How to: Acrylic Nails

I have dabbled a lot in nail art in the past few years. Just recently I have started doing acrylic nails regularly. My friends know me as the person to come to when they need their nails done, which is perfectly okay for me! Acrylics are one of my favorite things to do. I love they way they look and feel. 

I thought I would share with you guys a few different sets that I have done recently. Everyone likes the French Manicure style, and they are honestly the easiest to accomplish if you are just starting out. If you would like to try nails I would recommend getting these products. 

These are the bare minimum tools and items you would need to start doing acrylics:

• Acrylic Powder
• Acrylic Liquid
• Acrylic Brush
• Files (Or a Nail Drill)
• Nail Glue
• Nail Tips
• Nail Clippers
• Cuticle Oil

You can also buy the things above in a kit. The kits are great if you are just starting out and don't really know what to buy. 

Nail Drill and Tips

Practice Fingers

Here are the steps to how I do my nails:

Prepped Nail

Drillbit 

1. Prep the Nail. Wash your hands and push back your cuticle. Trim up the nails to the same length. Then you either want to use a drill to rough up the nails or use a regular file. Make sure there is no shine left on the nail. 

2. The next step is to glue on the nail tip, and cut it to length. 

3. Now you can start the acrylic process. Apply The acrylic over the entire nail, taking care to not let the acrylic touch the skin or cuticle. This step does not have to be completely perfect. It will be lumpy your first few tries, but it is okay, you can file out your mistakes. 

4. Wait. Make sure the acrylic is completely dry before going on to the next step. 

5. File down the nail completely smooth. You will need to use a few different bits for this and a few different grits of files to get it how you want it. Filing is the hardest, and most important part. 

Cut The Nail to Length

Acrylic is Applied

Nail is cut to Length I want

6. Finish the nail. Buff the nail with cuticle oil until smooth, and then apply your top coat. I chose a frosty top coat for this particular nail. I love the look it gives. 

Getting Ready to Start Acrylic

Finished Nail

Filed Nail

You are done! Don't forget to apply cuticle oil to your cuticles when you are finished. You can get a lot more creative than I did, adding colors to your tips, adding things under the acrylic, adding glitter, etc.