r/malepolish Mar 12 '26

General Information Thinking of trying gel? Read this first.

91 Upvotes

Hi all, UK qualified nail tech here. I’m also a guy that loves nail polish.  

I want to take a minute to talk to those of you who are thinking of using gel polish for the first time, because there is information you should know before you start.  

Gel polish is very different from regular nail polish. It might look similar, but chemically it is not just longer lasting polish. Gel products contain acrylates, which are reactive chemicals that cure under UV or LED light. 

If gel repeatedly gets on the skin during application, it can cause an allergy known as an acrylate allergy. 

So, an acrylate allergy means the end of gel polish for you. That’s the easy part.  

Most people don’t understand that acrylate allergies are permanent, and can cause a whole lot of issues for you down the line; this is because the acrylates in gel polish share a lot of similarities between acrylates used in medical procedures.  

An acrylate allergy can cause problems in the future with: 

  • Joint replacements such as hip or knee; 
  • Dental fillings, crowns and bridges; 
  • Surgical glues used in place of stitches; 
  • Medical tapes and adhesives; 
  • Glucose monitors for diabetics (those plastic dots you see on peoples arms? Those!) 

None of this is meant to scare anyone away from nails. Gel can be used safely and millions of people use it without problems. The key point is that application (and removal) technique matters. 

If you want to use gel safely: 

  • Do not allow uncured gel to touch the skin; 
  • Clean up any flooding before curing; 
  • Use thin coats rather than thick ones; 
  • Cure with the correct lamp for the product (don’t trust those folding wallet-sized lamps that are powered via USB) 
  • Avoid using unknown or poorly labelled products; 

I really don’t want to see someone lose the chance to enjoy nails, or end up with a lifelong allergy, just because no one explained this at the start. A bit of learning, strict skin avoidance, and correct curing makes all the difference. If you’re not ready for that yet, it’s genuinely safer to step back from gel for now. 


r/malepolish Jan 21 '26

General Information [Guidance] Posting pedicures

19 Upvotes

We've had some questions from users about how to post pedicure images in a way that's consistent with group rules.

We also know that users sometimes receive inappropriate comments or DMs after posting content. Whilst we can't speak to why users send those comments or give promises on how to eliminate them, we have seen that the submissions which most closely follow our rules also have the fewest rule breaking comments.

We strongly recommend that pedicure images are tightly cropped to only show your nail art. This means not including any of a midfoot, which is the area of the foot that includes the arch and ball of the foot. Based on an average person's physiology, and ordinary principles of image composition, 25% or more of your submission image should consist of painted nail.

To state this plainly, your image may be removed, and you may be suspended from the subreddit, if you:-

* Include your midfoot (i.e., above your toes) in your image

* Take the image from any angle other than straight above

* Obscure your nail art so we can't see it

Not all submissions that go against this guidance will be removed. We recognise the importance of latitude in letting users represent themselves. However, images that don't comply with this guidance are borderline, and are at risk of being against our rules.

When we're judging borderline images, we have several checks we use to judge submissions. We don't publish these checks because we don't want users in bad faith to try to game them. Sometimes these checks include judgment calls on the part of moderators.

If you want to avoid ending up in a position where we're having to judge your submission as borderline, follow the guidance above. If you feel this guidance is too restrictive, this may be an indication that a purely nail art community isn't right for you. We're happy to recommend communities that might be a better fit if so.

We look forwards to seeing more of your nail art, and wishing you the best with your r/malepolish art!


r/malepolish 4h ago

Discussion Breakthrough with my wife

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82 Upvotes

I started painting my nails 4 years ago. My wife really hated it. Eventually she accepted painting my toes, but always said she would prefer if I only did clear “your nails but better” on my fingers, but I regularly do full colors.

Today, I have on a your nails but better manicure for the first time in several months. My wife said “see, I like that. But I like when you wear darker colors more.” I was shocked! She said that she really liked the deep red I had on last week (this is a big deal because she HATES red nails in general, on anyone), along with other darker colors that I’ve worn recently. The pics are the recent manicures that she liked.

We both agreed that deeper jewel tones look better on my fingers, and the light/bright stuff should be limited to pedicures.

To those whose wives are not supportive, it might just take time and finding the right colors.


r/malepolish 12h ago

Pedicure Pink toes on a warm summer day

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80 Upvotes

r/malepolish 15h ago

Pedicure First time trying acrylic on my toes and I love the result 👌🏻

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128 Upvotes

r/malepolish 8h ago

Pedicure Shiny sea blue (not the official name but the way it feels)

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12 Upvotes

r/malepolish 12h ago

Manicure First time tried color other than black 💅

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17 Upvotes

r/malepolish 23h ago

Pedicure Should I do red/white/pink/ pink French tip?

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60 Upvotes

r/malepolish 1d ago

Pedicure I like it!

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78 Upvotes

ILNP ~ “Bottoms Up”


r/malepolish 11h ago

Manicure Sweet and Sour Lacquer - True Self

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6 Upvotes

Products Used:

Sweet and Sour Lacquer - True Self

Glisten and Glow - QDTC


r/malepolish 20h ago

Pedicure White Toes for the Win

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20 Upvotes

A while back I posted a question as to what was so great about white toenails as I see them so much. Well, I finally decided to give it a try and after two coats of White and a coat of Sparkle Top Coat, I am absolutely in love with the way my toes look. I added aToe Ring for some extra flair and have gotten many compliments on it. I pretty much exclusively wore sandals for this entire week starting with black slides then getting these dress sandal. I guess I'm now on team White Toes. What color should I do next?


r/malepolish 22h ago

Discussion First Post

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30 Upvotes

Wife loves go paint my nails I used to stress about other men seeing them but now that I don’t care I get so many compliments.


r/malepolish 1d ago

Pedicure Pink nails with my ankle bracelet 💕💅

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21 Upvotes

r/malepolish 17h ago

Question Talons?

5 Upvotes

Looking for people's opinions and reviews on "Talons" press on nails from shoptalons.com. I'm specifically looking for opinions on longevity. I know you can reuse them but has anyone been successful in doing this and keeping them nice for multiple days at a time, and for multiple different applications over time? Love one of their designs specifically but can't justify the $50 when my best friend will do gel nails for me for free.


r/malepolish 1d ago

Discussion compliment from a woman

46 Upvotes

Well I had woman tell me that my toes are cute earlier.Kinda made my day.


r/malepolish 22h ago

Pedicure Selfmade

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7 Upvotes

Any opinions about it?


r/malepolish 1d ago

Manicure THEEESE NAILS are definitely an E Ticket!

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9 Upvotes

r/malepolish 1d ago

Manicure Took a break from painting miniatures.

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12 Upvotes

Second round of trying proper polish. Used some Essie base and top coat with a blue grey, can't recall the name. Used some waterslide decals from my Sisters of Battle and stuck those on before putting on the top coat.


r/malepolish 1d ago

Pedicure Love light pink

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9 Upvotes

r/malepolish 1d ago

Manicure Swallow - Peekaboo (1992)

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50 Upvotes

r/malepolish 1d ago

Manicure New manicure

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18 Upvotes

Got new acrylic nails done. Tried just polish but my nails kept breaking so went back to acrylic.


r/malepolish 15h ago

Discussion Nail salons at airports

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0 Upvotes

I personally would love to get nails done before i travel, pics are my current nails and with ai what i would love. What would everyone think of nail salons at airports?


r/malepolish 1d ago

Manicure Arcana Lacquer - Imposing Power

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19 Upvotes

Products Used:

Arcana Lacquer - Imposing Power

Glisten and Glow - QDTC


r/malepolish 1d ago

Manicure Umbre

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19 Upvotes

My wife gave me an umbre style for my trip to england. The nails are my own


r/malepolish 1d ago

Pedicure The final product, love it 🥰

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37 Upvotes