Victoria Beckham Reveals She Picks Off Her Manicures, Here Are 4 Ways To Safely Remove Gel Polish
If you don’t remove the varnish properly, you could badly damage your nails.
1 April 2019
All Credits: PA
Brace yourself, because this may be the most relatable thing Victoria Beckham has ever said.
In a video on her new YouTube channel, documenting a working trip to Paris, the fashion designer revealed that she regularly commits a beauty sin that we’ve all been guilty of at one time or another.
“I hate board meetings – I normally pick all my gel manicure off,” she said.
Can you imagine? The most perfectly-groomed woman in the world gradually obliterating her shiny polish, one nail at a time?
We can totally relate. There’s something so satisfying about picking off nail varnish, especially when it’s the hard gel kind that comes off in big, brittle flakes.
But, as any gel-manicure fan knows, this method leaves your nails rough and flaky, and if you’re not careful, you’ll chip or rip them at the same time, so you should really be removing the polish properly.
That means using an acetone remover (it needs to be at least 98% acetone) that can break down the polymers, but it’s not just a case of a few quick swipes with a cotton bud – you’ve got a variety of options for making sure the remover is in contact with the polish, long enough for it to work.
Want to prevent a pick-fest like Victoria Beckham? Here are four ways to safely remove your gel manicure…
1. The Soaking Method
Fill a small glass bowl with acetone nail varnish remover and place that bowl into a larger bowl filled with hot (but not boiling) water.
While the acetone is warming up, use a nail file to buff the top layer of polish off and file the top of the nail to break the ‘seal’ of polish on the edge.
Soak your nails, one hand at a time, in the acetone, for about 15 minutes, during which time, you should see the polish start to lift.
Use a cuticle stick to gently scrape the polish off, soaking the polish for longer if you need to.
Finish by rinsing your hands in water and applying cuticle oil (your skin will probably be wrinkly and dry from the acetone).
2. The Foil Method
Cut 10 small squares of kitchen foil and buff your nails as with the soaking method above.
Soak a ball of cotton wool in acetone, place it over the nail and fix it in place by wrapping the foil around the nail.
Once you’ve wrapped up all your fingertips, wait 15 minutes for the acetone to work, then use a cuticle remover to scrape off the polish, putting the foils back on if you need to.
Finish with a generous application of cuticle oil.
3. Gel Polish Removal Kits
The soaking and foil methods can be quite fiddly and time consuming, but now there are a variety of kits you can buy that promise to make the process easier, from plastic clips that hold cotton balls in place, to pre-cut foils like the Sensationail Removal Kit, £9/AED 43.
There’s also a very handy product called Elliona Gel Off, £14.35/AED 68, Amazon, which is a thick acetone gel that sits on top of the varnish, gets to work in just two minutes and doesn’t require any foils, so you can scrape off the polish once it’s lifted.
Most of the kits are only marginally better than the at-home method, but the Elliona gel is very effective, stops acetone from getting on your skin and is the fastest of all.
4. Salon Removal
The easiest method of all? Head into any nail salon and they’ll do it for you, usually with the foil method, for a fee of around £5 to £10.
Or, if you’re getting another gel manicure, they’ll often do it for free.
- Tags:
- celebrity beauty
- nails
- nail care
