Sponsored by Monaco Nail Academy
Okay, let’s talk nail extensions. Remember how I got almond nail extensions recently? Well, I got Penny to do one hand with gel and the other with acrylic so that I could give them a fair comparison. All in the name of blog research, you know? I wanted to know which kind of nail enhancement was the best for my nails, which would be easiest to maintain, which was more comfortable to wear … and ultimately which one would leave my nails in better condition.
Acrylic Nail Enhancements:
Also known as Liquid & Powder, acrylic nail enhancements are the more traditional way of sculpting nails. I won’t get into the nitty gritty science side of things, but basically a liquid is mixed with a powder (that part is pretty obvious) and then sculpted into shape. As you can see in the photo above, the team at Monaco use nail forms as a surface to sculpt your perfect nail.
Gel Nail Enhancements:
As with Liquid & Powder, nail forms are used to help sculpt the nails. The Rock Hard Gel looks a little like gel polish – but it’s much thicker (it’s a bit hard to describe). It’s fascinating to watch it being applied and definitely does not seem like something I could master, even with practice. To someone who isn’t an experienced nail tech, it seems like trying to shape treacle! The end result though, now that’s a thing of beauty…
Once the gel or acrylic is applied, the nails are filed and shaped. They take on a more nail like shape and form, and as a layperson it’s a little harder to tell the difference between gel and acrylic
Gel Nails vs Acrylic Nails
So, which one is better? Gel nails are more flexible, which is important if you use a keyboard a lot (shout out to bloggers, receptionists, students writing essays and everyone in IT) or have your hands in water on a regular basis (think café workers, hairdressers, swim instructors…). If you are a gardener, or your job involves lifting heavy boxes, then you’ll need nails that are strong – like acrylics. Your best best is to have a chat to your nail artist, who can recommend the best enhancement for you.
I tried both gel and acrylic nail enhancements, and I really liked both of them, but my personal favourite was the acrylic. While all signs indicate that gel nails are the most suitable for me, I preferred the way that the acrylic nails felt, and the way that they wore at the tips (does anyone else notice that kind of thing or is it just me?). So there is a bit of personal preference in there to consider as well! They were both easy to maintain with fortnightly backfills (at the same time as I got new gel polish), and each kind of enhancement left my nails in a good condition – just as they were before I had them applied.
Have you had gel nails or acrylic nails?
Do you have a preference?
Want to become a qualified nail tech or upskill? The Monaco education team offers a range of learning opportunities, for both novices and experienced nail artists. Email learn@monaco.ac.nz for information or visit their website.
Nails by Penny from Monaco Nail Academy
Meagan wears: Custom Mix of Artistic Colour Gloss in Sexy and Owned
Enhancements done with Rock Hard Gel and Acrylic Products
I can barely tell the difference between them but I tend to usually go for gel as I feel they are kinder on my nails.
p.s- My mum told me that in her time, in my culture (Ogoni, Nigeria), girls used to go in groups at about 15,16 years old to get teeth gaps created (with chisels and hammers) as they were considered extra beautiful. It isn’t a common practice these days but it’s still looked at as a thing of beauty. My sister has a natural gap and I’ve always wished I had one
I love love loveeed this post so much Meagan <3 your nails are literally perfection. It sounds a bit silly but I didn't even know you could get gel nail extensions before reading this – I thought my nails would already have to be this long to get long gels so I'm so stoked at this discovery! Acrylics always felt a bit too serious for me because I'm scared they'll ruin my nails but I've had normal gels before & my nails were fine. I wonder if they have a place similar to Monaco in Australia! Thanks so much for this post, really enjoyed it xx
Thanks lovely, glad I could help! You should get in touch with the team at Monaco, I know they travel to Australia for some training so they might be able to put you in touch with an awesome nail artist xo
Your teeth are just great , perfection isn’t all it is cracked up to be, teeth give us personality. I am new to your blog and I think you are wonderful
Thanks Carol! I find it weird that someone would even comment on my teeth – clearly some people will find anything to snark at!
You’re so beautiful and I just absolutely love your style! I used to get acrylic nails about 10 years ago when I was in high school but it really burned my nail beds from the moment they put them on up to a few days. I’m not sure if they were just sanding down my nail too much or if I was having a reaction to the acrylic materials. I haven’t gotten them since then for fear of the burn. I will say that some places do them really thick and some places do them much thinner, which is what I prefer. I don’t like the way they feel when it feels like I have 20 nails thick on the end of my fingers. I did like having them done though because my nails seem to peel after they get past the end of my fingertips.
Thanks Brittany! That definitely doesn’t sound right – acrylics shouldn’t hurt your nails at all. Sounds like the people who were doing your nails were doing more harm than good 🙁
I’ve always been really hard on my nails and at my old jobs I’d break them all the time. Since I’ve been working at home for most of the past year, they’ve been able to grow for the first time. I’m still a bit hard on my nails on the right hand, but have been able to keep some length for a while
It does feel weird texting/typing etc, but I’ve been getting used to it. I have been swooning over all the “stiletto” styles, but I’m not sure I would be able to rock them without driving myself mad. I really like the length and shape that you chose.
I had my thumb nail get torn the other day and decided to chop all my nails down to even them off and now having short nails feels SUPER strange! haha!
<3
I love the fantasy of stiletto nails but honestly, they’d drive me up the wall! The ones I got are absolutely as long as I’d go – I’m definitely more of a short and practical length gal.
Sweetheart you are gorgeous! I have been scrolling through your blog and you are quite the inspiration! I am a mother of 2 and i am 149 cm and i weigh 159 kg and you have proved that women like us can look and feel great too! I just happened to notice, and please don’t take this the wrong way, your teeth have a huge gap in them. I suggest you see a cosmetic dentist because if you got that fixed, it would enchance your natural beauty. I hope I didn’t offend you! I’m a huge fan, I just think that you would look so much better if you got them fixed 🙂
kisses!
-Jaz<3
I agree with Jasmine, you could be so pretty if you fixed your face! I love your style and confidence just see a cosmotolagist to fix some minor messes and mistakes.
Well now Katia you’re just downright rude, aren’t you?
OMG, fix your ATTITUDE Katia and you won’t be so ugly!
how mean. she is gorgeous. society is ugly. if shes comfortable in her skin let her be
“You could be so pretty if you fixed your face!” …I was scrolling through getting ready to comment about the nails and this caught my eye. It has really got to be one of the douchiest comments I’ve read on anyone’s blog in a while. WTF. Oh and Lauren Hutton…yeah nuff said.
Haha, right Cheri?! Seriously.
Thank you for your unsolicited body shaming and unwelcome remarks about my appearance Jazmine *sarcasm*
I’ve tried acrylic nails a couple of times because my natural nails are terrible – they tear off and they’re an odd shape. I loved the look of them – so glamourous. I immediately wanted a beehive and a wiggle dress. Alas though, after only a week each time the nail form started lifting. After removal my nails took weeks to recover from being filed down before the acrylics were attached. I went to a reputable salon. Never mind, I’ll just admire your nails instead Meaghan.
This was an interesting read. I’ve had gel and acrylic nails before, both done by my friend who is a student at Monaco – my preference was acrylic too. I still prefer having natural nails as they grow quite well, and require a lot less maintenance, but if I didn’t have naturally long nails I think I’d go for acrylics.One tick in the gel column though is the smell – the smell of acrylics is awful to me, I’m not sure how nail techs cope with it all day!
I agree, I still love my natural nails the most. I think we’re pretty blessed to have such nice natural nails, otherwise I’d get the acrylics for sure. I hear ya on the smell though, it’s pretty intense. I feel like things have gotten better though, it’s not nearly as bad as it used to be 13 years ago (when I last had acrylics done)!
My sister’s job is really hard on her nails so she always has acrylics and gel polish which lasts forever. I love how it looks but I can’t see myself committing to it – I love gel manicures when my budget allows. Did you find it weird to type and do other things with pointy nails?
It took me about a week to get used to the fact that my fingertips weren’t touching the keyboard in the same way, so that was a little harder. The only other thing I found really difficult is that I have a beautiful corset that I wanted to wear to an event and I couldn’t do up the fiddly clasps! Everything else was okay though, I think it does take a little getting used to.