'I stopped getting my nails done years ago because of this viral hack.'

I've never been one to have nice natural nails. Ever since I was a child, I would bite and pick at my nails until there was nothing left for my little teeth or fingers to grip onto (my mum even has a photo of me from when I was a toddler innocently biting my nails… look where it's gotten me).

It's an anxious and subconscious habit of mine — I don't even realise I'm doing it half the time. Everyone needs to have a flaw, hey? Stubby, sad-looking fingernails are mine.

So, when I discovered the world of manicures when I was a teenager, my knight in shining armour stood large and proud right in front of my eyes — in the form of SNS tips at my local nail salon. The thought of covering up one of my biggest insecurities with such a simple solution — glue on the tip and some coloured powder — had me sold. My stubs would be no more. That was until I walked up to the counter to pay and discovered how much they cost.

Watch: A quick glimpse into what life is like with and without nails. Post continues below.

Sadly, paying a pretty penny to have pretty nails every three to four weeks was simply not on the cards. For 15-year-old me, this was low on the priority list, especially with a casual job that paid a measly minimum wage.

Today, with the added costs of being an adult, it's only continued to drop down the list. Manicures are solely reserved for special occasions (or when I don't go HAM on buying clothes or makeup that month and need a little treat).

I promise this isn't a detour from the topic at hand, but when I started working my first office job a few years ago, there was always this one stunningly beautiful woman who would make a fashionably late entrance every morning. One thing that made her so fashionable, aside from her always put-together outfits (I worked there for a year and only saw her in sneakers once), was her nails. I asked her where she got them done, and she replied, "I actually do them myself!" I was in awe.

That, my friends, is when I discovered Gel X nail kits.

What are DIY Gel X nail kits?

DIY Gel X nail kits are exactly what they sound like… a gel nail kit. There are all sorts of them out there, with varying levels of tools and devices for people of all skill levels, so it comes down to what you think will work for you, and whatever your budget may be. But essentially, they allow people to get the shiny gel manicure look from the comfort of their own homes.

They typically include a UV lamp (if you only receive the small one, buy a larger one separately, unless you want to be doing your nails for 10 hours), a nail file, extensions, a nail dehydrator, primer, glue and topcoat — as well as one or two colours if you're lucky.

I bought my nail kit on Amazon, which has an endless number of Gel X nail kits varying in price, brands and inclusions, but there are also plenty of other nail brands that offer their own versions.

The Gel X Nail Kit from Amazon. Image: Supplied.

How did you go with it?

The short answer? Practice most definitely makes perfect.

Want the longer explanation? Read on, friend.

There's no way that anyone ever gets a pretty-looking set the first time around. If anyone says they did, I won't believe them. Maybe that's because my first DIY gel set was a complete monster to look at thanks to unstable hands, a lack of time and the urge to use the kit right as the delivery man dropped it off at my doorstep — which was an hour before work. And let me tell you, an hour certainly isn't enough time for your first rodeo, especially if you're using tips.

My first gel attempt. Image: Supplied.

Thanks to a lack of nail prep, not having all of the tools I needed on hand and, quite frankly, no idea what I was doing, the nails only lasted a couple of days. And honestly, thank god, because they were hideous. 

Clearly, it was time to hit up YouTube and look at some proper tutorials.

After watching tutorials galore, I learned that prep is key, and that I didn't have all the necessary equipment to get nails that looked ~amazing~. So I set out to buy a larger UV lamp (I only had the flash-curing lamp), an electric nail file, a cuticle pusher and a trimmer.

Without a clean and dehydrated nail bed, the extensions (or gel polish, if you're just doing it on your natural nails) will simply lift off, and all your hard work will be short-lived.

My current and ~upgraded~ Gel Nail Kit. Image: Supplied.

The electric nail file was a godsend, and the key to making my manicures look more professional. Using this, I could shape the extensions on my nail bed, rounding them out and cleaning them up.

Want to know the other vital piece of advice I took on board? You need time.

We're not professionals, so we can't expect to speed through it in an hour or so (while doing them on the floor of our living rooms). Even now, two years on from my first attempt, it'll take me an hour and a half minimum to do a gel manicure I'm proud of, and far longer if I'm attempting nail art.

But with patience and practice, I got far better, and not to toot my own horn, but I get several people asking me where I got my nails done (and then I give the awkward trying-to-seem-humble spiel of how I did them myself).

My current gel nail set. Image: Supplied.

The verdict.

Now, I always stick to doing my own cost-friendly manicure, and only ever go back to a salon if I'm severely short on time — because you do need a fair chunk of it if you want to do a good job.

If you think you have the patience to learn, I'd recommend giving this a go — you really learn to love it once you get the hang of it. With practice, the shaky hands will stop, and the clean, shiny manicure will soon follow.

Would you try at-home gel manicure kits? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.

Feature image: Supplied.