DipWell Dip Powder Nail Kit - Classic Color Starter, Acrylic & Gel Resin System (Bond, Base, Activator, Sealer, Brush Softener + 3 Powder Jars)

The media could not be loaded. I love this product. Acrylic dip powder nails have been a game changer for me and this brand is my favorite. I have an autoimmune disorder and as a result my finger nails became very thin and brittle. During the course of my day, just normal activity would cause them to break so far down into my nail beds that my finger tips were regularly bleeding. I went with a friend for a pedicure and she talked me into also getting a gel dip manicure. I had not bothered with manicures before because I felt my fingernails were a lost cause. By the time that manicure wore off my nails had grown out and I no longer had to contend with painful bleeding fingernails every day. I was hooked. I did not want to deal with the cost and hassle of going to the nail salon so I started shopping for a product to use at home. After extensive research I settled on this one. After a bit of trial and error it became easy to do my nails myself. It takes practice but once you have it mastered it becomes easy. The product has made my nails stronger and healthier. While they will never be as strong and healthy as they were before, this product protects them from breakage and allows them to grow. Recently I actually had to trim my nails with nail clippers because they had become too long to be practical! A few details: The products included with the kit are sufficient to do and maintain your manicure but I have found that adding extra things such as a more extensive nail file and buffer set, as well as a french tip dipping powder container with finger guide make the process easier and more efficient. I also added an inexpensive nail drill. Certain elements of the kit run out before others so you will likely run out of base and sealer before any of the rest. They can be ordered seperately but I usually just order a whole new kit because it is more cost effective. It is important to follow the directions exactly and not skip steps. The products are designed to work together and in the order instructed. The brushes in the base and sealer WILL start hardening while you are doing your manicure. It is a good idea to have the brush softener ready to go. It is important to have most of the brush softener solution off of the fresh brush and the product off of the hardened brush before swapping them so I like to keep a cloth moistened with polish remover handy to clean the residue off of them before the swap. I rarely do all of my nails at the same time, choosing to repair each fingernail as they pop off. And they WILL pop off. A manicure has never lasted more than a week for me. Especially during the warmer months when I'm heavy into gardening. So when I start noticing my nails lifting or when one completely comes off I take a little time and repair my manicure. I have found that if I file the nail down around the edges where it is lifting, buff the entire nail smooth, apply a coat of activator and then sealer it helps to keep the nail from ultimately popping off and extends my manicure. You MUST apply a coat of activator before sealer or the sealer will not dry properly. I have also discovered that in a pinch, when one of my nails pops off and I don't have time to repair it, I can superglue it back on so that my nail stays protected until I can repair it properly. So, while there are downsides that you need to be aware of, I recommend this product wholeheartedly and will continue to use it. With a little commitment, long strong beautiful nails are within reach.

So far I’m working on using this however the activator only had a 3rd of the liquid in it

I found this pretty easy to use. I do need practice with layering thin, but I feel like that will be easier than with the Red Carpet kit I was using previously.There's two small drawbacks that I would mention, one related to this kit and one in general for Dipwell:First, I wish there was more than one extra brush that came with the kit. The sealer and base brush tend to clump up quickly for me because I'm just not fast yet. I feel like for a starter kit, there should be two at least. I did use Red Carpet first, which came with a few, but I couldn't open the bottles again so it was a moot gesture for that kit. That being said, I can still open these so I can't complain too much. It just takes me more time to complete if the brushes clump twice.Secondly, choosing extra colors is a little difficult. As one would expect, the pictures of the swatches aren't completely accurate to what you get for a final product on your nail. But again, I can't complain because it still looks good.All in all, definitely worth it. I'll be sticking to this product. I'd recommend getting a powerful nail drill for filing and shaping. Once activated, this stuff is tough.

EDIT- the second time using this system the Sealer bottle lid broke so I had to improvise. I tried just using my hand but that stuff is like super glue! I actually glued my fingers to the bottle. It was also so thick and sticky it was hard to use at all. Another HUGE negative for me is the return policy. These items aren’t able to be returned.I was skeptical about trying a powder dipping set since I love my gels so much but after reading reviews, decided to try this set. I was pleasantly surprised!I followed the instructions just as they were written. However, it didn't say if you should work one nail at a time or if it was okay to do a whole hand at once. I decided to just do one nail at a time to be on the safe side. There was a bit of a learning curve. I found out that it's best to do thin layers of the step 2 solution and dip fast! if not you get an uneven nail and the solution dries fast so dip quick to pick up powder on the whole nail.When all is said and done, it feels just like you have acrylics on! My nails are nice and thick and strong. I will definitely be buying more powder colors!The only complaint I had was that one of my bottles seemed to be leaking when I opened the box. I couldn't tell a difference in the amount of product in the bottle, but it was sticky.

Please beware! I sat down to do my nails. I followed the steps but when It was time to use the activator the bottle was completely empty. Beware! AMAZON IS NOT LETTING ME RETURN OR REPLACE ITEM. I AM SITTING HERE TYPING WITH MY NAILS HALF DONE. I am going to contact support but automated return is saying the item cannot be returned because of flammable liquids

This really isn't that hard to use, but you do need at least 2 hours to dedicate yourself only to this the first time. I just did my second set and it came out better than my first time! Both times I applied faux tips so it took a bit longer, but you definitely need to try this! You'll be surprise how easy it is. A tip I recommend is maybe investing on a nail drill to file your nails (I'm about to purchase one myself). Since this is a powder application, your nails can get pretty thick. You can file them down with the nail file provided, but it takes time and with a nail drill it'll definitely speed up the process.