First, let me fill you in on what soft gel extensions actually are. I could rave for hours about the differences between all types of fake nails, but the TL;DR is that soft gel extensions are more or less super-thin and transparent faux nails (they look like plain press-ons) that are attached to your natural nails with thick gel polish that's cured under a UV or LED lamp. Unlike other types of nail extensions, these can be soaked off with acetone somewhat like your average gel manicure.
Aprs is not the only brand out there that makes soft gel extensions, but it is one that's widely used among celebrity nail artists, in-salon nail technicians, and more than a few nail-art influencers on TikTok. For those who prefer to do their own nails, it's more or less the gold standard of at-home soft gel extensions because the brand offers one convenient kit complete with just about everything one needs to turn out a look.
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You can choose Short, Medium, or Long extensions, but the brand will also be introducing Extra Short and Extra Long options soon. As far as nail shapes go, the brand offers coffin, square, round, and stiletto options. And on top of all of this, Aprs also makes Natural and Sculpted iterations of each of these shapes and lengths, which you should select according to the natural shape of your nail beds; those with flatter nails will require Natural extensions, whereas anyone with C-curved cuticles will want the Sculpted version.
Each kit contains 500 extensions in 10 different sizes, which are categorized by numbers (00 to 9; the higher the number, the smaller the nail) just like press-on nails. If you have wide nail beds like me, you might have trouble finding an extension size large enough to fully cover your thumbs, but Eunice Park, a nail artist who is also a research and development manager at Aprs, tells me a size expansion is in the brand's near future (in addition to the upcoming new lengths). "We do have triple zero coming out next year, and in January of 2023, we're going to be expanding some of our [other] sizes, too," she says.
I have somewhat flat nail beds, prefer oval or rounded tips, and like my nails on the shorter side, so my extension of choice is the Natural Round Short, and all the photos of my manicures you see in this story are the result of those. Park says the most popular shape, however, is the Natural Coffin Medium. The shape doesn't matter too much, though, considering you can cut and file these however you like once they're applied (more on that later).
The whole kit and caboodle costs $118 before tax and shipping, which I think is absolutely absurd (in a good way) considering how much money it can save me in the long run. The last time I got a new set of hard gel extensions with custom nail art in New York City, it cost twice that much. Granted, I do love to sit in the salon chair and gab while a professional hand-paints tiny art on my nails; it's still a service I'll gladly pay for now and then, but now that I've learned to use this system at home, it's a relief knowing I have the option of professional-grade fake nails without spending tons of money.
Though important, nail prep for Gel X is relatively low-key. Whereas most other fake nails will have a nail tech taking a literal drill to your cuticles, all this one requires is a light buff, thanks to the design of the system. "With acrylic, you have to aggressively file the natural nail for the acrylic to adhere onto the natural nail plate because acrylic molecules are quite big," Park says. "With gel, the molecules are much smaller, so they don't need that kind of aggressive buffing."
"It does take some time to learn how to eyeball [the amount of gel] correctly," says Natalie Minerva, a Los Angeles-based nail artist who used the Gel X system religiously on the set of Euphoria's second season. As Los Angeles-based nail artist Sigourney Nuez says, "It honestly takes practice. It's kind of like when you get used to painting your own nails and learn to pick up the right amount of polish. It just takes repetition."
When you go to an overpriced cocktail bar, you simply must snag a nailfie with your fresh DIY Gel X set. I'm wearing the nail polish color Need Some Vitamin Sea from the Nails Inc. Made in Mykonos Nail Set.
If you don't use enough Extend Gel on this step, the extension won't be very well adhered to the nail and might come right off. If you use too much, you'll have gel oozing all over the place, which can lead to some major skin irritation. Figuring this step out will mostly come down to your own trial and error, but the pros do have a couple of tips and tricks to help you.
The amount of Extend Gel you apply to the extension will depend on whether or not you skip the initial step of painting it onto your natural nail, as Nuez points out. She calls the combination of gel on the natural nail and gel on the extension the "velcro method," and when she uses it, she doesn't have to apply as much gel to the extension. "If you use this technique and do need to apply more, it's super important to remove the tip and add some more product before curing," she explains. That's because once you cure, there's really no going back without fully removing the extension.
Minerva approaches this step with a "less-is-more" mentality. "You can always add more but will have a harder time removing the residual gel if you add too much," she says. "I typically use about a 'dew drop' worth of Extend Gel on the underside of the nail then push the extension down from the cuticle outward."
You'll come across plenty of nail artists and influencers online who take a little liberty with the application process by adding or skipping some steps, but the experts I spoke with recommend sticking to the brand-recommended instructions for the sake of keeping things simple. For what it's worth, I have tried skipping some of these steps and have tried doing extra prep, and nothing has worked as well as the OG instructions when it comes to making sets simple to apply, comfortable, and durable.
How long your Gel X sets last depends on how well you apply them and what your day-to-day lifestyle is like. If your extensions aren't fitted or cured properly, there's no telling when they'll pop right off. The extensions are designed to last anywhere between two to four weeks "with proper prep and application," according to Park. Minerva says her sets last about three weeks on average.
If you have any experience removing gel nail polish at home, you'll barely even need help with this part. First, clip the extensions down as far as you can without cutting your natural nail, then use a high-grit nail file (or, even better, a drill file, if you have one) to buff away the topcoat and nail polish on each nail. From there, it's the standard gel removal procedure: cover each nail with cotton or a paper towel, soak them in acetone, wrap them in foil, then let them sit for 15 to 20 minutes.
Once you've soaked them long enough, those puppies should slide right off, at which point you can scrape off any excess gel, give your nails a light filing and buffing, and you're done. Your nails will understandably be dry after this, so I suggest following up immediately with a cuticle oil (my personal favorite are CND's Solar Oil and MiniLuxe's Nourishing Cuticle Oil Rollerball).
As I mentioned earlier, the primary appeal of having the Gel X Extension Kit at home is the money it saves me on getting fake nails done at the salon. I can do a set at any time I like at no additional cost to me. That's more or less invaluable, because who can drop $100 or more every single time they get the fake nail urge? Certainly not me.
Speaking of that, another big upside to the Aprs Gel X extensions is they are super thin and will remain that way unless you really load up on gel and other nail-art stuff accessories such as gems or charms.
The only downside of these extensions, as Nuez points out, is that you can't fill them like acrylics or hard gel extensions once they grow out, at which point you have no choice but to fully remove them and start over, which can take a toll on nails if you're not careful. "The biggest advantage is the ability to change your length and shape every two to three weeks," she says. "The disadvantage is soaking in acetone to remove them can be pretty drying to the natural nails and surrounding skin."
But the time it can save you make it worthwhile in the end, Minerva argues. "The biggest advantage for me is that Gel X is quick, simple to use, and long-lasting," she explains. "Before, we had to sculpt all extensions which included application, filing, buffing, etc. It was a long process and messy! This system takes away all of that."
Personally, I couldn't agree more. I won't be swearing off other types of fake nails or salon trips entirely, of course, but I do now have a whole new desire to become my own nail tech and learn the ins and outs of elaborate nail art. Saved time, saved money, plus a new creative hobby? Give it all to me, please and thank you.
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