With the continuing rise of gel manicures, natural nails are - and always will be - on trend. But you'll always have plenty of clients who are after longer nails or simply want to add some length to their shorter digits.

If you’re new to extension products or are looking to try something new, we’ve broken down our three nail extension products so you can choose the best one for each of your client’s needs.

What is Hard Gel?

Hard Gel is a great product choice for your clients who prefer shorter and more subtle nail extensions and overlays. Applied using forms for the desired length, Hard Gel comes straight from a bottle just like gel polish and is cured under an LED/UV lamp.

Due to its flexibility, Hard Gel is less likely to lift from the nail or crack. When topped with a gel polish manicure, it’s a strong and trusty solution for your clients!

What is Builder Gel?

With a thicker consistency than Hard Gel, Builder Gel is applied from a tub with a nail art brush and cured under an LED/UV lamp. Perfect for any length of extension, the product is easy to apply using forms and gives a natural looking extension to the natural nail.

With its incredibly strong consistency, Builder Gel is best suited to create nail extensions but can also be used to fix chips or cracks.

What is Gum Gel?

Gum Gel is a much thicker extension product with a gum-like consistency. It’s much more flexible than traditional extension products and won’t dry by air, meaning you’re able to mould the Gum Gel and play around with it as much as you like.

Great for any level of nail technician, Gum Gel is particularly useful if you want to give yourself more time to sculpt the product before curing.

What colours are available?

Gum Gel, Hard Gel and Builder Gel all come in a variety of colours. You can opt for a clear colour, which will give you a colourless base to work from. You can also use any of our extension products and leave the colour as it is – although we know your clients won’t be able to resist a colourful gel polish over the top!

How do I prep the nail for extensions?

Just as you would if you were doing a gel manicure! File and buff the nail and make sure the nails have been wiped with cleanser before beginning. For each of our extension products, a Bluesky Base Coat is applied and cured before you start applying your chosen product.

How do I remove nail extensions?

All Bluesky products are formulated to be removed using the soak off method with foils and acetone. We would always recommend filing and buffing the nail to begin with as you would when removing your client's gel polish.

Now you're ready to go, you can get your hands on our functional products and pick up our nail brush set so you have the tools you need to apply!