Acrylic Nails in Port St. Lucie, FL

How a full set is built

Acrylic is a liquid mixed with a fine powder. Your technician picks up a small bead of the mix on a brush, places it on the nail and presses it into shape. It hardens in the air within a few minutes, so the acrylic itself needs no lamp. A gel polish finish on top is the only part that goes under the light.

Length comes from a tip glued to the end of your natural nail, or from a form the acrylic is sculpted over. Either way, the set is then filed into your shape (square, oval, coffin, almond or stiletto) and smoothed before color goes on.

Choosing a length and shape

Think about your hands on a normal day. Short to medium lengths are easier for typing, cooking and work that uses your fingertips. Square and oval tips have the most surface at the edge, so they are the sturdiest everyday shapes. Coffin and almond look longer and slimmer on the finger. Stiletto is the most dramatic and the most likely to catch, so it suits a special occasion or someone already used to long nails. If you are unsure, start shorter: it is easy to add length at your next full set.

How long acrylic lasts

Acrylic does not wear away the way polish does. What changes is the gap at your cuticle as your natural nail grows out, which usually shows after 2 to 3 weeks. That is when you book a fill ($45): the old product is filed down, the grown-out area is filled in and the color is refreshed. When you want a new shape or a different length, start over with a full set ($50).

Aftercare that keeps a set from lifting

Wear gloves for dishes and cleaning; household chemicals dull the top coat and soften the edges. Rub cuticle oil in once a day so the skin around the acrylic stays soft instead of pulling away. Don't use your nails as tools to open cans or peel labels, which is how most lifting starts.

If one nail lifts or cracks, come in instead of gluing it at home. Glue can trap water under the acrylic, and a lifted edge that keeps catching is easy for us to fix at your next visit.

Who acrylic is for

Acrylic suits you if you want real length, a bold shape like coffin or stiletto, or a strong base for 3D art, charms and rhinestones. It is also the easiest extension to maintain on a regular fill schedule. If your natural nails are short and you want strength without much length, dip powder or Builder Gel may suit you better.