Apply Acrylic 101 Before you even think about pouring the liquid, getting out the brush to apply acrylic, the nails must be prepared first! The sidewalls next to the arch are crucial to the strength of the nail. If you have a notch in the foundation of the nail at the stress point they will catch and crack. Some ladies will still try to insist on smaller tips because they think it will make their nails look smaller. It actually doesn't look very good. ****For Everything You Need Click Here****  Gluing
on
Tips
Fill
the well of the tip with glue. If there is too much glue touch the
tip's edge
against
a paper
towel
and the extra will get absorbed. I like using a gel
glue because
if there are any gaps where
the
nail is more curved than the tip the
gel glue is thick and will fill in the gap. Press the tip on firmly and hold a few seconds making sure to squeeze out any air pockets that can cause weak spots. If you see an air pocket after the tip has dried file through the plastic (keeping file flat) until it is gone, one stroke at a time. The acrylic will fill in the area. Shorten, Blend Tip,
Shape and Dust Off:
Blending
the
tip
means just
that. Always keep the file flat on the tip and
it
will
help keep you from filing
the nail.
The
goal is to make the tip look invisible, blended
seamlessly in with
the
natural nail. This is very important if the polish
or acrylic will be a french manicure (not necessary when gluing on french tips). A good way to test to see if the seam is still visible spray it with water or a sanitizer and it will show what it will look like under the acrylic. If color polish will always be worn don't waste the time blending much, just 'rough up' the plastic until there is no moreshine. The nails will also be a little stronger this way. Some will tell you the natural nail needs to be"etched" or "roughed up". No, it doesn't, it just needs a light buffing to remove oils or other surface contaminants and then a good primer will do the trick.  *
For
common nail tech terms click here
The Most Important Part to Adhesion is PREP!  1. Remove any foreign materials That would
include the following; polish, cuticles stuck to nails and
left over
acrylic. Click
here on how to
remove
acrylic
with out a bowl of acetone or destroying your
nails!
2.
Remove
DustAn
important step, so do thoroughly, especially around the
cuticle area. Product doesn't stick to
dust. Use a
nail brush to do the job. Don't use 'cotton balls'
or you'll be
fighting
the fibers the rest of the time. Frustrating!
* Try
to stay away from synthetic (or a mixture of synthetic
and
cotton) fibers,
it's the worst. The synthetic fibers seem to stick to
everything and unless
there are big chunks of cotton on the nail don't try to pick off every fiber
before filing, the file will get most of it off then
you brush off the nail
anyway, again, saving tons of time.
3. Prime Nail
primer is made for the natural nail,
so no need to brush over the plastic tip. Primer
is kind of like double
stick tape.
It creates a bond between the natural nail and acrylic.
Use
sparingly.
I touch the tip of the brush on a paper towel before applying.
*A common myth is that acid primer will eat through nails. Nope, it doesn't. Try putting a nail clipping in some primer for a day, a week, a month and see if it disolves. Don't
believe
everything you hear. I've
heard some
real
doozies
too! "If in
doubt, test it out". Yes, you can quote
me on
that. :
)
Apply a primer that is a part of the acrylic system your using if you can because the formulation is made specifically for that acrylic. There is nothing wrong, however, if you use another brand, it just might not be the absolute best adhesion for your acrylic.You can prime nails twice if lifting is a problem but allow it dry to a chalky white appearance. 4.
Keep Surface Clean
Try not to touch or let client touch nails at this point because the oils from your skin can weaken the bond. Anything we can do to avoid that is a good thing!
Practice
First!
 Take the time to familiarize yourself with the acrylic you chose before actually working on a nail. This will save you a lot time in the long run. The right liquid to powder ratio is very important in creating smooth nails and saving time in filing.  dappen dish Fill
a dappen dish and dip
your brush to saturate it. Next,
lay the brush against the inside wall of the "dish" to
let some of the
liquid out of the brush.
Keeping the brush vertical, use the tip of brush to draw a straight line in the powder a few of times to make a medium-large ball. When the acrylic ball looks like a shiny pearl lay it on a piece of foil or a plastic lid to see how fast it runs and flattens out. Press it around with the belly of the brush to see how much "play-time" you're going to have before it dries. 
Medium-wet
is best for the center and
free edge of the nail.Each acrylic system has different drying times so you might need the acrylic a little wetter for the center. To build a free edge on a form you might need it to be a little less wet, but not powdery.  (Forms are used in place of gluing on a nail tip. They're also great for repairing when a corner breaks off!) A
little smaller, wetter ball of acrylic is the
right amount for the cuticle area. Anytime
you're using a new product I
recommend
starting
with
the smallest fingers.
They are easier to manage the
product
until you get the hang
of it, and less filing time!
*
Note *
To keep from getting bubbles in your acrylic, press and spread bristles of the brush in the bottom of dappen dish to release trapped air. Be sure to "draw" a line in the acrylic, don't circle or dip straight in. When you feel you have a good idea of how much play-time you have and the proper consistencies... ***You're Ready to Apply Acrylic*** Now that you know about your consitencies, pick up the amount of product needed for the tip of the nail. Firmly press the acrylic down just above the free edge. Let the product rest for a moment while you wipe your brush on a paper towel. *(Don't keep wiping the brush in the same spot, it will get the brush gummy) Re-wet the brush, press to release most of the liquid. With the brush mostly flat so you can use the belly of the brush (lift clients' hand up a little higher if you need to).  Press acrylic into place
so that it covers
side
to side,
thenlightly stroke acrylic toward the bottom edge working all areas at once before it dries. If there are some thin or uneven spots wipe brush again, pick up a smaller, wetter ball and lay it on the worst spots and press into place, but don't get obsessive about it or it'll take forever to finish the nails! * Time saver tip *
Don't keep brushing the acrylic when you know it has pretty much dried. The product is usually not pliable anymore so it's useless and will just gum up your brush. It is much better to move on and stop applying additional product in an attempt to get it "perfect". In the end, you'd just have thick, imperfect nails to file and you've wasted a lot of time. Again, guess why I am so "wise" about the subject! Back
to Top
**Moving on to the
Center of the Nail**
Make
a medium-sized
ball
as
shown above and
press acrylic on center
of the nail. Let it rest while you wipe off the brush, reload with a little liquid then press product to each side and brush down, smoothing toward the free edge.  Reload
brush with an even wetter ball of acrylic and press it down
just
under
Apply Polish
Like a Prothe cuticle (approx 1/16" down). If acrylic is too runny point the finger down allowing gravity to help keep the cuticle from flooding. *
You can swipe the tip of
the brush along the cuticle and sidewalls to clean up, but
don't get
into the habit of applying the acrylic so wet that you have
to clean up
every time.
Remember,
you are working
with a
toxin that is readily absorbed into
the skin! It is far better to
perfect the liquid to powder ratio.
Always try to keep primer
and acrylic liquid off the skin.
Wipe off the brush and dip in liquid again. With the tip and belly of the brush press product to cover each side and create a thin  cuticle area. Lightly brush down and blend in to the arch. 'Click Here' To Learn About How to Fill Grown Out Acrylic ***************
Take a close look at this photo for the perfect end result   |
