How to Do Professional Looking Gel Nails at Home to Save $1,000 a Year

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I save $1,000 a year by doing my own gel toenails at home. It takes me 10 minutes, lasts for over a month, and I invest that money into the stock market instead. This is a tutorial on how to do gel nails at home to save money.

You may have seen my previous post about doing my own salon quality dip nails at home to save $1,000 a year. You guys liked it so much, you requested a gel toenail tutorial so here we are. =)

If you did the math in your head, you may notice that my doing my own nails and toes at home, I save a little more than $2,000 a year! I invest that money into the stock market instead so that it can make me money. Over time, this becomes a huge sum of money.

Even over just 10 years, that will save me $20,000. Using a compound interest calculator, with an average return of 8% from the stock market, the exact amount of money I would have been spending at the nail salon every 3 weeks will be worth $102,491 over the next 20 years!!! If you extend that to 30 years, it becomes $259,144 that I'd have, yet I would have only put in $62,400!! The power of compound interest!

How to Do Professional Looking Gel Nails at Home to Save $1,000 a Year - The Financial Cookbook, LLC (1)

Alright, you get the point.

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Why Gel for Toes

I feel naked if my toes aren't painted. I'd rather have my fingernails not painted than my toes. I don't know why, but I live in a sunny state and love the boat/beach life so I am always wearing strappy heels, wedges, or sandals.

Therefore, this girl wants her toes to look gorgeous at all times! It makes me feel more womanly. (Is that weird?) Anyone else feel that way?

Anyway, since I'm a major runner, beach goer, scuba diver, snowboarder, all the things kinda gal, I put my nails through the ringer! I needed nail polish that won't come off in 5 days. (I don't have time to do them every week.)

The gel lasts me at least a month, if not longer. I go in the jacuzzi constantly too and they last through that without any effects on the amount of time they stay on.

How to Do Salon Quality Gel Nails at Home

I choose to do dip nails on my fingernails and gel on my toes. The gel on my toes lasts for over a month, but when I do it on my nails, it doesn't last as long. I prefer to do dip nails on my fingernails since I'm always at the gym and they get put through the ringer. Tutorial on how to salon quality dip nails is here.

However, gel on the toes are fantastic! Plus, they only take me like 10 minutes. Grab a glass of wine, put on a Bravo show and let's get down to business. =)

Items Needed (links to each one I use in tutorial below):

100% Acetone- for removal
Cotton Balls

nail file
Gelish Value Pack that hahttps://amzn.to/2Pg5eLGs: ph Bond for gel nails, Foundation for gel nails, Top it Off for gel nails, and nourishing oil
Your choice of Gel Color
UV Nail lamp light

1. Trim the Nail

Trim your nail down so it looks nice and even.

2. Buff and File the Nail

(THIS STEP IS VERY IMPORTANT IF YOU WANT THEM TO LAST)

Rough up the surface of the nail so that the gel and ph bond have something to stick to.

Make sure to not “over file” your nail, but get the shine off and rough it up a bit.

3. Apply ph Bond to Full Nail

Apply the ph Bond to the full nail.

I recommend getting the value pack below because it's cheaper that way vs buying them each separately. (Side note: If you do buy them separately, the nourishing oil is optional, but not needed.) I bought mine in August of 2017 for $30 and it's now April of 2021. I have done gel on my toes every single month since August of 2017 so it clearly lasts a LONG time.

4. Apply Foundation to full nail and Put under Light for 30 Seconds

Apply the foundation to full nail and cure under the UV lamp for 30 seconds.

(It's part of the value pack from above)

5. Apply Gel Color and Cure for 30 seconds- Do this 3 Times!

Okay, now take your chosen gel color and apply it to the full nail.

Then, put it under the UV Lamp for 30 seconds.

Now do that 2 more times. I always do a total of 3 coats of color, but sometimes, if the color is dark, I only need 2 coats. You be the judge to get your desired color.

I just get cheap gel color value packs like the ones I have below. They come with tons of colors for like $10. I always want a different color and the cheap brands have the exact same result as the expensive brands so you know your girl is going to go cheap when she can. =)

(That's kinda my thing…have a life that looks EXPENSIVE, but I'm really over here just putting all my money into the stock market and real estate.) =P

6. Apply Top Coat and Cure for 60 Seconds

Now, just apply the top coat to the entire nail and put your nails under the UV Lamp for 60 seconds.

Part of the Value Pack

7. Wipe with Acetone

Put some of the 100% acetone on a cotton ball and just rub it. As long as you cured the gel under the lamp, none should come off.

Then it will be all dry and good to go! (That's why I love gel and dip! No drying time! I used to ALWAYS mess them up.)

I use this Acetone

8. Apply Nourishing Oil (optional)

This came with the value pack so if you have it, put it on to make the skin around your nails more moisturized and soft.

If you don't have it, no biggie. I forget to put it on half the time anyways.

9. Invest that $65 in the Stock Market

That total process should have taken you like 30 minutes max. You've saved time (which is money) and actual money. As you get better, it will take you 10 minutes.

Now, go put that toenail money in the stock market and start watching your money make money.

DIY Gel Nails at Home

Hopefully that was helpful! I believe in saving money whenever and wherever I can because every penny saved is a penny earned. In fact, it's infinite pennies earned because that money will go towards investments that will make me more money down the road! =)

Let me know if you have any questions! Happy to help!

If you'd like to learn how I do salon quality dip nails at home to save another $1,000 a year, you can read about that here!