nail and the better it will dry. In a nail salon, nail technicians use professional equipment and remove cuticles using a special technique.

Nowadays, there are several types of pedicure: regular and European (unedged), it is also called Japanese, dry or hardware. When choosing a regular pedicure, you will be expected to soak your nails in a bath and cut the cuticles, which can be traumatic and cause discomfort.

When doing a European pedicure, the specialist does not cut the cuticle, but carefully pushes it back with a special device. Recently, masters are increasingly recommending choosing a hardware pedicure with gel polish coating; it lasts longer and the nails do not lose their natural shape, which cannot be said about trimmed manicure. With any type of pedicure, the main thing is to do all stages of the procedure correctly.

Prices for pedicures with gel polish coating vary from 800 to 5,000 rubles.

The price is affected by:

• salon status;
• the design you have chosen;
• additional operations (correction of nail shape, growing, etc.);
• removal of old coating.

A pedicure coated with gel polish is always more expensive than a manicure, unless, of course, your fingernails need gel strengthening or extensions.

What you need to apply the coating

If you decide to do a pedicure on your feet with gel polish at home, you need to purchase special equipment and products.

The list of what will be needed in the process includes:

• UV lamp. It is intended for drying the coating. If your budget allows, opt for equipment with a power of at least 36 W. In such a lamp the gel will harden quickly. A more expensive option is an LED lamp that dries your nails in seconds.

UV lamp

• File. It is worth purchasing a professional buff with high abrasiveness. A regular sanding file will also work.
• Degreaser. Professional products have worked well, but you can use alcohol or nail polish remover. Instead of cotton wool, use synthetic napkins that will leave no lint.
• Bondex or primer. They are used after treatment with a degreaser to ensure that the coating lasts even longer. But at home you can do without them.

Bondex for pedicure

• Base. This is the first element of the future pedicure. It is worth purchasing a professional product that contains vitamins that prevent damage to the nail plate. There are also cheap bases, but when buying them, be prepared for the gel polish to peel off quickly.
• Colored varnish. This is the main element of a pedicure. There is a huge selection of shades and manufacturers. You can purchase a set that includes the main colors. These are usually used by beginners.
• Finish (top). You can’t skimp on it, as well as on the base, because if you buy a low-quality product, you can quickly notice chips and scratches on the surface of the nail. The finish is available with and without a sticky layer, as well as glossy or matte.

Advantages and disadvantages of shellac on toenails

Do not confuse shellac and gel polish, they are completely different things . The Shellak coating is very easy to remove and there is no need to use a primer when applying it.

With shellac coating, the nail plate will be protected for 2 weeks.

If a woman uses this material, she receives many benefits:

• The nail plate becomes stronger;
• The coating lasts long enough; it only needs to be renewed because they begin to grow back;
• When done professionally, the coating does not crack or peel off;
• It dries instantly after drying in a special lamp and there is no need to wait for it to dry completely;
• The composition lies well and evenly on the surface of the toes;
• You can design your own nails and apply special decorations.

One of the disadvantages is that you need to acquire a special set of tools, but they will last for a long time.

To learn how to do a pedicure at home, you need to have certain skills and equipment, then you can get many benefits and no longer go to salons.

How to prepare for application

Before you do a nail pedicure with gel polish, you need to prepare for it. To do this, steam your legs, then remove the cuticle using tweezers or move it with a manicure spatula.

Steaming legs

Nails must be treated with a buff or file. This will ensure high-quality adhesion of the coating to the surface.

Finishing nails with a file

Pedicure with gel polish at home

Gel polish coating is now quite common, because it has many advantages and lasts about 2-3 weeks. If you use high-quality materials, you can not worry about the appearance of your nails for a long period.

You can get different types of pedicure, for example, a beach pedicure, it should be bright and eye-catching. Here it is better to use summer and expressive shades and make original drawings. You can also make a monochromatic style yourself, it’s simple and won’t take much time, it’s better to choose a calm shade.

Manicure and pedicure should be the same color, as experts recommend, so that everything looks organic and complements each other.

Applying gel polish in stages

After preparing the nail plate, it is necessary to degrease the surface. This will prevent peeling.

Pedicure is done in several stages:

• if you purchased bondex or primer, treat your nails with them;
• Apply the base, trying to do it so that it does not come into contact with the skin. If the product gets on the cuticle, carefully remove it with a wooden stick. Dry the base in a lamp;
• Apply colored gel polish using the same technique. Dry in a lamp. If several layers are needed to obtain an even tone, each is dried separately;
• a topcoat completes the pedicure. The top is also dried in a lamp. If you are using a finish with a sticky layer, remove it with a degreaser;
• After that, you can apply a little base oil to the cuticle.

Applying gel polish

Stages of coating nails with gel polish

What you will need:

• Alcohol or a special preparation to remove the sticky layer;
• Orange stick;
• Cuticle remover gel;
• Tweezers;
• File;
• Base and top for gel polish;
• Colored gel polish.

This is how ugly our fingers looked before the pedicure.

1. Take a file and erase the remaining varnish, while simultaneously leveling the nail plastic. Remove excess length. F: 5-7

2. Push back the cuticle with an orange stick and apply cuticle remover.

3. After 1 minute, we move the cuticle back again, under the influence of the product it moves away from the nail well, if there is anything unnecessary, remove it with tweezers.

4. Wipe the nails with a preparation to remove the sticky layer.

5. Apply the base and dry it in a lamp.

6. Next comes color. Since our feet are most often in closed shoes, it is better to use dense shades that look good in 1 layer.

7. Cover all nails except the thumb with topcoat and dry.

8. Apply small stickers to the remaining 2 nails, then cover with topcoat and enjoy a beautiful pedicure.

We dry all materials in an ice lamp for 30 seconds. It is best to use black and/or white stickers on a bright background, this will create an additional and beautiful contrast.

Main mistakes

Beginning masters often violate pedicure technology. Because of this, the gel polish quickly begins to peel off. Most often, people forget to treat the nail plate with a buff or apply a degreaser. Another common mistake is using a thick layer of gel polish. It must be distributed evenly. A thick layer does not dry well and often forms uneven surfaces.

Important! Do not shake the bottle of cosmetic product, otherwise the risk of small bubbles will increase. Sometimes beginners do not seal the nail from the end. This threatens the formation of chips. It is also prohibited to remove the sticky layer from the colored coating.

To properly do a pedicure at home, we recommend watching a training video.

French pedicure

French design is an excellent option for pedicures. This option will fit perfectly into any look and can harmonize with any manicure design, which is of great importance when creating a harmonious appearance. One of the most trending ideas is to create a smile using iridescent glitter. You can use any tone, the main thing is that it complements and does not overload the pedicure. Very often, when designing, they use the moon manicure technique with a classic smile; this combination looks gentle and sophisticated. To create an original and interesting design, use foil to decorate the edge of the nail plate.

How to remove gel polish

To remove the product, you need foil, a removing solution, cotton pads and a manicure spatula.

• To begin with, the surface is lightly treated with an abrasive file to ensure better penetration of the liquid.
• Cotton pads are cut into several small pieces. Each one is blotted in a special professional solution. You can use plain nail polish remover, but it should contain acetone for best results.
• Pieces of cotton pads are placed on the nails and tightly wrapped with foil. You need to keep the product for 15 minutes. After this, the discs are removed and the remaining coating is removed with a manicure spatula.

Removing gel polish from nails

#4 Pedicure with emphasis on the big toe

A design with bright decor on the thumb and plain gel polish on the rest looks balanced and beautiful. You can use absolutely any decor as an accent. Most often these are sliders with florists, geometric patterns, mica, foil, broths, and sequins. In general, use all the achievements of the nail industry, while not forgetting about the moderation of design.

The master’s task is to show the beauty of the gel polish shade and draw attention to the accent pattern. You can see examples of such nail art in the photo below and in the photo gallery at the end of the review.

Gel polish: properties and design

A manicure with gel polish lasts up to two weeks, and a pedicure lasts a little over a month. This coating hardens only under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, so at home or, for example, in salons for hardware pedicures, a 36 W UV lamp or a special LED lamp is used. The UV coating dries in 2-3 minutes, and the LED coating dries in a few seconds.

In many cases, gel polish is combined with a gel manicure or pedicure. Gel is more often used by those whose other coatings hold up less well. Gel polish does not contain harmful ingredients, so it does not harm the nails and can be used constantly.

They combine gel polish with jewelry, often using unique seasonal, holiday, and other collections of coatings to create a unique design. The favorite option for most women is the classic French pedicure and manicure. In this case, it is customary to resort to different colors, mainly delicate shades of pink in combination with white.

Often they don’t limit themselves to this, they experiment with bright colors, using a stencil to form lines, patterns, and also complementing the design with decor (rhinestones, sequins, honeycombs, sparkles, slices, stickers). Typically, additional decorations are attached to the nail with special glue, and then a top coat is applied, which in this case performs a fixing function.

Especially many design ideas are based on varying the color scheme. Popular is the use of a smooth transition of colors from one to another, the combination of black with other tones and decorations. Contrasting specks, polka dots with beads and rhinestones look advantageous. Sometimes simple bright colors, dry glitter with a mirror effect, sparkling or metallic shine are enough to satisfy the most demanding tastes.

Stripes, small or large flowers, various patterns (mosaic, exotic) - all this is also used to embody special original ideas. When creating designs for short toenails and fingernails, there are some guidelines to consider. In particular, do not use more than 3 colors, as well as horizontal patterns with designs. Large and very small objects will look out of place. Flat or vertical elements are best.

Combination with other types of design solutions

Light and airy

In summer you can’t do without dresses and sundresses. Jewelry in the minimalist style will look most successful with such clothes - this will avoid tackiness. In this case, the pedicure should also be in soft colors, performed using techniques close to the classical style, for example, French or monochrome coloring.

Full skirts with print

A floral or geometric print can significantly refresh an image, even if the emphasis is on dark colors. This outfit can be acceptable both in everyday wear, including office wear, and for special occasions.

When choosing accessories, you should avoid jewelry with a “beach” design - elements with large stones or made of plastic. Pedicure for these variations with clothes also gravitates towards the classics, however, options with rhinestone or bouillon decorations will also be acceptable.

Versatility

The warm season is the ideal period for bright outfits and non-standard combinations.

If you're not ready to wear something neon-toxic, shorts and breeches in pastel shades will help you not go unnoticed this season.

T-shirts and T-shirts in a sporty style, in combination with such shorts, will be an excellent solution for hours of shopping.

Blouses and shirts will transform you into a romantic lady. This outfit can easily be combined with the brightest nail designs of any theme, the main thing is to choose the right color palette.

How often do you design your toenails? Write to us in the comments which types of nail art you liked the most.

Author of the publication

Benefits of gel pedicure

Every woman sooner or later wonders whether it is worth using gel polish for a pedicure.

Having analyzed numerous reviews from our clients, we have identified the main advantages of gel polish pedicure, namely:

• long-lasting coverage up to twenty-one days;
• permanent shine regardless of wear time;
• strengthening the nail plate;
• no harm to health.

What are the advantages of shellac coating?

Shellac is the brainchild of English cosmetologists and technologists. This type of coating combines the properties of classic varnish and gel: ease of application, high aesthetic qualities, a rich color palette and durability . The thick coating film does not harm the nail plate.

Benefits of shellac:

• the coating lasts on the nails for up to 4 weeks,
• it does not contain formaldehyde,
• the color of the pedicure remains saturated even under the influence of sea water,
• shellac does not have an unpleasant odor like acrylic or regular varnish.

Shellac pedicure is suitable for those whose nails peel and break, do not hold regular polish well, who are allergic to other types of coatings, and for pregnant and lactating women.

Pedicure options for summer

All pedicure professionals know that toenail designs are most in demand in the summer.

There are many options for summer pedicure, here are the main ones: Classic black. Relevant as always. It can be combined with the whole range of colors, especially with white, gold, silver, rhinestones and other decor.

Peas. Circles of different shades against a favorable background look elegant and playful. For decoration - beads or rhinestones.

Mosaic ornament. This requires some skill. Multi-colored cells can be outlined in a contrasting color.

Stripes. Perfect for holidays, you can decorate them with drawings of this theme.

Images of flowers. Fashionable classics. The scale of the floral ornament is arbitrary, one nail or each, choose to taste.

Exotic. Tiger, or perhaps snake, coloring, bright or calm tone.

Shimmering. Gel polishes with shiny particles and different-sized sparkles are great.

Brightly colorful. Every possible mix of color palette, just for summer. Experiments with jackets and ornaments are possible.

Magnetic. This effect is new. The small magnetic particles included in its composition take on different shapes under the influence of a magnet.

Cracked effect. To get it you will have to take several gels of different colors;

Nautical. Created using marine-themed images.

Gel polish pedicure in French style

French is a French classic coating. The edge of the nail and its main part are of different tones. In a standard jacket, preference is given to pinkish, beige or white colors.

Modern fashionistas successfully combine rich contrasts, decorating them with rhinestones, original stickers and sparkles.

An indispensable attribute of a French pedicure is a curved line along the edge in the form of a smile. There are different types of smiles:

• rounded;
• in the form of a triangle;
• heart-shaped;
• with a cut corner;
• in the form of a zigzag;
• wavy;
• smooth.

To apply the edge line, stencils in the form of strips are used, sticky on one side for attachment to the nail.

When working from home, you can use paper tape. The adhesive layer is attached in front of the regrown edge of the nail and gel polish is applied to the free edge.

Experienced artists use a thin brush to depict a smile.

Necessary components for French gel polish pedicure:

• degreaser;
• base coat;
• top coating;
• gel polishes of different colors in the amount of 2 pcs.;
• stencil or brush;
• primer;
• clinser;
• nail file, nippers, buff.

Working stages of the process:

• Hygienic – the cuticle is trimmed, the heel part is processed, the nail is degreased, and coated with primer.
• The base is distributed and processed with UV rays in a lamp.
• The nail is covered with gel polish of the leading color and set in an ultraviolet lamp, and this is repeated again.
• A “smile” is drawn and dried in a UV lamp.
• Cover with top coat and again under the lamp.
• Removes stickiness.

French ombre is at the peak of popularity. The transition from one tone to another is done with a regular sponge or piece of sponge.

The main color is applied to the foil, and the “smile” color next to it. They are mixed with each other using a special stick (dots).

The sponge must be dipped in varnish, blotted on foil and, tapping lightly, applied to the already prepared nail. Dry with UV rays and repeat again if necessary.

After applying the top product under ultraviolet light, the sticky layer is removed.

Lace “French” is now also in trend. The varnish is applied through a special lace, like through a stencil. The result is an exquisite lace pattern.

Beautiful design

Creating an unusual toenail design using shellac is very easy, even at home.

Original ideas

Pedicure with polka dots

A line of rhinestones along the inner or outer edge of the nail

Combination of matte and glossy shades

Graphic arts

cat's eye

Floral motifs

Marine motifs

French or moon pedicure – highlighting one of the nail zones with color

Gradient

The gradient technique can be applied on one nail plate or on the foot as a whole, when all the toes of one foot are included in the transition.

The choice of shellac gel polish color for pedicure depends on personal preferences, skin tone, and shape of the nail plates. Fashion trends in pedicure do not put forward strict requirements.

Popular colors

• Red,
• beige,
• white,
• yellow,
• orange,
• pink,
• mint,
• blue,
• cocoa,
• emerald,
• cobalt.

All of these colors are beautiful in combination with certain clothes and shoes. In order for the pedicure not to be dissonant with the overall style, it is necessary to take into account what color and type of clothes and shoes are expected to be worn during this period.

Manicure and pedicure done in the same style look very impressive and harmonious .

If it is not possible to make the same design on your hands and feet, try to keep your manicure and pedicure in the same color scheme or stick to neutral tones: beige, pink.