gel rip-off?

Hellooo, I'm new so pardon anything stupid I say haha

So I went to get just a regular manicure this past Saturday for my junior prom and the technician kept asking me if I wanted different add-ons and I stupidly just kept agreeing without knowing what any of it was, lol. Well anyways, she ended up giving me what i believe were acrylics (powder and a liquid combined and then brushed on, right? I could be wrong) which I had to hold under a regular desk lamp for a few minutes. Then she brushed on some clear liquid which I had to dry in some box with UV rays, which I'm assuming was something having to do with gel. To get to the point, she told me she was giving me gel enhancements but is that what I really got?

It was my first time getting nail enhancements so forgive me if I got confusing when describing the process.

No that is not what you got.  Gel is just that - gel.  It looks like hair gel, hence the name.  You got acrylic nails with a gel sealer - adding the sealer does NOT make them gel nails!!!  This is a very common scam in these shops.  

 yeah, thats sounds like acryic with a gel sealer. not enhancements! gel enhancements would be just gel applied over your natural nail, no acrylic involved!

Ahh, thanks a lot, that's what I thought it was. I would have researched it before I had gone if I knew I was going to end up with nail enhancements.

I have another question, though. If I decide to keep my nails and go to get them filled, is there a big difference between how they fill acrylics and gels? Would I have to ask for a specific kind?

Well, not really a big difference, as far as procedure, but there is a difference in integrity of the product.  If you choose to gill with gel, the acrylic underneath will grow out and there will be a difference in weight (acrylic is heavier).  At that point you will have a lot of breakage.  As they break, though, you can have them replaced with full gel.  Or you can just keep filling them with acrylic.  Either way is fine, the main thing is to not keep switching - like dont do a gel fill then an acrylic fill - that causes breakdown.

so naildiva, I have a gel sealer on my acrylic, do you think they are going to do a fill with gel only next time? Or are you saying, when I go to get a fill, to get acrylic sealed with gel?

Either fill with acrylic or acrylic topped with the gel sealer, for the best wear.  Discount salons dont do actual gel nails, so they would never fill with just gel.  As for your polish peeling, its hard to say why without knowing what they used, but no, gel doesnt require any special polish.

Thank you!