Post by @kaylynhalverson

I started doing my own nails at home and I fear I may never financially recover from realizing I was capable of this the entire time 😂💅🏼 I LOVE having my nails done. What I do not love is making an appointment, driving there, sitting there for two hours, spending $60–$100, and then realizing three weeks later that somehow it is already time to do it again. So I learned how to DIY them. And before anyone comes for me: no, I am not a nail tech. 😂 I’m just a regular person who wanted cute nails without adding another appointment to my life. Here’s basically what I do: ✨ Prep is EVERYTHING. I push my cuticles back, clean up any dead skin around the nail plate, lightly buff off the shine, and make sure there’s absolutely no dust/oil left before I start using nail polish remover. ✨ I size all of my tips and paint them. I paint two coats of the color and one top coat. Curing each coat. (If you’re between sizes, I’ve found it’s way easier to size up and gently file the sides to fit than try to make a too-small tip work.) ✨ Then I apply my tips, making sure I’m not leaving air bubbles underneath. This part took me a little practice, but once you figure out the angle/amount of product you need, it gets SO much easier. Start at a 45 degree angle and then apply base to tip. ✨ Finish with cuticle oil and suddenly I am a woman who has her life together. Do they look exactly like a $100 professional set under a microscope? Probably not. Do they look cute while I’m holding my coffee, typing at work, making sourdough, and aggressively pointing at things in TikToks? ABSOLUTELY. 😂 The biggest thing I’ve learned is that doing your own nails is a SKILL. Your first set does not need So if you’ve been staring at DIY nail videos thinking “there is absolutely no way I could do that” — hi, hello, that was me. You probably can. 💅🏼 And the dangerous part is once you own the supplies, suddenly you’re like… “well technically a new nail color is cheaper than a manicure.” And that is how they get you. 😂 #diynails #athomenails #gelnails #nailtutorial #nailtok