Beauty

I Tried BIAB Nails, the Manicure Dubbed “Armor For Your Nails”

Allure


Earlier than getting BIAB nails, I used to be disillusioned with nail salons. Common polish chipped the second I left the salon. Gel manicures at all times chip on me, plus they have an inclination to tear off the highest layers of my nails within the elimination course of (so acrylics had been undoubtedly out of the query). BIAB, nonetheless, was capable of reel me again in after a six-month sabbatical of manicures.

BIAB is the abbreviation for Builder in a Bottle, a formulation from nail-care model The Gel Bottle. It’s risen to TikTok fame over the past yr or so—not just for its unparalleled sturdiness (the model claims it lasts at the very least 4 weeks) but additionally for the way it helps wholesome nail development. It’s grow to be a serious nail development in Europe, significantly the U.Ok., and is poised to take over ideas stateside.

Interested by what BIAB nails had been all about, I visited manicurist Julie Kandalec at her “Nail Artelier” in New York Metropolis to attempt it out. Kandalec has reached for BIAB for the final 4 years when working together with her movie star purchasers, like Pink and Jessica Chastain. Learn on to be taught extra about the advantages of getting a BIAB manicure and my expertise with it.


Meet the consultants:

  • Anissa Campos is a nail artist based mostly in Chicago.
  • Julie Kandalec is a New York Metropolis-based manicurist.
  • Mona Gohara, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist and affiliate medical professor of dermatology at Yale College of Medication in Connecticut.
  • Giorgia Cappella is a UK-based nail tech and the top educator at The Gel Bottle.
  • Kelly Dobos is a beauty chemist in Cincinnati.

What are BIAB nails?

BIAB is a thick, viscous, multitasking builder gel. Typical builder gel is housed in a pot and used for reinforcing weak nails. It’s typically topped with traditional gel polish so as to add shade and designs for a structured or onerous gel manicure. BIAB, then again, combines the results of primer, base coat, builder gel, and shade into one bottle Kandalec says. “BIAB is powerful and sturdy like acrylic manicures however offers a light-weight, pure end like gel,” she provides.

The Gelbottle

The GelBottle Inc Builder in a Bottle in Love BIAB

Accessible in over 50 colours, many BIAB polishes are mushy nudes and pastel pinks. “Most [of my] BIAB purchasers are likely to lean in the direction of the extra dainty and pure look,” Chicago-based nail artist Anissa Campos says. “However you may also add all kinds of gildings to your BIAB manicure, reminiscent of charms, chrome powder, and airbrush [designs].”

BIAB is for skilled use solely. You should be a licensed nail tech to buy a bottle, so that you’ll want to go to a salon for a BIAB manicure in case you’re not.

What are the advantages of a BIAB manicure?

Every day duties like typing, family chores, and exercise courses can weaken nails over time. A BIAB manicure is a superb possibility for individuals who wish to develop, restore, and reinforce their pure nails, particularly if they’re brittle. “Consider BIAB as armor to your nails,” Kandalec says. “It provides your nails a protecting overlay, which makes them much less prone to chip or crack and extra prone to develop to no matter size you want.” Board-certified dermatologist Mona Gohara confirms this profit, including that strengthening pure nails and making them much less prone to break up or crumble is a vital function of this fashionable new nail formulation.