I love having more daughters to do girly things with now that Matt and I are married. One thing I’ve always loved doing for years, is getting my nails done. Recently I had a few minutes with Mollie and we decided it would be fun to do some Valentine’s Day gel nails on her fingernails. It was so much fun.
Why Gel Polish?
Gel nail polish is different from regular nail polish in a few ways. One, it lasts longer on your nails and tends to not chip or lose it’s shine. Another way it’s different is because you use an LED light to cure (dry) each coat of nail polish you apply. This is part of how the nail polish gets hard and lasts a long time, and it also speeds up the drying process. You don’t need to wait 5-10 minutes in between coats!
To do these Valentine’s Day gel nails for little girls, you need a few things to get you started. Gel nails can seem like an investment up front, but you will save a lot of time and money at the salon in the long run by doing these gel nails at home.
What you need for DIY Valentine’s Day Gel Nails:
Rubbing Alcohol
Nail File
Orange Stick
Lint Free Wipes
Assorted Colors of Gel Nail Polish
Gel Polish Base Coat and Top Coat
Nail Buffer
Skewer or Toothpick
How I Painted Mollie’s Nails With Gel Polish:
Step 1:
Trim and/or file your nails to the desired shape and length. Push cuticles back with cuticle pusher/orangewood stick if needed. Buff nails gently to remove the shine from your nails. Wipe off the dust with a lint free wipe that is soaked with alcohol.
Step 2:
Apply your gel base coat. Cure under your lamp for the recommended time.
Step 3:
Apply your first coat of gel nail polish color. Be sure to do thin coats of color. Cure your nails again under the LED lamp. Repeat this process for the following layers of gel nail polish color until you have achieved your desired color saturation.
Step 4:
To make the heart decoration: For some added Valentine’s Day fun, I painted a small heart on one of Mollie’s fingers. To do this, we did 2 coats of the light pink shade of gel polish and cured them under the LED light. Then, I took a darker red shade of polish and dripped a few drops into a glass bowl. Using a skewer (a toothpick would work, too) I picked up a tiny bit of polish and made 2 small dots on Mollie‘s nail. Then, using that same skewer I gently dragged a tiny bit of the polish from each dot into a V shape and filled in the empty space to create a heart. We both loved how it turned out!
Step 5:
After you have applied and cured 2-3 coats of Gel nail polish, it is time to apply your gel top coat and cure it as well under the lamp. I prefer using a non-wipe gel nail polish top coat.
Step 6:
The last step is to wipe your gel nails with rubbing alcohol and a lint free cloth if you did not use a no-wipe top coat. This will remove any sticky residue from your gel polish and make your nails shine.
Step 7:
Repeat these steps for your other hand and then you can enjoy your beautiful nails!
Why I love these Valentine’s Day Nails
I love how these Valentine’s Day gel nails for little girls turned out on Mollie. And most importantly, she loves how they look! With winter making life feel cold and dreary at times, pretty nail polish can be an instant mood lift. I’m excited to spend more time with Mollie as she grows up. I love being a stepmom to these special girls. What do you love to do with your daughters to bond with them?