How To: Acrylic Nails at Home

So many of the DIY posts I’ve been reading on Pinterest involve acrylic nails lately, and I don’t know if it’s just me but I am totally obsessed. It’s so easy to do them at home, with a kit that costs around $15.00 (I got mine from Sally Beauty Supply) and are so much cheaper than going to the salon every time you break a nail or want them done for an occasion. After having them for a few weeks now I’ve gotten really good at applying them, plus they are super cute!

SUGGESTED PRODUCTS:

1. Clear Acrylic Powder

2. Liquid Monomer

3. 100/180 grit buffer

4. 80 grit file

5. Cuticle pusher

6. Pinching tool (optional)

7. Brush Saver (optional)**

My nails have been looking pretty sad lately. And I’ve been wanting to try the ombre nail trend. So, I decided to go ahead and do it at home. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be!

I asked my friend Ashley over at The Sweetest Thing blog to help me out with a tutorial because she was planning to do her nails too!

We picked up some supplies at Walgreens and got down to business…

DIY Acrylic Nails Tutorial

DIY acrylic nails at home for those who want to save some money on their nails. This is the most basic way to do your acrylic nails and if you want a more detailed version, I will upload another video with a better version using the liquid, powder and primer. So here’s how to do acrylics at home:

Step 1: Push back your cuticles and file your nails into the shape you desire. Then wash your hands.

Step 2: Apply tip to each nail, cut off the excess and file it so it fits nicely on your nail.

Step 3: Apply a thin layer of glue onto the tip and quickly put it on your nail. If you’re like me and hate having glue all over your fingers, you can use a cotton bud to spread the glue onto the tip.

Step 4: Now do this for every single finger until they are all done. Once they are all done, let them sit for a while so they can dry properly. You don’t have to wait very long (maybe 15 minutes) because we’re not using any liquid or powder in this DIY acrylics tutorial.

Step 5: File down the tips so they are nice and smooth, then push back your cut

Today, I will be showing you how to create a pink and white ombre nail design. This is a really simple and basic nail design that can be done at home. The ombre nails look very elegant and is definitely a party favorite!

The first step to creating a ombre nail is to prep your nails. You must file your nails into the shape you want them to be in, push back your cuticles, and clean off any dirt on the surface of your nails. When you are done with that process, you need to apply a clear coat of nail polish so that the acrylic does not stick directly onto the natural nail.

Then, add a thin clear layer of acrylic onto the nail to even out any bumps and ridges. Once your acrylic is dry, take a small amount of white acrylic powder on an applicator and spread it over half of the nail, leaving half of the nail bare. Then you repeat this process with pink acrylic powder but this time spread it over one third of your nail.

It took a lot of courage for me to attempt to do my own acrylic nails at home. But I’m so glad I did! It was super easy, cheap, and I like the results. Of course it’s not perfect, but it’s much better than what I could get done at a salon.

My nails are quite short right now so the acrylics make them look longer. And they’re also much stronger with the acrylic on top!

I have never had acrylic nails before, so this is all brand new to me. After doing some research on YouTube and Pinterest, I found out that you need a few specific things: an acrylic powder/liquid duo (also called monomer and polymer) , an acrylic brush , a dappen dish , clear tips , nail glue , nail file , buffer block , and nail polish .

Here are the steps in order:

1) File and buff your nails to prep them for the acrylic coat. Make sure to remove any old nail polish.

Cut up a sponge into small pieces. Take the sponge and dip it into the desired color of nail polish. Dab the sponge onto your nail until you reach desired effect. If you want to lighten up the color you can add white nail polish to it and repeat step 3.

Dip a plastic bag into acetone, then lay it over your nails for 15 minutes. Repeat this step if needed.

Once your nails are nice and clean, apply cuticle oil to your nails to keep them moisturized.

Apply clear nail polish on top of the ombre to seal in your nails and prevent chipping!

I’ve been meaning to post a tutorial on my ombre nails for a while now, since I have gotten so many requests for it. I’m not sure if this will help or not, but here’s how I do them. Sorry if it is confusing or unclear.

*Please don’t ask me where to buy the supplies or how much they cost because I probably won’t answer. You can find that information on my FAQ page.*

You will need:

pink and white acrylic powder (I use Young Nails)

acrylic liquid (I use Young Nails)

clear top coat (I use Seche Vite)

orangewood stick (or whatever you call those little sticks with a pointy end)

round-end pusher

glass dappen dish

nail form/tip guide (optional)