New Favorite Manicure: Ohora Semi-Cured Gel Nails

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If you have read my blog for any length of time, you know that I am forever on the hunt for the perfect manicure. I recently came across something new that just may be able to claim that title.

Ohora Semi-Cured Gel Nails. Have you heard about them?

These are a new type of attachable gel nail polish that is 60% cured and come in the form of nail stickers.

They are not vinyl or plastic stickers, but rather 100% liquid gel that is partially cured. You apply them to your nails, then cure them under a UV lamp as you would regular gel polish.

Each sticker contains the base coat, color, and top coat. They cure with curved edges which allow the stickers to fully adhere to your nails, and they are free of toxins.

I was really excited to try these because I love gel nails. They are super durable and shiny and I can usually get about two weeks’ worth of wear from a gel manicure.

The removal process can be tedious, as you have to soak them off, and sometimes the gel still doesn’t completely come off so it takes some doing to get them fully removed. This can sometimes damage your natural nails.

So I was intrigued by these gel nail stickers. I initially thought they would be a much quicker process than a traditional gel manicure. That wasn’t really the case, which I will get into shortly.

I would think these would not chip since they are stickers. So far that has held true for me.

The thing I REALLY love about these gel stickers is the way they look around my cuticles. I do my own gel nails at home and I don’t always get the cleanest line of polish around the cuticles. These stickers give a clean and consistent application around the cuticles.

So. How do these work? Let’s get into it.

Each kit comes with two sets of nail stickers, prep pads, a cuticle stick, and a nail file.

You hold your nail under the strips of nails to determine which size most closely matches your nail. It is recommended that you use a size that is slightly smaller than your nail.

You use the prep pads to clean your natural nails prior to application. This removes any oils from your nails and helps the stickers adhere properly.

You then peel off the sticker you wish to apply and place it on your nail. Press it firmly all over your nail to make sure it sticks on the entire surface.

I recommend doing one hand from start to finish before doing the other hand, as you need your other hand to complete the process.

Unless you have very long nails, the stickers will be much longer than your natural nails. I thought my nails looked a bit like those dreadful “duck nails” like the Long Island Medium wears. 🙂 I just don’t get the practicality of those things. How do you wear rings with those? Do you put them on prior to the manicure and then never take them off until your next one?

Anyway, I’m getting distracted. 🙂

Once you have applied the appropriate sticker to each nail, you trim them to the length of your nails.

You also use the included wooden stick to make sure the sticker is firmly adhered to your nail, especially at the cuticle area and around the outside edges.

Once you have trimmed the stickers to size, you cure them under a UV light. It is recommended to cure them two or three times. I did it twice. At this point, the stickers are completely hardened and you can file the edges.

It felt weird to file cured nails but it was much easier to do this at this stage to remove any excess stickers from the edges of my nails.

If you want, you can stop here and you are done! I chose to add an actual gel polish top coat and cure that as well. I don’t know that it’s necessary but I just felt like it would give the stickers some added protection and strength.

Here is my finished result:

After I completed one hand, I repeated the same process on the other.

I mentioned that I originally thought this Ohora gel manicure process would be quicker than a traditional gel manicure. It was not. There is a learning curve. It takes time to choose the correct size, apply it, trim the stickers, cure them, then file them.

I feel like this process took me a really long time. I’m sure it’s because I’d never done it before and was very unsure of myself.

I am happy with the results and feel like I did a good job with the application process.

I am one week in with the Ohora gel nails and still going strong. There has been no chipping or lifting. I am hoping to get two weeks of wear out of this system and am also interested in the removal process. I will keep you updated on my progress.

You can order the Ohora gel manicure sets either directly from the Ohora website or from Amazon. I feel like the Ohora website has a wider selection from which to choose. You can also sign up for their rewards program, and get a free gel curing lamp when you create an account and make your first purchase.

The one thing I will tell you is that, at least on the kits I received, none of the instructions are in English, so unless you can read Korean you might want to watch some tutorials on the Ohora website or YouTube prior to doing your own manicure.

They also have pedicure sets. I have never done a gel pedicure but I know regular pedicures last forever, inexplicably, so a gel pedicure might last you several months. 🙂

Another advantage I like about these Ohora gel manicure sets is that it allows you to include nail art in your manicure. I don’t know about you, but I am NOT good at creating nail art. So to be able to just apply a sticker that already has cute stuff on it is a huge plus for me.

Like this cute set I also got. I could not create this on my own.

And these would be SO CUTE for the holidays:

Another plus for me is the cost. Most of these sets are between $14 and $19 and you get two sets of stickers with each kit. So that’s two gel manicures for $20 or less. Depending on how much you pay for gel manicures where you live, this could save you money.

If you do your own gel manicures, or if you’d like to try, I can fully say I have had a very positive experience with the Ohora gel manicure kit. I encourage you to give it a try! If you do, I’d love to know what you think.

And I’d love for you to follow me on Pinterest!