Kiara Sky Gelly Tips Kit Review

Today’s review comes as a welcome relief in the wake of quarantine. The last things getting the attention they deserve right now are our nails. With these limitations looming over our everyday lives, it’s hardly realistic to go out looking for a manicurist at the moment. That’s why the Kiara Sky Gelly tips system has been trending so consistently this year.

This kit is friendly to all experience levels. Unlike many gel systems on the market accessible to non-professionals, these do not require hours of testing, shaping, and sanding or building up over (or more recently – under) forms.

What Are Kiara Sky Gelly Tips?

This kit is basically the professional gel manicure equivalent of traditional press on nails. What does that mean? A professional-looking, strong gel manicure that is sure to last up to three weeks without a fill, and significantly longer with biweekly maintenance.

If that idea is less than desirable for those too busy or hesitant, you can always soak them off safely and apply a new set when they start to look a bit worse for wear.

That’s all up to you and your comfort level. The at-home consumer is able to have the salon experience without having to leave the comfort of their home, while the professional nail technician gains speed and customization without the need for traditional nail forms.

And the most amazing part of systems like these? No glue! With the assistance of nail primer to prep, dry, and sanitize the nail plate, these nails use gel to adhere directly to the nail bed without any extra harsh chemicals.

Gelly Tips Kit Review

This kit comes with a container of 500 Gelly Tips of divided in 11 various sizes along with Prep, Primer, Builder Gel, Top Coat in 15ml bottles, as well as a mini flash cure lamp, which includes lights and charger.

It also includes an easy to understand how-to guide to applying these nails on the back of the box as well as a more elaborate set of instructions for beginners as a pamphlet inside.

These kits come in 5 different shapes square, coffin (medium and long), almond, and stiletto. The size and shape do not affect the price, so you are free to choose whichever suits your tastes best as a beginner.

Professionals can also appreciate the variation to speed up sets as well. The soft gel is also a bonus for professionals as it allows for ease of customization to shape and size if half sizes or custom shapes are requested. 

Click to Check Gelly Tips Current Price

How to Apply Kiara Sky Gelly Tips? 

The recommended setup for the at-home manicurist would be to lay out everything on a sturdy table over a paper towel or clean hand towel for the most efficient cleanup.

To apply these little guys, you need to employ standard manicure techniques. First, after cleaning the hands, push back the cuticles and remove any dead skin from the nail bed. Then gently roughen freshly cleaned and dried nails with a medium grit file (180 to 220). 

Do NOT over file the nail beds! You could potentially damage the nails, the healing time of which could take up to six months to fully grow out. No one wants to deal with that.

This is also a good moment to note that the Kiara Sky Gelly Tips are crystal clear so if you have any nail discoloration or no desire to see your natural nail through your designs, now is a good time to trim away any nail growth at the free edge.

After adjustments, dust away debris and sanitize and dry nails with cleansing alcohol (at least 75% isopropyl alcohol). 

You’re ready to get to the application! It’s now time to size the gelly nails to your fingers. (Tip: for a product like this, you want a snug fit, matching near to your nail size as possible.

For nail tips that do not exactly fit, it is always best practice to select the next size up and trim to fit your nail. For faster, more consistent results, it is also a good time to customize any nails that are too large during the sizing process.

Because these are full cover this also includes the cuticle edge too!

Now that all of your parts are together and ready, going one nail at a time, do the following:

Applying The Nail Tips

1. Apply a thin coat of prep (Tip: Bottles are also conveniently numbered for these steps) This dries almost instantly. 

2. Apply a thin coat of primer. The drying finish on this will be satin and slightly tacky.

3. Apply a thin and even coat of builder gel to the nail. (Tip: Note the difference between builder and normal gel. Builder gel is much thicker and easier to spread but also much more structurally stable than gel polish.) Cure for 30 seconds. 

4. Apply a thin coat of builder gel to the underside of the correct gelly tip only where the nail will come in contact with the nail bed. (Tip: If you have an e-file, it helps to gently roughen the interior to remove the shine where this occurs.)

Next, press the gelly nail onto the nail bed starting just before the cuticle and rolling down toward the free edge. The roll and gentle press will ensure that all air bubbles are pushed out.

5. With a firm (but not painful) hold, flash cure the nail underneath the light between 10 and 15 seconds. If you have builder gel overflow, now is the time to clear away excess with a clean cuticle pusher or detail brush dampened with alcohol.

You can then remove your stabilizing finger (usually a thumb works best) and rotate the nail the remainder of the recommended cure time for your lamp. 

6. Repeat for the rest of your fingers. 

7. You’re now free to polish and design as normal. Have fun! Follow up with polish, dip powders, nail foils, all are compatible with your completed system. 

How to Do a Fill on Gelly Tips?

8. File off color layers to reveal original gelly nail tip. Be careful not to file too much and expose the natural nail. Also be careful to avoid the grown out natural nail near the cuticle. 

9. Lightly roughen the natural nail near the cuticle. 

10. Follow up with prep, then primer. Next use the builder gel to fill over the natural nail and smooth a thin coat over the full nail. Be careful not to flood the cuticle or you could experience some lifting. Give your new set a gentle file to clean up any imperfections and shorten them as necessary and you’re good to go to give them another polish! Easy right?

How Do You Remove Gelly Tips?

To remove the system, file back down to the gelly layer. You want to take off as much as possible without reaching the natural nail, but a thin to medium thickness will soak off just fine.

I also clip them short at this point as well to save time. When all of the gellies are prepped to soak off, coat cotton pads in acetone and using whatever soak wrap system you have on hand (if you don’t have any, aluminum foil works here too) to secure the cotton pad to the nail. 

In 15 to 20 minutes, the gel should wipe right off. If the nail tip was a bit thicker, then you may need to take a cuticle pusher to help peel the rest away or allow another 10 or so minutes to soak.

Kiara Sky Gelly Tips vs. Apres

Well-known brand Apres has highest-rated comparable kit. Like the Kiara Sky Gelly Tips Kit, it comes with a prep, primer, builder gel, top coat, gel tips, and a lamp. The Apres Kit also comes with nail files and are often paired with mini polish sets as an added “bonus”.

It is competitively priced for this type of system but significantly more expensive than the Kiara Sky kit. Though the highlight of this entire kit may just be the miniature flash cure lamp provided.

Click to Check Apres Kit Current Price

Many other kits on the market provide a lamp but this one is built specifically for this style of application. The open design removes the need for extra parts like stability clips and makes use nice and simple.

This is especially helpful with handling clients’ hands. The Apres Gel X kit’s lamp is downward facing and handheld, which may be fine for nail technicians doing others’ nails, however for those doing their own nails, it is nearly impossible to hold the nails in place while also holding their lamp, forcing you to spend even more money to purchase stabilizing clips.

Whether is the design of the lamp, the pricing, or the ease of application, Kiara Sky Gelly Tips Kit is a great choice for both the professional looking to speed up their efficiency and any newbie looking to have professional looking strong, beautiful nails from the comfort of your own home.