Let's take a moment to talk about Molly-Mae Hague's attempt at at-home gel manicure removal. Those of you who tuned into Molly-Mae's Instagram stories this weekend will be all too aware of what went down. For those of you who didn't, here's the deal. Molly-Mae had been struggling with the state of her nails for a while. It's a lockdown plight that those of us who booked in for a pre-Christmas manicure before are all-too familiar with. Regrowth has left a lot of bare nail on show and the condition of the nail polish itself is way past its best. The solution? A DIY gel manicure removal session.
For many of us this is likely to be a pretty simple job. Invest in an at-home gel removal kit, follow the instructions to the letter and say hello to healthy bare nails. (For more information on how to remove your gel nails at home click here). For Molly-Mae, however, the task at hand was a little trickier. As far as we can see from Molly-Mae's pictures on Instagram she had opted for a pretty sturdy acrylic manicure. An acrylic manicure is a lot more heavy duty than regular gel or CND Shellac nail polish and many pros even use a drill to do the removal job.
So how did Molly-May get on?
Molly-Mae's Instagram stories document her own attempt at a DIY acrylic nail polish removal job and - let's just say - it didn't go swimmingly but we so applaud Molly-Mae for her transparency. Indeed, it would have been easy to shy away from documenting the disaster that occurred mid-removal but Molly-Mae went for it and provided her followers with a sobering cautionary tale. The moral of the story? If you're keen to remove your gel, CND Shellac or acrylic manicure at home buy the kit, follow the instructions to the letter and, if it's still not budging (this might well be the case with acrylic nails - the hardest to remove), admit defeat like a champ, file them down as best you can and and hold on tight until your beloved nail salon reopens.
The Cautionary Tale Of Molly-Mae Hague's DIY Gel Manicure Removal Attempt In Pictures
Molly-Mae Hague's DIY Gel Removal Attempt - Grazia 2021
1 of 91. The Situation
Molly-Mae Hague took to her Instagram stories to get her followers up to speed on her nail situation. Having cut back the length of her last gel manicure Molly-Mae was keen to be rid of the residual polish.
2 of 92. The Kit
And here we have the kit! Molly-Mae describes this haul as an 'Amazon special' and she seems to have everything she needs for the task, from acetone to cotton wool and finger caps.
3 of 93. The First Step
Here Molly-Mae prepares to soak her cotton wool section with acetone.
4 of 94. The Waiting Game
Next Molly-Mae places these tabs of acetone soaked cotton wool over her gels and fixes them in place with these purpose-made finger caps. These replace the foil that a therapist might use for the same part of the process in a salon.
5 of 95. The Big Reveal
After revealing she kept the acetone on for 20 minutes Molly-Mae bemoans the fact that she's not seeing much in the way of results. Those gels just aren't budging.
6 of 96. The Removal Attempt
Here's where we reckon Molly-Mae makes a bit of an error. Instead of accepting defeat ploughs on with determination in her attempts to remove the residual gel polish, but that stuff is stuck fast.
7 of 97. The Calamity
Determination results in ruin when Molly-Mae does damage to her nail bed. If you're squeamish look away now!
8 of 98. The Mood
That plaster face says it all doesn't it? A failed gel manicure removal attempt together with one very sad looking finger. It's a good job Tommy was on hand to play nurse!
9 of 99. The End
And now for a bit of sofa time and a good old cup of tea to heal the soul and ravaged finger. We applaud your transparency Molly-Mae! The moral of the story? If your gel mani isn't budging after following the instructions of your gel manicure removal kit to the letter, leave be until salons reopen and you can get yourself to a pro.
All set for your first attempt at a DIY gel manicure removal? Shop the best pieces of kit to buy for the job here. Remember, follow the instructions to the letter and don't plough on if the polish isn't budging. Your nail health comes first!
Shop: The Best A-Home Gel Manicure Removal Buys
Gel Nails Removal Kit - Grazia 2021
1 of 7Cutex Ultra-Powerful Nail Polish Remover, £2.20
2 of 7Glossier Cotton Rounds, £4 for 60
3 of 7Leighton Denny Crystal Nail File, £12.50
4 of 7Jessica Phenomen Oil Intensive Moisturiser, £9.25
5 of 7Nails Inc. Gel Less Remover Pot, £19
6 of 7Boots Gel Nails Removal Kit, £6
7 of 7Sensationail Gel Polish Removal Kit, £9
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