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On this page we are going to teach you how to apply acrylic nails. They are not the easiest things to be taught, but, with a little patience, you will learn the art perfectly.  At first it could take you as long as 3 hours to put on a full set of acrylics but as you gain experience you should be able to complete a full set in an hour and a half;  some experienced people will be able to do them in an hour.

  With a little practise and patience you could be earning money from the art of acrylic nails or you may simply want to save money by doing them on yourself.

What Do You Need?

• Acetone
• Non-acetone nail polish remover
• Nail files and white filing block
• Acrylic clipper
• Artificial nail tips: find a size that fits your nail, if this is not possible find one that is closest and file it down
• Liquid Acrylic
• Powdered acrylic (white and clear)
• Acrylic brush: to apply the acrylic to your nail
• Dampen dish: to hold the acrylic liquid in
• Nail oil: to moisturize your nail after you apply your acrylic nail

Prepare the nails by filing down the natural nail so they are very short and then push the cuticles back.

Remove all previous traces of polish and acrylic with a non-acetone nail polish remover.

Take the white filing block and buff over the entire nail so that it’s a bit rough.  Not too much though.

Natural nails come in all different shapes and sizes, some nails are more rounded and some are flatter, acrylic nails are no different and should be matched as closely as possible to the natural nail.

1. Take your acrylic nail tips and match each nail tip to each individual nail.  They should be an exact fit: if you can’t get them just right, take one that is a little too wide and file down the sides so it fits. 
2. Place your acrylics on your work station in an order that you know which nail they have been matched to ie your thumb first, then your index finger etc.

1.Apply a tiny drop of glue onto the tip (from the bottom to the little indentation) and dunk it onto a tissue to get rid of any excess glue.

2. Have a bowl of acetone prepared just in case you misplace a tip, so then it can be soaked off and you can start again.

3. Place the artificial nail tip onto the tip of the natural nail where the smile line is and ease back until the indentation is hitting the natural nail.  Hold down until the glue sets, this just takes a few seconds.  It’s very important that no air bubbles form under the tips as this weakens the nail and can cause a fungal infection. 

If any air bubbles form, the tip will have to be removed and applied again.  

4. Adjust the tip length to suit your personal requirements using a nail tip clipper.

5. File them to shape. At this stage you don’t need to be too fussy as you will have to file them again at the end.

First we do the white smile line of the nail just like a French polish.

1. Pour a little acrylic into a dampen dish;  it has a very strong smell so make sure there is plenty ventilation in the room.  This stuff can give you headaches, so beware.
2. Tip – don’t overload your brush with product otherwise you will make the acrylic nail far too thick and will end up having to do a lot of filing at the end.
3. Open the white acrylic powder.  Dip your brush into the acrylic liquid and then wipe both sides onto a paper towel to make sure any residue is removed.  Re-dip your brush into the acrylic liquid and wipe both sides again on the side of the dampen dish.  You don’t want to overload your brush with acrylic liquid.   The idea is the more liquid on your brush the more powder it will soak up.  Practice will tell you how much you require.
4. Now dip the tip of your brush into the powder and you will find that a little ball of product will form.
5. Apply this ball on the edge of the nail tip.
6. Spread over the smile line quickly with the flatter part of your brush.  It should be spread right to the corners.  Work quickly and perfect the smile line so it has a nice curve just like the natural nail.

1. Close your white acrylic powder and open up your clear acrylic powder and dip your brush into the acrylic liquid first and then the powder, just as above, except this time trail the product ball along the powder after the ball has formed.
2. Apply the ball of product onto the middle part of the nail, being careful not to touch the cuticle area as this may weaken the nail.
3. Repeat the above procedure again on the cuticle area, being very careful not to touch the cuticles as this may weaken the nail and it will start to lift.

1. The acrylic takes about 10 minutes to set and dry.  By the time you have finished both hands you will be ready to go back to the first finger nail you applied.  File the acrylic so that you take any bumps out with a grit nail file and shape them to look natural.  Smooth the nail with a white buffing block and then wash your hands to remove any dust and filings. It is worth taking time over this part for the perfect finish.
2. To finish, apply cuticle oil and use your three way buffer to shine.

After Care - Cuticle oil should be applied every day to the acrylics to keep them supple and flexible, as this will decrease possible cracks appearing.