Nail extension kit – what is included in the starting and professional kit, prices, photos and reviews

The content of the article

• What is included in the nail extension kit
• Professional kit
• Nail extension starter kit
• Pros and Cons of Purchased Collections
• How to choose a kit for nail extensions at home
• Distinctive features of gel and acrylic
• Which is better – tips or shapes
• Where can I buy
• How much does a kit cost?

Well-groomed hands and perfect manicure is the calling card of any woman. Many ladies prefer long nails, so they build them with gel or acrylic. Constantly doing such procedures in the cabin is unprofitable, but acquiring a set of materials for home use will be an excellent alternative. Manufacturers produce wonderful complete sets for both beginners and professional craftsmen..

What is included in the nail extension kit

For beginners, and some professional masters, it is sometimes more convenient to buy a ready-made set of materials than to collect everything individually. Filling can be different and this is one of the most important parameters that affect the cost. What is included in the set depends on the type of extension that the master plans to perform: gel or acrylic. There are universal kits. Some have design accessories..

Professional kit

The composition of the kits for specialists contains high quality materials. Filling depends on the type of extension that you plan to perform. If the master is going to simulate acrylic nails, then you need to pay attention to sets with the following assortment:

• tips (a substrate for artificial material to form a free edge of a certain length);
• cuticle oil;
• guillotine for cutting tips;
• base coverage;
• forms;
• acrylic powder (several types, usually transparent, white, camouflage);
• natural pile brush;
• liquid (liquid mixed with acrylic powder to form an artificial nail plate);
• glue;
• remover without acetone (liquid to remove artificial material);
• orange sticks;
• primer (degreasing agent for a natural nail plate);
• antiseptic;
• containers for mixing;
• abrasive files 100/100, 180/180 and 180/240 grit;
• brush to remove dust from the surface of the nail.

The complete set of the collection for working with the gel is significantly different. The following materials and tools are included:

• tips
• multifunctional agent that works as a dehydrator, antiseptic, layer remover;
• forms;
• topcoat with UV filter;
• glue;
• cuticle oil (softens the skin, which makes it easier to move the sticks);
• tip cutter (to adjust the length of the artificial substrate);
• orange sticks (to move the cuticle away, to remove randomly populated villi);
• solution to remove the sticky layer;
• cream;
• primer (degreases the nail plate and provides it with good adhesion to artificial material);
• scissors;
• dust brush;
• abrasive files 100/100, 180/180, 180/240 grit;
• electric ultraviolet lamp (for home use, a device with a power of approximately 36 W with a timer is needed);
• synthetic brush (flat, square or rectangular);
• buff 120/120/120 grit (whetstone with rough surfaces for final leveling and grinding);
• rhinestones, glitter and broths of several shades, other decorative accessories;
• gels.

More should be said about the main material for building. The composition may include such gels:

• basic (applied in a thin layer, serves as a base);
• sculpting (applied in several layers);
• single phase;
• for finishing;
• colored.

Nail extension starter kit

Filling kits for beginners is a bit easier. In the starter collection you can find materials of medium quality, but its price will be affordable. This is the best option for masters who want to practice building up. Standard basic sets can also differ from professional ones in that they include neutral and the most popular shades of acrylic, gel, for example, transparent, pink-beige, white. What can be included in the starter kit:

• materials for building and correction (gels or acrylic powder and monomer);
• files of various shapes and degrees of abrasiveness;
• tips
• cuticle care product;
• forms;
• lint-free napkins;
• UV lamp;
• a primer;
• orange sticks;
• glue;
• natural pile brush for modeling acrylic nails or synthetic for working with gel;
• nippers;
• buffs to eliminate roughness.

Pros and Cons of Purchased Collections

People reflecting on whether to purchase a set of materials should be aware of its positive and negative sides. Advantages of collections:

1. A set will be cheaper than buying all the funds individually.
2. Purchasing a kit online can save you time.
3. As a rule, the materials and tools included in the kit are correctly matched to each other, so it’s easy to work with them.
4. The collection includes everything you need so that even a beginner can easily complete a full build.

Kits and certain disadvantages are not without. Their main disadvantages:

1. Not all products from the same manufacturer are equally good. For example, one firm can produce excellent acrylics, but low-quality files.
2. Professional craftsmen will have to understaff a set or replace individual components in accordance with their preferences.
3. The kit includes funds of a certain volume, you can not choose one or another quantity.

How to choose a kit for nail extensions at home

It is difficult for almost any person, especially a beginner, to decide which kit to purchase, although the breadth of the assortment on the market is impressive. If you want to buy a nail extension kit, use the following tips:

1. The quality of materials is directly affected by the manufacturer. It is not recommended to take products from little-known brands, even if they offer an attractively low price. Browse online with reviews from different manufacturers. The opinions of the masters who have already worked with certain materials will help you make the right decision. The company must provide quality certificates for its products..
2. It is advisable to immediately buy a collection, which includes at least the minimum number of design accessories.
3. The kit should have a lot of files, because they wear out faster than anything else. It is important that they be of varying degrees of abrasiveness..
4. If you plan to regularly engage in nail extensions, make sure that the kit can be understaffed. It is preferable in the future to buy consumables of the same manufacturer.

Distinctive features of gel and acrylic

The problem of choosing one of these materials is relevant for both masters and clients. As a rule, women try to wear both gel and acrylic nails, and then determine which ones they liked more. With the masters, the picture is not too different. Some work only with acrylic, others exclusively with gel, but most specialists master both types of extensions in order to provide clients with the widest possible range of services. The durability of nails and appearance depend not so much on the material as on the professionalism of the master. The properties of the natural plate play a role.

Acrylic nails are obtained by mixing powder and monomer. Entering into the reaction, these substances turn into a thick mass, which gradually completely hardens at room temperature. Features of acrylic:

1. The material is easier to remove from a natural nail plate than gel. A special acetone-free fluid is needed.
2. For the building process, only a brush with natural pile is used. First, it is dipped in monomer, then for a couple of seconds it is lowered into powder. The resulting ball is transferred to the nail with a substrate (tips or stencil) and form an artificial plate. There are difficulties. First, you need to work with acrylic quickly, and secondly, it is difficult to guess the correct ratio of monomer and powder to obtain the desired consistency of the ball. These problems go away with gaining experience.
3. Acrylic nails are slightly thicker than gel nails, but they are not so brittle.
4. No UV lamp required to dry material.
5. Acrylic extension takes less time than gel.

The second material, unlike acrylic, is immediately ready for use, it does not need to be mixed. Gel – a viscous and sticky substance having a consistency from semi-liquid to jelly-like. It hardens under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. Features:

1. The polymer gel plate comes thinner than acrylic, its strength is lower.
2. Each new coating layer should be dried in a UV lamp for a certain amount of time, otherwise it will remain liquid. The gel reaches a solid consistency only under the influence of UV rays.
3. The coating shines very beautifully even without grinding and polishing.
4. Modern gels are self-leveling. They immediately form a homogeneous smooth surface that does not need to be sawed off, sanded.
5. The material does not smell.
6. There is no need to rush when working with gel. You can do everything slowly and accurately, achieving the desired result. The material still does not freeze until it hits the lamp.

Which is better – tips or shapes

Both of these supplies are used to model the shape and length of the nail. A novice wizard may have questions about which is preferable to use. The choice should be made based on the shape of a natural nail. Tipsu is glued to the free edge. It is cut to the desired length, the surface is filed and modeling material is applied on top. Tips are not suitable for too wide and bent down nails.

The form is made of thick paper with an adhesive base. It is substituted under the free edge, the material is applied on top. According to special marks on it, it is easy to give the desired shape and length to an artificial nail. Thanks to the forms, the line of the nail plate is aesthetically more correct, but it is more difficult to use them. If you plan to work with clients, it is better to master both types of material and apply one or another of them based on the characteristics of a natural nail plate.

Where can I buy

Purchasing a kit is profitable because, on average, its price is 25% less than the cost of consumables and tools separately. Beginners can choose kits in retail stores or online. Very cheap products, for example, are presented on the Aliexpress website, however, sometimes it takes a long time to wait for orders. Professional craftsmen are advised to pay attention to products offered in specialized stores of goods of the nail industry. As a rule, there are presented high quality kits from well-known manufacturers.

How much does a kit cost?

The price of the kit depends on many parameters. The cost of the kit is affected by the number of materials and tools included in the composition, the availability of accessories for decoration, and the brand. Sample prices for popular sets: