The start of my DIY Nail Journey

Miami Beach
2024/2/16 Edited to

... Read moreEmbarking on a DIY nail journey can be incredibly fulfilling. With countless nail art ideas out there, finding your personal style is essential. Whether you're a complete novice or have some experience, understanding the basic tools and techniques is critical for success. Start with quality nail polishes that offer a good balance of pigmentation and longevity. For instance, matte and glossy finishes allow for a variety of styles, from elegant to playful. Layering techniques can enhance your designs; try using a combination of textures or adding glitter to make your nails pop. Don't forget to utilize nail art brushes or dotting tools to create intricate designs—these can be found easily online or at beauty supply stores. Remember, patience is key—allow each layer of polish to dry completely before moving on to the next to prevent smudging. If you're unsure where to find inspiration, browsing platforms like Instagram or Pinterest can provide a myriad of ideas. You can also engage with communities and hashtags such as #NailArt or #DIYNails to connect with fellow enthusiasts. Experimenting is part of the fun, so enjoy the process as you create your unique nail art! Always prioritize nail health by using a base coat and nourishing oils to keep your nails strong and beautiful.

Related posts

A hand holds a clear DIY nail oil brush pen filled with yellow liquid, against a dark background. Text overlay reads "DIY NAIL OIL Ingredients SWIPE" and "Lemon8 @hellothereivvy."
A set of empty clear nail oil brush pens and several small plastic droppers are arranged on a white background, ready for filling.
Four bottles of ingredients for DIY nail oil are displayed: Jojoba oil, Argan oil, Vitamin E oil, and Olive oil, with a pink heart drawing.
Nail Oil Ingredients
Homemade Nail Oil!! This has helped my nails grow so much! 💅🏼 I used all equal parts olive oil, jojoba oil, argan oil, and vitamin E oil in a big bottle. After that just put them in the little brush pens and you’re set! #lemon8diarychallenge #nails #nailoil #diynails #Nail #cuticleoil
Ivy 🎀

Ivy 🎀

889 likes

A hand with French tip nails and a gold bracelet is shown, with text overlay reading "NAIL ARTIST MUST HAVES From Shein" and "lemon8 @itsnotmahla".
A clear acrylic organizer holds a pink nail drill, various brushes, scissors, and nail drill bits, labeled as an "All-In-One organizer".
Several white nail tip holders with magnetic bases are arranged on a clear rectangular tray, labeled as a "Nail Tip Holder".
Nail Tech Must Haves | Shein
For anyone currently on their nail artist journey, Shein has a ton of great quality refillables for the low! Here’s my current favorites that I use while doing gel x, but I’m sure you could still use them for when you do acrylics, polygel or press ons! The only thing I will say to NOT buy of
M. J.

M. J.

304 likes

Nail Journey
#nails progress I’ve made in doing my nails over the past year😁
Mayori🩷

Mayori🩷

1591 likes

Did I NAIL it or FAIL it!?
I haddd to try this dual form nail extension with BIAB. I wanted to see if it was possible.. Why do I always want to do hard things 🫣? #biab #nailextensions #buildergel #diynails #prettynails
Misses Waffle

Misses Waffle

1682 likes

Three jars of acrylic powder in rose, beige, and pink shades are displayed, recommended as beginner press-on nail products.
Two containers of acrylic powder are shown, one white with pink text and another pinkish powder in a black jar, highlighted as favorite products.
Two bottles of nail liquid/monomer are featured, one a white bottle with pink text and the other a white jug with pink and black text.
Beginner Friendly Nail Products💅🏽✨
I consider myself a beginner press-on nail artist, so here are some products that I use or have used in the past that I would recommend to anyone looking to start their journey! There are more products that I love and use consistently just lmk if that is something you all would like to see more of
Lanae

Lanae

73 likes

Natural Nail Journey 💅🏾
2nd visit getting overlay! I grew my nails out long and was going to try almond but I didn’t want them too long for work. I think these look really cute and next time i’ll go for more of a neutral brown color for the fall 🥰 maybe i’ll even try a design! had to come get my lil 20% discount on
K. ᥫ᭡

K. ᥫ᭡

964 likes

30 content ideas for a nail tech!
Are you a nail tech seeking content ideas? Look no further. #contentcreatorlife #contentideasforbusinesses #contentcreatorgirlies #nailtechlife #contentcreatoridea
Mg 🩷

Mg 🩷

113 likes

My nail journey ✨
So bittersweet seeing where I started and where I ended up 🥹 Any Lake Worth Beach girlies looking for a nail tech that loves nail art, I’m your girl 🙂‍↔️ #nailsjourney #nailtransformation #Lemon8Diary #gelx #polygel
Sara’s nails

Sara’s nails

3745 likes

Beginner nail tips
As a beginner nail tech things might not always go as planned but just remember don’t give up and always believe that you can do it. I’ve come so far in the last three years and I’m super proud of all my accomplishments and you should be too. 1- We all start somewhere and the first few sets you
Jordan Scalf

Jordan Scalf

259 likes

🤍🌸Nail Inspo 🌸🤍
💅✨ Soft Girl Era: Unlocked ✨💅 As part of my glow-up, weight loss journey, and tapping deep into my feminine energy 🌸🧘🏽‍♀️💖, I made a promise to myself — from this day forward, I will always keep my nails done 🧁💅 Because when I look good, I feel UNSTOPPABLE 🔥👑 It’s giving ✨confidence, 💗disciplin
🎀Miah🎀

🎀Miah🎀

298 likes

A pink-themed nail salon interior with multiple nail polish displays and manicure stations. Text overlays ask "Is hard gel Worth it?" and invite viewers to "Swipe to see my nail journey!".
A person's hands display their first hard gel nail set from January, featuring short, clear nails with pink and orange tips, accented by white floral designs.
A person's hand showcases their second hard gel nail set, featuring classic French tips with a small white heart design on one nail, indicating significant nail growth.
Swipe to see my nail journey!
The answer is yes, 100% I have always been a nail/cuticle biter…it seemed as if nothing helped: Regular gel polish chipped too easy and acrylic was bad for my skin and nails. Hard gel may be pricey at first but it is so worth it in the long run. The first time I got it my nails were so brittle and
Addison Hudgens

Addison Hudgens

603 likes

A desert landscape at sunset with saguaro cacti and prickly pear plants. Overlay text reads: 'Come along on my journey of learning how to do acrylic nails on myself... THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY as a farm girl that can't stand paying to have someone else do it for me'.
A close-up of a hand with short, square-shaped acrylic nails in a light, glittery peach color. The nails appear somewhat thick and uneven, with the caption 'Yikes... that's all I have to say'.
A hand with very long, clear, glittery acrylic nails against a dark background. A dashed line points to the nail bed, with the caption 'Where is the apex tho?'.
DIY Acrylics Journey💅🏼
Before you ask, yes I can still do all of my farm chores🤣 Also, I am fully aware that they are still not perfect but I’ve seen some pretty whack nails on here soooooo… - Seriously though, the amount of money I have saved in the last 10 months is crazy. - if you’ve been considering buying t
tay 🫶🏼

tay 🫶🏼

73 likes

Today started to do my own extension nail✨
Why I quit nail salons & started doing my own extensions 💅✨ Storytime! 🗣️ I started doing my own DIY nail extensions earlier this year, and honestly, it was forced upon me. So, I became a DIY nail player. I started with simple solid colors and builder gel overlays, but trying dual form exte
appoggiaturas

appoggiaturas

5 likes

For the DIY Nail Girlies🥰🫶
So thanks to TikTok University 😂 I decided to start doing my own nails a while ago, I started with doing my own dip powder on my natural nails and started doing tips. I ran across the infamous #btartboxnails AND FELL IN LOVE! They are so easy and i loveeeeeee the look they give! I also tried a fe
TayBae💜

TayBae💜

302 likes

A spiral-bound ebook cover titled "Beginners GUIDE Nail Tech Edition" features hands in pink gloves working on nails. Below, a smiling woman, a globe, an alarm clock, books, an apple, and a pink notebook are displayed, suggesting a comprehensive guide for aspiring nail technicians.
𝑩𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝑵𝒂𝒊𝒍 𝑻𝒆𝒄𝒉 𝑬𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 nail inspo 💖
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝘀 . 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 $𝟯𝟯.𝟯𝟯 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗻𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵. 𝗝𝗢𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗡𝗔𝗜𝗟 𝗖𝗟𝗨𝗕 , 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘂𝘀 💕 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸 🔗 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 “❤️” #hel
TAYJ

TAYJ

33 likes

A close-up of a hand showing square-shaped nails with clear bases and thick, uneven yellow tips with orange specks. The text overlay indicates these are 'Nails that went WRONG' and were the first dip powder set done by the user.
A close-up of a hand displaying three fingers with square-shaped nails. The nails have clear bases and thick, light blue tips with a darker blue pattern, representing the user's first attempt at dip powder.
Two hands are shown, one resting on the other, displaying oval-shaped nails with a natural pinkish-nude base and sparkling silver glitter French tips. These nails are described as 'New Years nails' using Gel-X.
The worst nails I’ve had…💔—> nail journey!
I’ve started doing my nails from home in 2021!!! The first 2 slides are the very first set of dip powder nails I’ve ever done on myself… I did not have a clue in the world about fake nail tips, dip powder, gel polish, files; I can go on and on!🙂 But I did know I was dedicated to learning how
KAITLYN

KAITLYN

186 likes

Join my journey
#to start the actual nail journey #enjoy doing my own nails #nails #fyplemon8 #fypシ Hi, I’m Mel and I started doing my own nails. I’m not a pro, but I try my best. This is a start of my journey in wanting To be a content creator. hope you can join along. 💕
By Mel

By Mel

15 likes

A hand with pink, shimmery cateye hardgel overlay nails, with text labels pointing to the 'CATEYE' effect and 'HARDGEL OVERLAY'. The image also features the title 'ENTERING YOUR NATURAL NAIL ERA'.
✨ENTERING YOUR NATURAL NAIL ERA✨
If you are around my age, we gotta start taking care of our bodies, health, mind and spirit! What is a better way than to take care of your nail health and hands?! Let’s begin your nail growth journey🤭✨💓 #nailinspo #healthylifestyle2024 #nails #naturalnails #utahnails
litz💗✨

litz💗✨

405 likes

Your Sign To Start Your Sewing Journey 💙🪡
Hey everyone! Want to learn how to sew your new favorite spring blouses? 🌸🌿🫧It's super fun and easy! Here's what you'll need: - Fabric of your choice - Elastic thread - Sewing machine - Scissors - Measuring tape First, cut out your fabric according to your blouse pattern. Then
Samantha Chen

Samantha Chen

142 likes

Press on nail tips for flat nails
As a hairstylist who loves press-ons and also has flat nails, I’ve had to figure out how to prep my nails so they actually last. 💅✨ After lots of trial and error, I’ve found a few tweaks that help my press-ons stay on for 2 weeks or more — even with my hands constantly in hair, water, and produc
Melissa Press on nails + Hair

Melissa Press on nails + Hair

28 likes

✨Should I start my nail journey again 🥰
#nails #gelxnails
Aisha Heredia

Aisha Heredia

3 likes

A hand with long, pearlescent white oval nails and a gold ring, illustrating nail growth tips.
Nail care products including builder gel, cuticle oil, and a cuticle oil pen, with tips for moisturizing nail beds and using builder gel.
A hand with short, pink pearlescent nails, accompanied by tips to avoid picking nails, drink water, and use lemon juice for nail health.
Tips for Nail Growth!🤍
Since I’ve been on my DIY nails from home journey for about 2 years now, I was able to grow my nails really well and strong with Builder Gel! Here are some tips I’ve learned: ⭐️I always used to pick at my nails, so when I would have builder gel on (since it is thicker), it helped me not to pi
KAITLYN

KAITLYN

136 likes

Beginner nail tech must haves
First of all I wanted to thank all of you guys so so so so much for giving me 11 likes on my first ever post yesterday!! These are some of the things I bought from SHEIN to start doing nails! Let me know if you guys need the codes :) #sheinnails #sheinnailstuff #nailjourney #beginnernail
♛𝑅𝑒𝓂𝒾♛

♛𝑅𝑒𝓂𝒾♛

24 likes

My DIY nail journey
During the beginning of the year (2024) I learned how to do Gel-X and I was obsessed. I thought I was instantly gonna be a pro, but my nails would pop off within the span of days. I got discouraged and had already bought all the material, but because of that I had to keep learning. I just decid
Chantel

Chantel

107 likes

A clear plastic box filled with 240 clear, extra-long, full-cover soft gel nail tips in 12 sizes, with a diagram showing their dimensions. This set is for DIY nails or salon use.
Three iridescent acrylic nail stands, each holding five magnetic nail holders for displaying or painting press-on nails. White adhesive putty squares are also shown, along with an example of a nail on a holder.
A collection of supplies for a press-on nail business, including stacks of empty nail package boxes with heart designs, a roll of double-sided tape, and sheets of 'Thank You' stickers. One box displays pink and white press-on nails.
About to start on my press on nail journey ❤️
#lemon8diarychallenge #press on nail #beginnernailtech
Airy

Airy

20 likes

beginner nail techs? 🎀🍒💅🏼
i finally ordered a nail kit from amazon i’m sooo exited to start this journey!! houston girlies look out! ❤️‍🔥👀 #acrylicnails #nailinspo #nailtech #lemon8beauty #beginnernailtech
𝖒𝖆𝖗𝖘 ♡ | 𝖓𝖆𝖎𝖑𝖘 𝖊𝖙𝖈

𝖒𝖆𝖗𝖘 ♡ | 𝖓𝖆𝖎𝖑𝖘 𝖊𝖙𝖈

165 likes

DIY CUTICLE OIL
During Amazon Prime Day, I bought a 3 pack of refillable brush pens. I filled one with Jojoba oil and Vitamin E oil for my nails and cuticles. My nails SOAK this up! It helps keep my cuticles looking nice and my nails grow so fast! Jojoba oil is the oil closest to what our bodies produce so
Brigette Rose

Brigette Rose

65 likes

$1.25 ⸻ DIY Nail Girlie Hack
As a professional and instructor, I know better than popping off my nails… but let’s be real 😭 I’m on a journey to growing my natural nails, and mine are naturally thin. Vitamins, collagen—yes. Genetics? Also yes. Once my nails hit a certain length, they break unless I have some type of gel or a
Ms.Kay

Ms.Kay

7 likes

Nail Journey • Hard Gel 🎀💗
Nail Journey • Hard Gel 🎀💗 Some of my simple nail looks. The strength it takes to keep your real nails this long & healthy. I try not to do too much only because these are my real nails. Try my best not to damage them! 💕 #nailinspo #nailday #hardgelnails #healthynails #beautycre
thelifeeofjb

thelifeeofjb

395 likes

DIY Poly-gel Nail Practice ✨
Heyyy nice to meet you all 😊 #doingmynailsathome #polygel #nailtutorialsofbeginners #nails Soo I’ve recently started learning how do my own nails since times are tight 😮‍💨🥲 I bought a poly-gel nail kit from amazon a month ago, and I think I have been getting better and better ☺️ I’ve alr
Aniah💕

Aniah💕

184 likes

✨✨✨✨start that business ✨✨✨✨ Become Your OWN Boss🌸
Join Royale Business Academy Today! Unlock Your Entrepreneurial Potential with Royale Business Academy Hello! My name is Alajah Jones, Are you ready to transform your business dreams into reality? Join the Royale Business Academy, the ultimate online community designed for aspiring and seasoned
Lajahh

Lajahh

3 likes

A close-up of several long, pink, coffin-shaped press-on nails adorned with rhinestones and 3D flower accents, displayed on a pink surface. A rhinestone-covered calculator and other sparkly items are in the blurred background, with text overlay "Nail tech journey loading."
A finger with a pink nail is shown next to a stack of magnetic beads, illustrating different nail lengths. Labels indicate "X-LONG 8-10," "LONG 5-7," "MEDIUM 3-4," and "SHORT 0-2" for nail length categories.
Two pink boxes filled with elaborate press-on nails are displayed on a white furry surface. One box contains clear and white glitter nails, while the other has red and black designs. Cuticle oil, a rhinestone camera, and silver bags are in the background.
Nail tech journey loading
i feel like 2026 will be the year of just learning. graduating in feb with my business degree and starting my MBA program in fall i decided to start of 2026 and completing a Nail tech licensing program. I’ve always loved nails and even with working in corporate america having something of my own ag
Rinaabroad

Rinaabroad

185 likes

A comprehensive collection of DIY nail art supplies, including UV lamps, 22 poly gel colors, base and top coats, slip solution, and various nail tools.
A portable nail drill machine with a digital display, capable of 45000 RPM, accompanied by a variety of nail drill bits and sanding bands.
Three double-ended nail art brushes are displayed, featuring various tip shapes and sizes, including 11mm, 8mm, 7mm, and 9mm measurements.
SHEIN nail finds DIY
Starting my DIY journey and SHEIN has been my go to for affordable nail products. #sheinnails #sheinnailtools #glue for nails 💅 #diynail2024
Tarra Thomas

Tarra Thomas

12 likes

Beginner nail journey 🫶
Lemon8 seemed like the perfect platform to document my nail journey 😊 Here are the first three nail sets I’ve done so far! Im gonna start posting all nail sets I do on here. I’m not a prof nail tech nor am I doing any of these on other people, just me, myself, and I. I started out with just gel
clau

clau

32 likes

My nail journey!!!!
Hi i have been doing nails for a little over 2 years now but recently i have been working on improving my skills and started doing my friends nails also. I have done gel x and i am beginning to master acrylic application. i am so excited to share my journey with lemon8🥰
Alexandra Koch

Alexandra Koch

233 likes

A hand with long, light pink coffin-shaped gel X nails and a diamond bow-shaped ring, resting on a car steering wheel. Text overlays read "I do my own nails SWIPE NAIL INPSO" with heart and arrow graphics.
A hand displaying matte red, short square-shaped gel X nails and a silver ring. The background is a dark, soft fabric. Text overlay states "I never do red" with sparkle emojis.
A person's hand and feet, both adorned with matte purple, long square-shaped gel X nails. The hand is in the foreground, and the feet are in the background, resting on a dark patterned blanket.
My gel X nail journey 💕💅🏻
I do my own at home and there’s so many benefits ! 1) it’s way cheaper to learn how to do your nails, then going to a salon 2) when you go to the salon and if they mess up your nails, sometimes you get shy to correct them so if you mess up your own nails is your own full and you have no one to b
Evie Pagan ✨💕

Evie Pagan ✨💕

201 likes

My Nail Journey 😁
Been seeing a lot of posts like this so I wanted to try it 😁💅🏻🫐
Nailsbybre💅🏻

Nailsbybre💅🏻

672 likes

My nail journey
Comment some ideas for me to get for future sets #nailinspo💅🏾 #what nails should i get #nailjourney2025
Mary

Mary

178 likes

do i continue my nail journey ?
Hi loves 🩷 My name is eboni i’m a 22 year old nail tech i started my journey back in 2021 right after i graduated and i love doing nails it can be a little draining at times but what makes it more draining is not having a place to do nails im a travel tech for family and some friends but its so h
Eboni ♥

Eboni ♥

89 likes

Nail advice please?
I’m starting this new journey of MY DIY LIFESTYLE! I would love to hear your tips and tricks on the HONEY DOs and BISH DONTs !! 🥹💅🏾 #nails #diynailgirlie #diynailsathome
Danica Lee

Danica Lee

0 likes

polygel nail progress 💅🏽✨
first pic is last year second is this year! really wanted to do longer and more extravagant milk bath nails last year but it was the best i could do at the time. i had also just started to learn how to film long form content for youtube and that set was one of my first few videos 💅🏽🌱✨ #nails #n
doperthanyournails

doperthanyournails

33 likes

From Nail Biter to Nail Goals 💅✨
To see the full video head on over to my YouTube TikTok or Insta (prettyinpressons101) From Nail Biter to Nail Goals 💅✨ Sharing my real before & after pics 📸—from short, damaged nails (chronic nail biter over here 🙋‍♀️) to healthy, strong growth thanks to thick, durable press ons 🙌 Once
Kayla | Press On Nails 💅���🏻

Kayla | Press On Nails 💅🏻

1144 likes

See more