Hi! 
(I'm not transfem. I'm a male exploring something I think feels like non-binarity maybe? Basically I long to convey more femininity in my appearance because it feels like shit keeping it bottled up, although I do feel in harmony with my body. I'd like some advice so much. If this is the wrong community please let me know I'll remove this thread.)
I've been craving to try nail polish but the more I watch "beginner" tutorials about it the more I feel intimidated. I would really appreciate some info about what is the actual bare minimum to dip my toes into it (my fingers actually although toes sound like fun now that I think about).
- Wiping excess oil from nails with alcohol. Is this a big deal?
- Base coat sounds pretty useful. Is this something you do personally?
- Nail polish. How much of a difference does it make to pick a reputable product? Can I drop at the local pharmacy and pick whichever color strikes my fancy, or will ordering from a good place online substantially improve my experience? Also do I put one or two layers?
- Acetone, how different are different brands? Should I get a little brush for corrections? Which sort?
- Top coat. How much of a difference does it make to the finish and durability? I'm not expecting a masterpiece at first try so is it fine to skip for now?
- Is nail polish something you can wear pretty much all the time, or do you need to let your nails breathe once in a while?
(I have already decided I will not fuck with my cuticles.)
Thank you so much for reading, and for any of your precious insights ^_^'
One advantage to gel is you don't have a time limit to grt it on smooth. So long as you're putting it on indoors away from sunlight, you can take as long as you need. I pay my esthetician sister to do my nails because she uses hard gel to build them up and she can actually do nail art, unlike me. The few times I tried myself, I used regular polish and I took too long getting it on and it started drying, so it ended up lumpy instead of laying down flat. With gel, you can take your time getting it perfect, and then cure it when you're done. The downside to gel is that it doesn't dissolve like regular polish when you want to take it off. You need to wrap it in foil with a bit of cotton or something to hold acetone, and then you can scrape most of it off after a while, then you have to file the rest.