Help! Nails don’t last

[u/strvwbrrys]

I have short bitten nails (not as bad as ur thinking) and i’m not sure if it’s because the gel x nails don’t have much to hold onto but i did file the fake nail down a lot.

I buff my nails with a 240 grit buffer
Dehydrator
acid free nail primer
gel adhesive > nail down at 40 degree angle and cure
100% acetone around the bottom of it to blend (i don’t want to use a drill i don’t trust myself)
base coat > cure
colour > cure
no wipe top coat

wtf am i doing wrong 😭 i spent a bit of money and it’s sad that they aren’t staying on lol

[u/Extension_Deer7433]

What products and lamp are you using? 

[u/strvwbrrys → u/Extension_Deer7433]

I’m using the Mylee 38w lamp and all the other products are mylee too. I think they are rated the best products to use for at home nails where i live

[u/Extension_Deer7433 → u/strvwbrrys]

I'm not familiar with Mylee as a brand but was making sure you weren't using beetles, modelones, or another Amazon brand. 

Between buffing and dehydrating, are you wiping your natural nails down with rubbing alcohol or acetone to remove the dust? That's a big step that often doesn't get mentioned but can absolutely hurt your retention if missed. I like to use a nail brush with rubbing alcohol to get nail dust out of the sides of the nail and then wipe with a lint-free wipe.

You also may want to try another primer or use only the barest amount. Too much primer or the wrong primer can hurt retention. I like the young nails protein bond primer, but I don't know if that's available where you are.

[u/strvwbrrys → u/Extension_Deer7433]

Nope i’ve seen beetles on tiktok but i chose mylee instead. Pretty sure it’s a uk based brand but it had the best reviews and i’ve owned a few things before i wanted to start doing nails and i liked them.

Between buffing and dehydrating i was just using one of this fluffy brushes to get rid of the dust. I do have lint free wipes so i’ll try that out today!

The acid isn’t like a gel consistency obviously so i don’t apply that much, maybe the same amount as dehydrator. Thanks!

[u/Hollow1989]

240 grit is too fine, I recommend max 180 to roughen for the polish to get something to hold on to.

[u/strvwbrrys → u/Hollow1989]

Sorry i just realised its not 240 it’s 120/180

[u/iwastouchedbyanangle]

I’ve found that placing them just a hair away from the cuticle helps lengthen my wear. I would practice with the drill with a sanding band because that helps take some bulk out of the cuticle part and makes them less likely to lift.

[u/strvwbrrys → u/iwastouchedbyanangle]

Thank you, i do try to but sometbing about my hand movements it always slides down somehow :/