Beetles Builder Gel for Nails,0.51 oz 8 in 1 Strengthening Nails Enhancement Building Apex for Beginners & DIY Salon Manicure,Clear Builder Nail Gel,LED & UV Lamp Needed,Gifts for Women

I tried this with white nail tips and the entire process was a fraction of the time compared to my usual acrylic powder and monomer. My family appreciated it was odorless. I normally stink up the house lol. Here's what I did and it turned out great. 1) Push cuticles back. I didn't clip mine this time because I had an allergic reaction the last time I cut them, so left them. 2) Use a buffer to remove the shine on the nails and any dead skin. 3) Apply dehydrator to nails 4) Use buffer on the nail tip to add texture for better adhesion. 5) Glue on the nail extension. 6) Apply a layer of base coat. It will be sticky so make sure you don't touch anything that may stick to it. (Avoid skin!) 7) Put nail under UV lamp for 120 seconds 8) Add builder gel. I like to brush a layer on, then follow up with a pea sized ball at a time to build up thickness just past and just dab the brush to move it around. You will only be able to do one finger at a time because it's a bit runny. Place it under the UV light for 30 seconds to hold it and move to the next nail until all are ready for the official 120 second bake. Use nail file to fix any messy edges. (Avoid skin!) 9) Add top coat and put under UV light for 120 seconds. (Avoid skin!) 10) Use nail file to shape any messy edges. 11) Wash hands with soap and water and add cuticle oil. Make sure you avoid any of the gels leaking off the nail bed. This will help prevent skin irritation and premature lifting. So far the product seems pretty good. Hopefully it will last two weeks, but if it doesn't I still think it's worth buying just to save time and avoid the strong odor of monomor. Follow up: It's been a week since I used the builder gel and it has lasted without lifting surprisingly longer than the acrylic powders that I've been using, so I changed my review to 5 stars. Even though I was very careful I did have another reaction from the beetles product. I'm not sure what chemical agent is in their polishes and gels, but it always makes my skin itch and if I'm not careful I have broken out in blisters all around my cuticles and it runs up my fingers. The itching and pain when that happens is UNREAL and lasts for weeks! I recommend applying their products on one finger (I know that is tough when you are excited to do your nails) and wait a couple of days to see if you have any type of allergic reaction or skin sensitivity to any of their products before you go all in and do a full set of nails.

It's amazing! So easy to use and it makes my nails way more sturdy than when I didn't use builder gel. This builder gel makes my at-home nails feel and look like a professional manicure! The application is really easy and not messy at all, it's clear and hardens really well!

I’ve been using this builder gel for a bit now and I actually really like it. It functions the way it should and gives my nails a nice strong base without feeling heavy. It stays put and holds up pretty well during the week which is all I really need. It’s pretty easy to apply too. The gel levels itself just enough to help smooth everything out so even if you are not super experienced it still looks decent. I didn’t feel like I was fighting with it or rushing before it got gloopy. For the price I think it is good value for money. You get enough product to last a while and it performs just as well as some of the more expensive brands I have tried. The look is nice and clean. The finish leans more matte before you put a top coat on which I like because it is easier to see the shape. It also dries clear so it can work with pretty much any polish on top. The smell is not bad either. It definitely has a nail product scent but it is way lighter than some of the really strong builder gels out there so it did not bug me at all. Overall I think this is a solid option if you want something easy to use that gives good results without spending a ton. I would buy it again.

The most liquid builder gel I’ve seen. Good option if you just need to add some thickness to your nails or a (tiny) little tip. Would not recommend for building a whole nail - it would be hard to control the shape being created. Could be done in layers but would have to cure each one and I’d rather limit my UV light usage and exposure. I got the starlit nude color and it’s pinker than I expected, does not resemble natural nail tone. When building nail apex the area where the product is concentrated will have significant stronger color, like a drop of sheer polish in the middle of nail, which looks a little weird. So unless using a thin and even coat on the entire nail, you’ll probably want to paint over it. The glitter is subtle and cute, but irrelevant since it’ll probably always be under some polish.

I've been using Beetles Builder Gel for about four months now to do my own nails. Uggh! My nails! Thin, peeling, even at their healthiest they would grow but then tear off. I tried the dip manicure stuff - never could perfect it. I tried gluing fake nails on - they looked nice, but never lasted. I tried just about everything. I finally found what works for me. I don't believe I use the product the way most people do. I looked at a couple of tutorials on YT, but ended up just brushing on a nice coat of the Builder Gel over my base coat. I have two nails that have no apex, so on those, I do build them up a bit. The rest? Just apply a good base coat, then apply builder gel, clean up the sidewalls and cure. Then a top coat and I'm done. I do like the natural look, but I've also begun branching out into colors. My kids got me the Beetles kit with a number of colors in it and I'm having great fun with that, as well. But I don't see me ever replacing my Beetles Builder Gel.

I love beetles builder gel. It works great! As long as you follow the instructions you will not have any problems. It’s very good quality, it’s thick enough and after I read the instructions my nails came out fabulous! The one tip I felt is very important is after put the builder gel on you need to hold your finger upside down for 30 seconds. That helps the builder gel to balance itself on the nail so it evens itself out before putting in under the uv lights. I heard about builder gel in Europe, I had my nails done there and loved them. When I got back to the states nobody in my area uses builder gel, so I had to do them myself! I opened my amazon app and searched for builder gel , this brand was highly rated. I get better at doing them myself all the time. Very happy with the quality, the colors are great, it dries quickly under the UV lights only 1 minute per layer, that includes your base coat 1 minute, builder gel 1 minute and top coat 1 minute. The price is very reasonable for what you’re getting. The bottle size is an average size for nail products and it lasts a long time. The texture is good, as I said it is just thick enough. I am so happy with this product, I have bought quite a bit of it on Amazon.

Builder gel kinda takes a little bit of getting used to but once you get the hang of it, you won’t want to use regular polish again. Beetles brand is just an all around great brand when doing any type of nail job (full tip, half tip, builder gel only, or just plain out gel polish) This makes it super easy because once you get your nails prepped, you can go right in with this product and cure it, wipe off and you’re done! I love the soft baby pink color because it literally looks just like my natural nails. It doesn’t smell any stronger than a regular bottle of polish and it’s the same size as my DND bottles for half the price! It truly doesn’t take a lot of the product to achieve a nice smooth application. I’m very pleased with this purchase!

i love beetles, iv been doing my nails for about 6-8 months now and since the beginning iv used beetles. i love builder gel because it’s a protective layer on your nail, making it stronger and allowing for growth without damaging your nails. this stuff is definitely a learning curve but once you get the hang of it it’s AMAZING. my only issue is that it’s a little runny for builder gel but definitely still easy to use. and this color is absolutely PERFECT for french tips or just a natural overlay. when i initially used builder gel i didn’t know the proper technique so i was just building up multiple thin layers until it was to my liking- and this worked, but not well and wasn’t great long term as i’d have lots of lifting from improper application- for those who are new iv written instructions for the proper application as well as tips iv learned along the way :) FOR BEGINNERS: here are some tips and tricks iv learned as well as instructions, if you’ve never used this before understand that there is a learning curve and it takes lots of practice but after maybe 4-5 sets i now make my nails look PERFECT, better then the salon honestly! start by prepping the nail (remove cuticles, trim nail, buff nail bed, and shape to your liking) i use tips to add length so after the prepping the nail i apply the tips and file them so they’re flush with my nail from side wall to side wall :) but you don’t need to use tips, i just wanted to include this for those who may want to use tips for length! apply a base coat and cure as normal apply a very thin layer of builder gel, DO NOT CURE. this is called a “slip layer” make sure you apply sidewall to sidewall and not to flood the cuticles. after the slip layer you’ll dip back into the bottle and get a “bead” you’ll start right below your cuticle and float the product down- gravity helps this process and this product is a bit runny. use a brush with acetone to clean up the sides and around cuticle as you’ll probably have spillage especially as a beginner. you can also use a detail brush to move the builder gel as needed and get it as close to the sidewalls and cuticles without flooding them before curing you’ll want to flip your nail upside down for about 5-10 seconds to allow the builder gel to self level and create an apex, now you can cure your nails. (before curing i always take a brush with acetone and make sure there’s no spillage into my sidewalks or cuticles) after curing wipe with acetone to remove the sticky residue and you can file and paint the nails to your likely as you normally would! :) TIPS FOR BEGINNERS: it’s super important to file the nails after finishing the builder gel application- i mainly only file around my cuticles to make sure it’s flush with my natural nail, this also prevents lifting and was a total game changer for me i used a regular nail file for all of my filing, iv recently started using an e-file as it makes the process quicker, but you can do it either way! one thing i didn’t know, was the importance of gel application. making sure you apply every coat (base coat, gel polish, builder gel, top coat) as evenly as possibly across the ENTIRE nail- sidewall to sidewall, and around the cuticles making sure not to flood the cuticle as that will cause lifting within days. you want the slip layer, and the actual application to be as smooth as possible, the most important thing iv learned is to take my time when applying the slip layer and ensure the slip layer is smooth- it will almost guarantee that the bead application will turn out beautifully. iv gotten this part down to where the only filing i need to do after application is around my cuticles to make everything flush, and then crisping up the shaping a bit :) i also recommend only doing one finger at a time, otherwise the uncured builder gel may run and end up lumpy from gravity as you move your hand around. i like to do my thumb first on its own, then i’ll do my pointer and middle finger together, and my ring and pinky. but if you’re a beginner stick to one finger at a time :) i hope this helps someone

I this builder gel in a bottle is impressive and performs really well, especially in comparison to other more expensive brands that I have tried before. The formula of this builder gel is slightly runnier than others I have tried but once you get used to the consistency it is easy to use. I found that this gel requires little filing after curing, only having to file a little bit on the side because it ran onto the side of my nail a little bit. I used a base and top coat and only the builder gel and you can see from the photos that the colour is highly pigmented and a nice baby pink colour. The gel is stronger than others I have tried before which is surprising because of the cost so this is really good value. I will definitely buy again and hope to get the clear and a neutral/nude colour.

I'm very impressed with Beetles overall This builder gel is brilliant! Applies smoothly, lightly & evenly practically like nail polish. It dries hard & has long wear. I've been using another brand on here & have found it to be a bit thick, patchy & gluggy. Beetles builder is far more superior by a mile but not as great as cnd or ibd. It is pricier than say Aimeili but as a builder is the foundation of my nail & tips Im prepared to pay a little more. ie; $22 but def not more. I like that I can apply a thin light coat & increase it as needed or suited. Im finding I have to file down & smooth over the other cheaper brands on here no matter how thin I try to apply it. This builder hardens unlike Aimeili which is rubbery & lifts or ruins especially if you wet your nails daily. I notice the price has returned to a decent cost unlike the doubling cost earlier. Beetles was great at $22-$30 but ridiculous & definitely not worth $45+ I love the clear & nudes more so than the brighter colours. Cures well, applies evenly, consistently, fairly self levelling & lasts quite some time. Wipe off sticky layer before filing/smoothing otherwise can end up with little balls of sticky product. I use it with long nail tips & is great. It cures almost as strong as acrylic but is removed easily & no damage to nails. In fact after years of acrylics & thin weak nails my nails have now grown back to thicker stronger healthier nails underneath & I can continue wearing my long tips. I notice if you make a wrong move & break a nail it does break your natural nail underneath like acrylic it sort of just lifts off! Way better than acrylics & almost as strong.

Amazing easy to use product

Love such a pretty colour and so easy to use!

This is my first builder’s gel and I like it a lot. I love that it can be soaked off. It’s very easy to use once you get the hang of it, but definitely don’t skip out on proper nail prep and make sure you’ve learned how to use this type of product properly.