So recently I learned a manicure hack (tip, trick?? whatever you want to call it lol) that I wanted to share with y’all. When I was getting my nails done recently, I had a nail that was torn and so my nail tech put a base layer of acrylic on my nail prior to putting on the gel polish. This is what they normally do if I have a broken nail to prevent it from breaking further. I was telling her though that ever since I switched to getting my nails filed into more of an almond shape and started taking a multivitamin, that my nails definitely break less often. But I then started to say that when you have long(er) nails, they inevitably still break from time to time, so while I’ve found things that have helped it’s still not a cure all.

My nail tech (and the owner of the salon) then suggested that I get an acrylic base on all my nails (not just the broken ones) prior to the gel. They were saying that when you put acrylic on the base it not only makes your nails much stronger and much less likely to break as they grow, but also keeps them healthier especially if you are someone who gets gel polish religiously (hi, it’s me). They said that with the acrylic, you’re not having to re-expose your nail every time you get a manicure like you do with gel. When you have acrylic on the base, they file it down slightly and then just fill in the grown out area at the nail bed versus with gel you’re having to take off all of the polish and continually expose your nail. Hopefully this makes sense how I’m describing it. Clearly not a nail tech/artist 😉

With the acrylic on, my nails undoubtedly feel stronger and more resilient, and I love that the acrylic base gives your nail beds just the slightest pink hue (as you can see in the photo above). It also really evens out the color and shade of your nails themselves if you don’t want to have a colored polish covering. As you can see in the photo, I just have color on my tips but the rest of my nail looks even without a colored polish — it’s just the acrylic and the clear gel base and top coat. Also for whatever it’s worth, I’ve gotten dip a few times on my nails and just didn’t love the feel of it. They felt weirdly “stiff” and I feel like even when dip is thinned out, it still looks too chunky/thick to me. I also don’t love the idea of sticking my fingers in a pot that everyone else does LOL. I know a ton of people love dip partially because your manicures do last a really long time so if you’re not into dip and want to prolong your manicures give acrylic beneath your gel a try. It’s a little more expensive than just gel but like I said, you’ll be able to go longer between manicures, you’ll be able to grow your nails out longer, and keep them healthier (especially if you get gel polish frequently).

If you’re wondering what to specifically ask for at your next appointment ask for an acrylic base (on your real nails) with gel polish on top. You can always get fake nails/tips on your real nails with acrylic on top of that but once you’ve been getting acrylic for a while, your natural nails will probably grow long enough on their own where you can skip the fake nails/tips! Also, if you want to see what else I ask for when I get a manicure, you can see that post here.

Ps. I should also say that I’ve been going to my nail place for over a year and they have never tried to “upsell” me on anything. I even asked them recently why they never mentioned acrylic before and they were like well you always got gel, and seemed to know what you liked, etc. so we never want anyone to feel like they “have” to get anything. Anyway, I really do trust them and really like the acrylic so far so figured I’d share!