French Nails with IBD Gel

The traditional French manicure is the most popular nail extension technique in the world. And believe me, there is a good reason for this. With a French manicure, you can create a look that is clean, chic & professional. Basic, but stunning.

French look is a combination between two essential elements: a pearly white free edge and a neutral coloured body. These are the bread and butter of this staple technique. Of course, even a French nails can be subject to variations. Some people like to replace the neutral body with a vibrant pink top coat. Remember, this technique may produce deceptively simple looking results, but it actually requires quite a bit of practice.

But there’s no better way to learn than to get started! Let’s go through the process of creating French Nails using an IBD gel system.

Step 1 – For a client with relatively long nails, nail tips won’t be necessary. So we’ll just begin by filing the nails to a standard uniform length.

Step 2 – Now, gentle push back the client’s cuticles with a cuticle tool.

Step 3 – At this point, it is important to smooth out the surface of the nails using a light filing. It’s best to use a 120/180 grit file for this purpose. Once you’ve finished this process, use a clean, dry nail wipe to remove excess filings.

Step 4 – Next, apply a bonder solution to the nail surface in sparing amounts. Cure the nails for one minute.

Step 5 – Place a layer of pink gel on the nails, making sure to cover the entire surface. This is not much different from applying regular nail polish. Cure for just a few seconds. If your client has nails will fewer imperfections, it may be appropriate to use clear gel instead of pink.

Step 6 – Now it’s time to treat the free edge (also known as the “tip”) of the nails. For this step, apply an ultra white builder gel in order to construct a smile line. Then, clean the brush and perfect the smile line by carefully moving the brush back and forth along the surface of the nail. You’ll need to cure for about three minutes before moving on.

Step 7 – At this time, you need to reinforce the stress area with another layer of builder gel. Dip the brush into your jar of gel and lift slowly. As you do so, a stringy fragment of gel should extend from the brush. Place this string of gel across the stress area and allow it to blend in on its own. This should be repeated until the desired shape is achieved.

You should work with just one or two nails at once. If you get gel on the surrounding skin, remove it using your cuticle tool. Cure for three minutes.

Step 8 – Use a foam wipe to remove any residue that remains behind after curing.

Step 9 – Ideally, the completed nail should be perfectly smooth. You can even these out using a nail file. I recommend the IBD Sapphire with 150 grit.

Step 10 – Finally, apply a very thin layer of seal solution. You should spread this solution evenly over the nail surface without touching the surrounding skin if possible. It helps to apply only sparingly at the area where the nail meets the cuticle. Cure for a final three minutes.

You can finish up by applying cuticle oil and massaging it into the cuticle area. That’s it! You’ve created a fabulous French Nails using IBD gel system!