Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I really like this system. It is quick and easy, and the results are beautiful, even the first time you do it. I used it on natural nails, which tend to split and have areas of soft spots (peeled? Not sure. Maybe just old.) Don’t be put off by the number of steps—it isn’t as bad as it looks once you get started. Make sure you lightly buff the shine off your nails. The first step is just dehydrating, so you can do all nails at once. If you have attached nail extensions, you don’t put this on them, just on your natural nails. Next, you use the base, which is essentially glue to make the acrylic stick. Do one coat of natural, so the colored powder won’t stain you nails. Cover the nail with base, then gently dip at a 45 degree angle into the powder. Wiggle your finger around a bit to make sure the powder gets all over the nail, then gently remove the nail from the powder. Flick the back of you finger with your other hand to knock off the excess, and go to the next nail. Be aware that the powder is extremely fine, and when the jars are full, spilling it is inevitable. Use paper towels under the jars. After all the nails on one hand are done, you are ready for the colored powder. Again, cover the nail with base, then dip into the powder, flick off excess and move on to the next nail. Do this twice. When you are sure all the nails are “set”— a couple of minutes—take a soft brush and dust off your nails. Then do a coat of clear powder on all the nails in the same manner. This protects the color when you file them. (You can pour the powder on rather than dip, if you prefer. Pouring is best for the clear coat, so the powder doesn’t get contaminated by other colors. A pouring boc comes with the kit.) Next, use the activator to cure the nails. Slather it on to make sure it penetrates all the layers. The color will darken when it gets saturated. Let it dry (really fast) then take a nail file and smooth any bumps or thick parts, and make sure to file gently near the cuticle so there isn’t a ledge when your nails grow. There shouldn’t be a whole lot of filing needed—it goes on really smooth. When you are satisfied, rinse your hands with water or an alcohol pad, to get the dust off. Don’t use soap—you aren’t done yet and don’t want oily junk on the nails, yet. Then go over each nail again with the activator, and wipe off any excess. I use felt pads, but anything lint free is good. Do not wait too long to do the top coat, because it needs the activator to cure. It says to use quick, light strokes, but the first time I took that a bit too much to heart and it didn’t look as good as it could have. Just put it on like nail polish and you should be fine. When it dries, add another coat, let it dry for a couple of minutes, then you are ready to do your other hand. After you have finished both hands, slather on the cuticle oil and massage it in. And you are done! The other bottle is brush cleaner. I just switch out the brushes. The first time, I did red nails with gold accents. This time I did Tahitian Princess, which I highly recommend. (In picture) Soak the nail off with pure acetone. I also use the Hands Down nail wraps covered by a disposable glove to soak off, as you can still function while you wait. It took 15 minutes, and an orange stick. The finished nails are thicker than natural nails (which I want!), but not reall any thicker than a gel manicure. But it might take some getting used to. The odor is minimal. If your nails grow quickly, it will last two weeks, longer if they grow slowly. You probably could go a fill in, but I was itching to use the Tahitian Princess, so I did not try. In addition to the kit, nails files/drills are needed (180 grit files work great), a cuticle pusher/spoon, and a soft brush are needed.