Acrylic nails have been around for centuries. During the Ming Dynasty, women have applied artificial nails on their fingers to emphasize their beauty as well as to convey their social status. In more recent times, the purpose of applying acrylic nails has a similar function. It increases the arsthetic characteristics of a woman. But that is not all. For some, it provides a cosmetic solution for people who can’t grow nails. For muciscians, especially for guitarists, it allows the player to pluck the strings better.

Acrylic nails are not replacement for real nails. It’s either an extension or a second layer of synthetic nails. The steps in applying thsese require meticuluous work. You need a lot of preparation and really good motor skills.

Steps:

1)      First of all, you should make sure that your hands are clean and sanitized. Trim and file the endge nails. Make sure that the nails aren’t bitten.

2)      File the top portion of nail to remove the shine. Push the cuticle. To make it more maleable, it would be advisable to soak it in warm water first.

3)      Apply nail prep on the surface of the nail to remove moisture and oil making sure that no liquid will be trapped under the acrylic nail.

4)      Choose which acrylic nail tip you are using. Apply some adhesive on it and hold it in place for a few seconds until the adhesive dries.

5)      Clip and trim the tip to your desired shape and length.

6)      Pour a small amount of monomer into a dappen dish. Use only what you will need to avoid wastage.

7)      Dip your brush in the monomer and swish it. Make sure that the hairs of the brush are soaked thoroughly removing any air that would compromise the quality of the acylic nail.

8)      Remove the the brush and flatten your brush. You can use paper or a towel to do this.

9)      Dip the flattened brush in the monomer again. Draw a line in the powder and allow the monomer to react to the powder until it has a medium wet consistency. At the tip of the brush, you will have a bead of the mixture.

10)   Palce the bead at the center of the nail. Press the bead using the brush tip and spread the mixture around the nail.

11)   Repeat the process on all fingers. Allow the nails to dry and file the excess acrylics.

12)   Your nails are ready for designing.

To have a clearer visual reference on how to do this properly, watch this short video.