How to do a French manicure at home

What is it for?

First of all, this product contains various colored pigments, which distinguishes it from a standard gel. It is aimed at strengthening the nail plate, helping to increase the length and give the manicure a well-groomed and beautiful look. Camouflage gel is great for creating a French design, as it does not require the additional use of a decorative coating.

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The application technology is practically no different from the colorless product, but has some individual features. Unlike acrylic, gel coating is considered safer, since it does not interfere with the penetration and circulation of air, and also does not contribute to the development of fungal diseases. Camouflage nail gel is in demand among professional manicurists, as well as among girls when building and strengthening plates at home. They highlight many advantages, but what attracts them to a greater extent is the variety of shades that allow you to choose a color that matches your natural color.

What is camouflage nail base?

The composition serves as a base layer for applying the finishing coat. Camouflage comes in different consistencies and shade palettes. Pastel colors are often used because they best match the natural color of human skin. Thanks to this, the modeled nail plate looks as naturalistic as possible.

Natural tones:

universal;
always relevant;
fit perfectly into any dress code;
fit well with various outfits.

This is the best option for girls with thin and flaky nails. With its structure and density, the camouflage cosmetic composition resembles a natural nail plate. This manicure looks as naturalistic as possible.

The camouflage is polymerized under the influence of an ultraviolet lamp or LED radiation. The nail extension procedure does not take much time and does not require special skills.

The naturalness of a nude manicure based on a camouflage base allows you to successfully combine it with fashionable wardrobe items and accessories, and the variety of body colors allows you to choose a shade to match the color of the skin of your hands and face.

The composition forms a thin and durable polymer film with increased adhesive properties on the nail plate. It is great for doing your own extensions and creating a flawless manicure at home.

The viscous material makes the nail plate absolutely smooth. It provides air access to tissues, preventing the development of fungal microflora and the occurrence of an inflammatory process in the most sensitive area of women's hands.

Varieties

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After the appearance of this product, manufacturers began to produce several varieties of gel. Thanks to this, a classification based on application technology appeared. Before purchasing this cosmetic product, you need to familiarize yourself with the features of each type and choose the most suitable one.

Varieties of camouflage nail gel include:

Single stage system. The name speaks for itself and indicates the number of steps that must be completed during application. This system is distinguished by its versatility and is quite often used as a base, topcoat and corrective agent. Thanks to the presence of polymers in the composition, the nail plate becomes smooth and shiny. It takes about five minutes to dry completely, and the girls do not have any difficulties during filing.
Two-phase - it is aimed at strengthening the natural nail. Professional manicurists note that this camouflage gel system comes in different thicknesses and is used by highly qualified specialists. It significantly improves the appearance and quality of the design after visiting the salon.
Three-phase. An even more complex system of application technology. Due to the rather liquid consistency, oxygen bubbles may appear throughout the surface when used. But this gel is extremely durable against chips and cracks. And it can even withstand numerous impacts on hard surfaces.

Shades

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A huge advantage of camouflage gel is its fairly wide variety of color palettes. Thanks to this, professional craftsmen can easily select the appropriate shade for each client. This cosmetic product helps you create a French manicure in a short period of time without much effort. The shades that are presented on store shelves are ivory, various versions of pink, peach, light and dark beige.

Thanks to a fairly large selection, the final result is as natural as possible and is absolutely no different from a natural nail. This makes camouflage gel even more popular among manicurists.

For naturalness

Visually, the shades of the gel are very similar to the natural color of the nails. The wide range presented allows you to choose the desired tone not only for the nail plate, but also for the skin of your hands. For girls with dark skin, peach shades, pink or beige colors are perfect. Natural colors, such as pink or translucent, are ideal for fair-skinned women. Today there is a huge variety of color palettes that differ not only in tone, but also in consistency. This allows the artificial turf to be as close as possible to natural colors. Naturalness and naturalness are always at the peak of popularity.

Application technology

You can get a manicure using gel both in a beauty salon and at home if you have the necessary materials. This procedure is absolutely simple if you follow all the steps and listen to the advice of professionals. Necessary tools include a UV lamp for drying, camouflage gel, brushes, a form (for the first extension), nail files, base coat, degreaser and topcoat. But before you start applying, you need to do a hygienic manicure, disinfect all tools and remove the cuticle.

The gel application procedure consists of several stages:

prepare the plate, treat it with a degreaser, apply a base coat, which should be dried in a lamp for 1 minute;
if you use a form to build a nail, then you need to remove the adhesive part and attach it to each finger;
if the extension procedure is not happening for the first time, then its use is absolutely not necessary;
apply a small amount of gel to the brush and distribute evenly over the entire plate, it is recommended to start from the center and move to the edges;
put your hand in an ultraviolet lamp for 1-2 minutes;

after drying, proceed to the next nail until all the plates of one hand are covered;
once all fingers are covered with gel, put them in the lamp for one minute for a more durable result;
after this you can proceed to the next hand;
Once all fingers are covered with camouflage nail gel, the molds can be removed to build the plate;
then a top coat is applied, which must be dried in a lamp, and then you can do a French manicure or leave your nails natural.

Technique for nail extension using camouflage

The extension procedure is carried out mainly in salons, but if you wish and follow all the rules for working with materials and equipment, you can perform extensions at home.

The entire procedure for working with camouflage gel is carried out in several stages:

We prepare and treat hands and nails, that is, we carry out a standard hygienic manicure.
Degrease the nail plates.
Apply primer and cure it in a lamp.
Next, prepare the artificial form and place it on the nail plate so that the center of the nail coincides with the center of the form.
We put a certain amount of gel on the brush and distribute it evenly over the surface of the mold, starting from the middle and moving towards the free edge. At this stage, we model the required length and desired shape of the extended free edge.
The formed fragment is polymerized in a lamp.
Then we cover the natural plate with base gel and dry it. This is done for better adhesion.
Apply the base coat again to the fragment and the entire nail, but do not dry it.
Using a brush, pick up a certain amount of camouflage and place it in the middle of the nail plate. Using even smooth movements of the brush, we distribute it over the entire plate, trying to get no closer than 1 mm to the cuticle and ridges.
After the material has been laid out on the surface, we place it under the lamp for 15-20 seconds. Then we press the gel with a special clothespin, and again send it to polymerize until completely dry.
We remove the mold, the sticky layer, file the free edge, and sand the surface with a buff.
If subsequent design and decoration is not provided, then apply a finishing coat, seal the end and dry in a lamp until the top is completely dry.
Read also: What does three-phase gel polish mean and how to apply it

You can more clearly familiarize yourself with the technique of modeling and extending nails with camouflage material by watching the video:

Initially, camouflage gels were invented and developed to create the perfect jacket. An example of such a manicure is shown in detail in the video:

With the help of camouflage material, you can carry out not only the process of building up nail plates, but also carry out the procedure for strengthening them. You can learn more about the technique by watching the video:

Advantages and disadvantages

Manicure with camouflage gel is in great demand in beauty salons around the world. Thanks to the many positive aspects of this procedure. They are as follows:

strengthens the nail plate;
stimulates rapid growth;
helps to increase the desired length;
the effect lasts for a month;
the procedure is quite quick and easy;
eliminates the need to use decorative coating;
protects against the formation of pathogenic microorganisms that cause fungal diseases;
levels the surface;
does not interfere with air circulation.

At the same time, manicure has a number of disadvantages. Namely:

the plate rejects the gel coating in many women;
contributes to nail damage;
needs proper removal to prevent unwanted consequences;
if a chip or crack occurs, the camouflage gel must be reapplied;
if the coating is done in a beauty salon, then you will need to visit it once a month and pay a certain amount of financial resources.

Top brands

On the cosmetics market you can find a huge number of different brands that produce manicure products. This abundance makes it easy to choose high-quality and budget products. Thanks to reviews from girls and professional manicurists, we can highlight several brands with high-quality and relatively inexpensive products:

“Kodi” is the most popular gel that helps you quickly and easily create a beautiful and durable manicure. It has a fairly large selection of shades for any natural nail color.
“Hypnosis” is an equally popular brand that is used by many professional hairdressers in beauty salons. Helps strengthen the nail plate and is highly resistant to chips and cracks.
"Pop Neil." A huge advantage of this camouflage gel is its large packaging volume. It lasts a long time and is famous for its high quality.

Scheme of extension with camouflage gel

Choosing camouflage gels for nail extensions as the material for the procedure does not mean anything.

A more important stage is the extension process itself, during which it is necessary to adhere to certain techniques and rules for performing this procedure.

Naturally, you can grow your nails using this gel not only in the salon, but also at home.

To describe the process, we use a three-phase system for extension. You must follow certain steps, namely:

At the first stage, it is recommended to prepare the nail, treat it with a disinfectant, remove the cuticle, and give the nail plate the required shape using a nail file.
The second stage is to degrease the nail and prepare its surface - buff it. Shake off the dust and coat the nails with primer.
At the third stage, it is necessary to apply the base gel using a dry, dense brush, distributing it over the nail and creating a frame with a given future length. Hold your nails for 2 minutes under an ultraviolet lamp.
The fourth stage is to apply camouflage gel to the prepared surface. Take a drop of camouflage with a brush, apply it to the center of the nail - using floating, zigzag movements, pull it out to the tip of the nail, filling the entire bottom. Then, from the center, leaving the apex formed, slightly pull the gel towards the cuticle, but not reaching a millimeter. On the cuticle and roller side, the gel should disappear. This layer should also be cured under an ultraviolet lamp for three minutes.
Fifth stage. The sticky layer should be removed from dried nails, filed to give the final shape, and a buff should be applied to create a smooth surface; after the work done, degrease the nails.
At the sixth stage, you need to shape the smile line using white gel and dry it for a couple of minutes in a lamp;
Next, cover the nail with a finishing agent, dry it and remove the stickiness again.

The camouflage gel extension scheme also involves preparing special testers that will help you determine the required tone.

Trying on will help you choose the most optimal shade. And since such a gel is classified as colored, before use it should be thoroughly mixed with a toothpick or pusher.

If your dreams are to change the length of your nail or to hide defects in the nail plate as best as possible, you can choose a thick camouflage gel . Its consistency is perfect for these purposes.

Nowadays, neat artificial nails of medium length are popular, their structure and shade reminiscent of natural ones. To create them, a camouflage base is intended, which is a polymer manicure composition. This is a material that is used to model the nail plate and improve the adhesion of gel polish.

Recommendation from professional manicurists

In order for your nails to be strong and beautiful, so that oxygen bubbles do not form on the surface, you need to take into account several expert tips. They recommend degreasing the surface before application. This helps the base coat adhere more strongly to the plate, and subsequently to the camouflage nail gel.

If the surface is too uneven or if you want to change the length, you should give preference to a thick consistency of the product. With its help, it is easier to correct the natural shape and disguise all the irregularities. But such a gel must be dried in an ultraviolet lamp for three minutes.