I love gel nail polish, but what I don’t love is the price you have to pay for gel nails.

I saw several DIY gel nail ideas on Pinterest and decided to give them a trial run but they all failed or were so complicated with details that it was like putting together Ikea furniture with the directions written in Sanskrit.

There are several at home gel nail kits out there you can buy but you have to buy a LED light to go with it and at that point, I might as well spend the $25 and get my nails professionally done.

But, I have found a super easy and super cheap DIY gel nail solution you can do at home while watching your favorite hockey team play (or whatever reality show you choose.)

GELOUS NAIL GEL by ACI (available at Sally Beauty Supply)

Gelous is $6 and a fraction of the $25 plus you would spend on getting gel nails done by a professional.

Here’s what you need:

• Gelous Nail Gel
• Your color of choice (I used Wet & Wild’s Wild Shine in Caribbean Frost)
• Nail polish of your remover (I used Beauty Secrets’ Acetone Polish Remover as it happened to be on sale at Sally’s when I bought the Gelous Nail Gel)

Here’s what you need to do:

• Clip and file your nails to your desired length and shape.
• Swipe nails clean with remover to clean/remove any oils, nail debris, etc.
• Paint one (1) coat of Gelous as your base coat and let dry.
• Paint one (1) coat of your nail color and let dry. (Repeat this step if your nail color needs it. I have 2 coats on.)
• Paint one (1) coat of Gelous as your top coat and let dry.

Ta-da…you’re done.

Gel nails for $7 (Gelous cost plus polish cost).

The Caribbean Frost is what I am currently wearing (it’s an hour old). I tried this last week with Sally Hansen’s Black Platinum nail color (bottom photo) and there was no chipping even after showering, washing dishes, working in 23 degree weather, cooking for Thanksgiving, and daily activity. 7 days and no chipping, yes, as a female, I’m calling it a miracle because I am rough on nails.

At home gel nails made simple.