How to do UV-gel Nails with Tips

I purchased a pack of coloured nail tips via eBay from China, and my friend Anniina wanted to try doing nails, so I volunteered! It was easy to take pictures when someone else was working on the nails, so here's a tutorial.

With purple glitter tips.

This tutorial is for gel nails with tips, meaning the little plastic things that look also like the false nails you can buy at dollar stores, but tips only cover a part of your natural nail. They come in many colours and shapes and can be cut and filed. I usually buy my nail tips through eBay from UK or China.
You need:
UV-gel (pink or clear if you have coloured tips)
UV-gel top coat (optional, you can also just polish the finished nail)
UV-oven
Cleanser (acetone, don't use nailpolish removers with added oils. Pure acetone is the best)
A brush
A nailfile
Lint-free wipes
Superglue (or nail glue, usually the same stuff)
Nail tips (coloured or pre-painted ones if you don't want to finish off with regular nailpolish, or natural or clear if you want to add polish on top)

1. Cut your own nails short. You can keep nails longer if you want, but you can feel the nail edge on the underside of the gel nails and it might be harder keep your nails clean.

My natural nails cut short.

2. File the nail surface rough to give the gel something to hold on to. I use sandpaper (400 grit) but rough nail files work well also. I like how you can easily fold the sandpaper to the shape you need at the moment!

Nail surface is filed to give it texture.

3. Choose the right size tips for each nail and glue them on. You want the tips to to be rather a bit too large than too small, because you can easily file off the extra from the edges. Depending on how you want the nails to look, position the tip to start anywhere between 3 mm - 8 mm from the natural nail tip. With natural or clear tips you don't have to be so careful, because you will be putting nailpolish on top anyways, so the edge doesn't show. (You can see an example on Anniina's nails below, she has natural coloured tips with no polish on yet)

Add glue (I use regular superglue) carefully.

4. Check that each tip is positioned right, if not, dissolve the glue with nailpolish remover or UV cleanser and re-glue it. Cut the tips to the desired length and finish with a nail file to get the edges neat.

Uncut tips, this is how long you can make your nails with these ones!

I didn't want very long nails, so they were cut shorter.

5. Add the UV-gel on top. Carefully paint the part of your natural nail that shows and the whole tip. You should do 2-3 thin layers to to make sure each one cures. Doing more than one layer also helps if there are any gaps left, you can easily fix them with the next layer. UV-gel is fairly strong, so your nails don't need to be very thick.

Add the UV-gel with a brush.

6. If you want to add an UV-gel top coat, this is the time. Wipe the residue from the nails and check the shape, file off any bumps and snags if there are some left. Usually the nails are ready at this point with not much filing. If you wish, you can add regular nailpolish on top and treat them like natural nails. I recommend putting some lotion on your hands and using cuticle oil, if your skin feels dry!

Finished nails! Mine have ready-made purple glitter tips.