I recently bought a Groupon for a mani-pedi at a local salon and felt like it was a great deal – I paid $27 for a $60 value manicure. When I called to schedule the appointment I mentioned that I wanted gel nail polish and she told me that would be $15 more. When I got to my appointment she was only going to do my fingernails with gel polish and when I told her I wanted the toes in gel polish also she said that would be ANOTHER $15. After tip I ended up paying $67 for my mani-pedi. Not only that, but I was at the salon for nearly three hours and felt like I had to entertain the manicurist the whole time. I left there feeling like I had wasted my time and money since I can do my own gel nail polish at home for SO much less!

All you need are a few simple, inexpensive tools and you can do your own gel nail polish manicure at home and save a bundle! Here’s the list of the things you’ll need to do your own gel nail polish manicures at home:

1. UV Lamp
2. pH Bond Nail Prep
3. Gel Polish Base Coat
4. Gel Nail Polish
5. Gel Polish Top Coat
6. Pure Acetone Remover
7. Lint Free Nail Wipes
8. Nail Buffer and Fingernail File
9. Soak Off Nail Caps

I’m currently obsessed with heat sensitive gel polish that changes color and I think I now have about 15 different colors. In the pictures above I’m wearing Ice Queen from DIY Hard Nails, which changes color from a light lilac when warm to a dark purple when cold, but normally has dark purple tips.

To give yourself a professional gel polish manicure at home follow these easy steps:

1. Trim, file and buff your nails until smooth to prepare for the polish.
2. Apply a coat of pH Bond.
3. Apply a thin coat of Gel Polish Base Coat then cure under UV Lamp for two minutes.
4. Apply a thin coat of your favorite Gel Nail Polish then cure under UV Lamp for two minutes. Repeat for a second coat.
5. Apply a thin coat of Gel Polish Top Coat, being sure to cover the tips and sides, then cure under UV Lamp for two minutes.
6. Wipe nails with a Lint Free Nail Wipe soaked in acetone to remove the tacky feel.

To remove soak off gel nail polish:

1. Using a nail file buff off the shiny top coat.
2. Soak a cotton ball or cotton square in Acetone and hold in place over the fingernail with a soak off nail cap.
3. Keep caps on for ten minutes then use a cuticle pusher to scrape off the loosened polish.
4. Buff nails until smooth.