Journal

Gel polish should last two to three weeks. If yours lifts or peels after a few days, the prep is almost always to blame. Here's what goes wrong and how to fix it.

No tip, no fixed shape: a length of gel sculpted over a simple form. How to fit the form, build the apex and avoid the mistakes that make extensions lift or break.

From a clear shimmer for the office to full glitter for the party season: twelve glitter nail designs, and the gel technique that keeps the sparkle smooth and sealed.

Glossy black on short nails, micro French tips, a silver cat eye or one rhinestone for evenings: 15 black nail designs with the steps to recreate them, and how to paint black cleanly.

From sky blue French tips to a silver cat eye over royal blue: 12 blue nail designs, the shades we'd use, and how to keep pale blues from streaking.

The right nude depends on your skin tone and, above all, your undertone. How to find yours, plus 12 nude nail designs, from sheer pink to a nude cat eye.

Rubber base or builder gel? How to strengthen soft, bendy natural nails, which gel suits yours, and the professional method, step by step.

Acrylic and gel both give strong, long-wearing nails, and chemically they're close relatives. How they're applied, worn and removed decides which one suits your nails.

Midnight navy, icy blue, berry, velvet chocolate or frosted white: twelve winter manicures to wear with coats and knits, and the routine that protects nails from the cold.

Gel nails can mean gel polish, rubber base, builder gel or hard gel. Learn what each one does, how long it lasts, how it comes off and whether gel harms your nails.

How chrome powder turns gel into a mirror, how to seal it so the tips don't chip, and 12 chrome nail designs, from silver and gold to pearl glaze and powder-free metallics.

Fifteen almond nail designs, from micro French tips to a golden cat eye, each with the shades and steps to recreate it, plus how to file a neat almond at any length.

Builder gel vs acrylic compared for nail techs: strength and flexibility, odour, application, removal and nail health, plus how to switch an acrylic client to builder gel.

An honest comparison of polygel and builder gel for nail techs: how each one is applied and removed, how they wear, and which one to choose for each client.

How builder gel and gel polish differ in structure, strength, wear and removal, which one suits which client, and how to combine them in one service.

When a builder gel set is ready for an infill, how to reduce the old gel with an e-file, re-prep the regrowth and rebuild the apex, and when to remove it.

Where builder gel lifts tells you why. The 8 causes of lifting, how to fix a nail that has already lifted, and the prep routine that prevents it.

Why a gel top coat over regular nail polish often wrinkles or peels, how to try it if you must, and the full gel system that gives real gel shine and wear.