How to Make a Gel Mani Last Longer at Home

Sydne Style shows how to make a gel mani last with nail art

I got a gel manicure right before the quarantine. Thank goodness I went with a nude. At least the color is close to my natural nail so it’s not as obvious. But as weeks go by, it’s starting to become more and more noticeable.

I’ve seen some people on Instagram attempt to take off their gels at home. There are plenty of articles on how to remove gels. But I tried it once before and my nails were weak for months. So I’m sticking to nail polish to make my gel manicure last throughout the quarantine.

paint over your gels

There are a few ways that I’ve learned how to make a gel mani last. One way is to simply paint over my gels. The key here is to make sure you’re using a thick, opaque polish, like the pastel nail trend I talked about last week.

Add metallic lining

Sydne Style shows how to extend your gel manicure with easy nail art ideas

Sydne Style shows how to do nail art with essie chrome silver nail polish

The second way I make my gel manicure last longer is through nail art. I simply paint a line on my real nail beneath where the gel has grown out. I find metallic polishes work best for this. Plus, you can just keeping add more as your nails continue to grow.

The nude nails above are of my current gel manicure with Essie “No Place Like Chrome” nail art . But I’ve been doing this trick for years. The burgundy gels with gold lines are from eight years ago!

Note: when you’re doing the nail art, I recommend using nail brushes instead of the brush that comes in your polish. It allows for more precision. There are polishes made specifically for nail art, but I prefer to just use the nail brush with nail polishes I already own.

try evil eye nail art

Sydne Style shows how to do evil eye nail art with dot pen

Sydne Style shows how to do evil eye nail art manicure

I tried a more advanced nail art design this week that also works really well when your gel manicure starts to grow out. I shared the whole tutorial over on my IGTV channel. Using a thin nail brush, you create a white line over your new nail where the gels grew out. I used Essie “Blanc.” Then you paint a half circle on top and fill it in with white. After that dries, create a blue dot in the middle with a nail dotting pen. I used Essie “Take the Lead.” Finally, add a small dark dot in the middle with a black or navy polish. I went with Essie “After School Boy Blazer.“

I hope that helps you if you’re currently struggling with a gel manicure at home. If you have any other topics you want me to cover, just ask in the comments below!