It’s Makeup Monday! Which means it’s time to talk about makeup! Or in this case, nail polish. Women seem to fall into two camps: fake nail afficianodos and people who don’t really care all that much about their nails. Before I had children I loved to get my nails done and, being a life-long nail biter, usually stuck to fake acrylics. But once your money is being spent on things like diapers and babysitters, things like nails are the first casualty. I tried keeping my nails polished but you know how it is: smudging, chipping and peeling polish are unavoidable. It’s not even worth bothering.
Last year I heard through the grapevine that there was some new kind of nail polish that stayed on natural nails for two or three weeks. I did my research and found that there are several brands such as Shellac, Gelish and Geleration. Unfortunately these were all “professional only” products that still meant going in for an expensive manicure every two weeks. This gel polish theoretically didn’t damage nails either, unlike acrylics. It sounded like some sort of nail miracle!
As a woman who’s motto is “I could do that myself for cheaper”, my interest was piqued. I belong to several online makeup forums (admit it, you probably had no idea there were such things) and got people’s opinions about whether it really is that great (verdict: it is!) and which product line was the best. I decided on Gelish. It provides a little more strength for the nail as well as staying on for 1-2 weeks.
I’ve talked about Gelish before but things have changed quite a bit since I last wrote about the subject. Namely, these products are much more consumer-friendly. Meaning that the average person who does not have a nail license can now buy these products. Here’s how it works:
This nail polish has a gel base that does not air-dry. It will stay sticky unless it’s cured under a special lamp. Here is the extremely cool thing: Once you’ve cured your nails, they are completely and unbelievably dry and hard. There is zero possibility that your nails will get smudged or ruined. You take your nails out from under the lamp and you can immediately dig around in your purse for your keys, or go straight to bed without getting sheet prints, or do the dishes or whatever. This alone makes this nail system completely worth its weight in gold!
You need to have a special UV or LED light. These are made especially for nails. Please don’t ask if you can use a tanning bed or an LED flashlight or some wierd thing like that. I have no idea. Just spend the money on a real lamp and stop being such a cheapskate. I got mine on Amazon. I have been super happy with it and you can get the same one here
Gelish is now sold at Sally Beauty. There is also a version made by the same company but sold exclusively at Ulta under the name Red Carpet Nails. The colors are almost identical but Red Carpet is about $10 for a bottle of polish vs. $15 for Gelish at Sally. The stores also sell a tiny little LED light that will do four fingers at a time. It’s quite a bit smaller but cures the nail faster than a UV light, so I doubt the small size of the light would be a huge problem. It’s about $50.
You also must have the foundation gel base as well as a special topcoat. Each of these is about $13-$18. So you’ll probably end up spending about $125 to get the entire system including a couple of colors of polish. I do my nails, my mom’s and occassionally my daughter’s. I’ve definitely gotten my money’s worth.
It really does work fantastically well. My polish will easily last for 10-14 days without chipping. And conequently I have entirely stopped biting my nails. I do my mom’s nails and her polish lasts for about a week. Her nails are incredibly bendy and peely, though. Even still, Gelish has gotten them so they’ll grow longer than they ever have before. Gelish also won’t damage your nails when it’s removed.
I’m so spoiled about having nice nails now. To me there is simply no excuse for having ugly fingernails. But that’s because I have Gelish and can have nails that look perfect for a week or two at a time. If I had to rely on regular polish again, I’d be one of those women who just couldn’t be bothered.
UPDATE: I have been receiving so many questions about gel nail polish. Read through the comments or check out my latest post with answers to FAQs here.
I get no money for raving about Gelish. But if you click through my link on Amazon to buy that lamp I do get a tiny smidgen of money.
totally doing this. and will use your link so you get money – but the link isnt’ working.
Sorry about this. It’s working now. Come on over and I’ll give you a lesson!
Deal. My husband is a huge fan of painted nails. Which I never have because I hate when they chip 3 minutes after I’m done painting them .
Tell me exactly what I need to get – I know I need the light. And the base and top coat. Anything else?
I just got my first gel manicure and it lasted a week. Which still made me pretty happy because I was lucky to make it 24 hours with regular polish. My friend just invested in a nice line of professional products (not Gelish) and is charging $20 for a manicure. But I want to get my own stuff so I am happy to read your review here. I saw Gelish kits on Amazon for about $100, which include a lamp. And I should probably do that. But I continue to be pulled to the kit at Walmart that is only $50 and also includes a lamp. I’m not sure what I’ll decide, but I’m continuing my research as I save my money for some kind of system. I’m so excited to have cute nails all the time!
Here! Here!
I do have the most fearsomely awful nails on planet earth! They are thin as paper, routinely CUT the flesh of anyone I smack them into, have ugly ridges, peel, split, and break off clear down into the quick! But since Hildie started doing them with Gellish, they look gorgeous for a week, then start to chip as the nail beneath the Gelish separates and flakes off. But still, that’s a week of gorgeous nails! It’s so great I may get my own gear, and fix up the chips as they occur.
Do you take it off with regular nail polish remover? Is it difficult to take off?
You need to use 100% acetone polish remover. Before you remove the polish you have to give your nails a quick go-over with a nail file so the remover can penetrate all the layers.
You’ll need to soak your nails in a little dish of acetone for about ten minutes. I usually do one hand at a time and read/type on the computer with the other. It’s not really a big deal.
When you did my nails last April it stayed great for 4 days until I got home. Then once I got home it started chipping. Not as fast as regular polish, but there was no way it lasted 2 weeks. How often do you touch up? I am one of those women with nothing EVER on her nails, though I wish they looked better. Here in the south there’s a nail salon on every corner, and I’m always the one with undone nails. But I also have a dirty car, a muffin top, and 6 children, so I’m pretty sure folks aren’t too shocked.
I was still learning all the tricks back then, Tiffany. I can definitely get it to last longer now. Although some colors last longer than others.
It’s a shame you don’t get your nails done more often because yours are a beautiful shape.
I read about gel nails last year on your blog. I had mine done at the salon shortly after and LOVED them! I raved so much about it, that my mom bought the system. Every time I go home to visit, she does my nails. I’m hoping my husband will take my major hints (like the link I just sent him for the light at amazon) and buy me the system for my birthday. 🙂
Also.. My mom does a double top coat and they seem to last for several weeks.
Oooh, I never thought about double top coats. Great idea! I find that doing three coats of color instead of two makes a big difference.
I signed up for the Sally beauty club membership last year because I decided to bite the bullet and go for the Gellish system to do my own nails. I bought the big lamp and 1 color and the starter kit, and went to town.
I went back to Sally to get another color (conceded that Blue isn’t always the best color for nails) and the employee there told me that she’s a nail tech, and owns over a grand in nail polishes, so she tried out regular color vs. the Gellish version, and said that it works just fine. She wasn’t about to keep investing in a new array of colors if the ones she owns already would suffice. So instead of doing Gellish color on that step, use any polish you like and then proceed with the final steps (curing under the UV lamp, etc).
I am not super talented at the whole nail thing, so while I bought it for me to have a way to save some money etc ( a full-set of Gellish runs about $60 here) and have nice nails, I’m sad to confess I’ve only used it three times in the 5 months I’ve owned it. I need to practice so I’m faster at it and don’t have to re-do everything twice.
Thanks for the tip about colors at Ulta.
I’ve used the regular polish sandwiched between the Gelish base and top coats before. It chipped more than the regular but was still pretty good. The big drawback for me was that the regular nail polish takes forever to dry between coats unlike the 2-3 minutes for Gelish.
Another thing I do all the time is to mix Gelish colors in a little dish (just enough for one application). I’ll take some pink, add a couple drops of red, maybe a touch of purple or brown and get a whole new color. It’s totally expanded my color choices.
Daughters are perfect to practice on!
I baked the regular polish in the UV light and that seemed to work. I got the idea from the nail salon back when I had a pedicure…it was just a regular pedi, but they had me bake my toes in the light. Don’t know if it works or if it’s just a sham. I didn’t want to touch it and risk messing it up if it didn’t. Maybe I will next time.
I have only done the whole routine twice since I bought it in September because I’m so bad at it. I’m sloppy and terrible. And then I kind of picked off the polish instead of removing it (didn’t have remover readily available) and it took off a layer of my natural nails, rendering them even thinner and whimpier. But soaking them in pure acetone seemed to take FOREVER to remove. So I’ve let my nails just do their own lame thing the past few months while they grew back, but it’s time to try it again. They did look so nice all painted! (Probably need to get some other color besides blue!)
Wow! I’ve learned so much. I’m a huge fan of painted toe nails, but I do not like my finger nails painted. I keep them plain with the nails trimmed short and kept clean. I think it has to do with my crafting, I just don’t like the nails long or anything.
But, I’m so intrigued by this. I may have to splurge on a gel manicure sometime just to try it out.
I have been looking into getting something like this! But I have a question, is it safe to use on my daughter? She is 4 and loves her nails being done but the polish is off within a day and she wants them redone, I HATE doing her nails all the time because of the sit still, sit still, be still thing! Haha also I was told at Sally Beauty today you can use your ordinary nail polish with it, that you don’t have to use just gel setting kind, do you know if this is true? Thanks for the help!
Kayla, You can totally use Gelish on kids. I like it because it dries really quickly. No more bugging your daughter to sit still for ten minutes while normal polish dries.
The big problem with gelish that I’ve found with my younger daughters is that it can peel off if you pick at it a lot. When it peels off it does damage the nail a little bit. Not a huge deal.
You can absolutely use regular nail polish sandwiched between the Gelish base coat and top coat. But then you have to deal with waiting for the polish to dry before you can apply another coat. I have gotten so spoiled by having Gelish that is perfectly dry in two minutes.
Another tip for removal – instead of wasting tons of remover in order to soak your nails you can take some foil cut it into ~2×2 squares, take 1 cotton ball and rip off 10 little pieces, out the soaked(w/remover) cotton ball piece on top of nail and wrap with 1 piece of foil. let those marinate 🙂 for 15 minutes or so. Then remove the foil and you can easily wipe off excess, use a little wooden cuticle stick to flake off the polish and then buff or file to remove any stubborn pieces. I’ve found this to be easier because i’m not stuck sitting there waiting in bowls of remover and it has saved me from using so much remover at a time. Hope this helps! Also just wanted to note this does take some practice because once one hand of fingernails are wrapped you have to be more careful on the other hand so you dont know off a wrap on the other hand. It def gets easier and faster the more you practice!
I found this post trying to find out if I could sandwich regular polish between gel so i’m excited to try that!
Thanks Vanessa! I have tried this and I really like it. I find that it removes the polish better than plain soaking. It does get a little messy though. I always soak my cotton with too much polish and it runs all over the place!
Just ordered Gelish kit, colors & light on amazon today. I have very thin, peeling, splitting nails, so I also ordered the harmony structure gel which is supposed to add strength to the nail. It doesn’t come with a brush, so I had to order a nail gel brush to apply it with. I cant wait for it to all come in! My light will be here in 2 days with amazon prime, but my kit & colors won’t be here till late next week. I’m one of those people who when I finally decide to buy something after a lot of research…wants it NOW! I know, not very patient, but I’m excited at the possibility of having painted nails that last longer than a day. I gave up a long time ago even trying to paint my fingernails, but I do keep my toenails painted 98 percent of the time. Excited to try this system on them as well….
Good luck Trisha! There is definitely a learning curve so you might not be thrilled your first few times but stick with it! There are also a ton of tutorials on YouTube that are worth checking out.
I was surprised when I received all my supplies came in today! I managed to get my fingernails done while the kids were down for their naps. I LOVE IT! Now will just have to see how long they last for me. Didn’t have time to get my tonails done…that will have to wait till the kids go to bed tonight! lol!!! Glad I stumbled on to you blog when I was searching for info about this…I really like your chore chart too!
I love the look of finished nails but have never been able to afford the constant manicures that mine need. My nails bend and split, pull away from the acrylics, and regular polish starts chipping within hours. I splurged on the Red Carpet version of Gelish at Ulta ($70.00 with light). I have done two Manicures the first one I applied the top coat over some Magnetic polish I had applied in the morning. The Manicure lasted a week and had some slight chipping. This last manicure (I did they whole system of base coat, color, and top coat) is on day 5 with no chips. I have been at the pool with kids and been cleaning the house with my hands constantly immersed in water. again no chips, none, nada, zip, zilch! I can’t speak highly enough about this system
I have the gelish system. I keep having issues with my nails not curing. I used it on my toes about two weeks ago and it worked fine. I have the little gelish lamp sold for $19.99 at Sally’s. Do you think the problem could be my lamp?
Erica, I’m guessing that’s what it is. Maybe the lamp is too weak for an entire application. Does it run on batteries? Because batteries poop out way too fast. The big UV and LED lamps are getting cheaper all the time. I would definitely splurge.
What is the name of the blue color you are wearing in the picture?
It’s called Up In The Blue and it’s by gelish.
Just purchased a kit for gel nails from Walmart. It was called Sensationails. Comes with LED light and starter kit of the top coat, primer, cleanser, and polish all in one kit for just under $50. It worked awesome as far as ease f application and drying time was like nothing I have ever seen. Facebook has a $5 off coupon going right now if you like the product. I am just waiting to see how long it lasts on my nails. Looks just like the gel I get at the salon.
Actually mine never stay on. I have tried both Gellish and Ibod with base coat gel and color polish and top gel UVA cured. I am convinced now that is my nails’ bed. Nothing seems to stick to it. I had problem even when I got them professionally done (cracks and lifts). and the entire line of gels. Got artificials nails for when I needed to use them….
Anyway, doesn’t matter what I do, how I do them they won’t last.
So I totally gave up and always hope for at least a 24 r to 48 hr wear.
5 days has been the longest so far…achieved months ago avoiding water like the plague.
Getting them done at the salon was too expensive because I like to change so much. So I purchase the equipment, 36 watt UVA light, drill with attachments,
My polish has a tendency to peel off or chip and it doesn’t dry well either.
The biggest problem is when I take a shower that is when the polish will peel off.
It is a very annoying problem but I feel there is nothing I can do about that.
Thank for the great info! I too purchased the Sensationail kit from Walmart and it works great. I had seen the Gelish starter kit advertised for $45 at Sally and went to purchase it. At the store I found that it only included: Mini Gelish Ph Bond, Mini Gelish Foundation, Mini Gelish Top It Off, Mini Gelish Nourish, Mini Gelish Cleanser, and Mini Gelish Artificial Nail Remover. Sounds like a lot, but it doesn’t include the actual polish OR the curing light. I was a bit nervous about spending $50 for the kit at Walmart after talking myself out of spending nearly $100 for the Gelish kit, but I am soo glad I did.
I have the Gelish system and love it! My nails grow great on their own, but I too do not like regular nail polish that chips and wears off. The first LED light I purchased through Amazon however was defective, which I discovered after several failed attempts to use Gelish. I returned it and bought the Gelish Mini-Pro 45 – it works like a dream!! It is a LED light which takes, at the longest, only 45 seconds for each coat to cure. For me, Gelish lasts a minimum of 2 weeks on my fingernails, 4 weeks on my toenails.
I was thinking of getting that same light. Glad to hear it’s a good one. Just got my 20% Ulta coupon so I might head over there tonight.
First of all, to those who say they have thin nails that chip or crack easily- I have found that it is all about the vitamins. If I slack off on my multivitamins for awhile, my nails become terrible. When I take them routinely, my nails are strong and grow out nicely. Not only is it nice to have strong nails, it also made me consider what this might mean. If it makes so much difference to the health of my nails, which I can see, then what may be going on inside my body, where I cannot see, if I am not taking my vitamins!
I just got my first ever Gelish manicure. Like others above, I rarely bother with my nails. In addition to managing my home and teens, I have numerous pets (cage cleaning, etc) and do childcare for an infant and a toddler (my idea of fun!). On my own time, I enjoy crafts and minor home improvement projects (power tools, yay!). Nail polish never lasts more than 24 hours.
I just started getting pedicures to manage callouses, and last week on a whim had a manicure with Gelish. I am astonished- still going strong, and I can see bare nail at the base where they have grown since it was applied.
My question: if I don’t remove it, will it eventually come off on its own? Yes, I know what that will look like- but that’s been my norm, polish my nails occasionally just for fun, let it gradually wear off until I am in the mood to do it again. The soak off process for the gelish doesn’t appeal to me, so I am wondering what will happen if I just leave it?
The Gelish polish eventually just chips off like regular polish. It takes a super long time for it to eventually disappear, though.
I very often get a french manicure Gelish and then just cut my nails with the polish on when they start to grow out too long. It still doesn’t chip with cutting and filing!! So, I thought, what if I just leave the clear on after all the white tip is cut off. Obviously you have a small ridge where the natural nail is grown out, but I filed it a little, and painted over the whole thing with regular polish. It chipped less because the underneath was still so strong from the Gelish at the tips. Eventually,( after about 8-10 weeks) I cut the last of the Gelish off. It was crazy!
I only did that one time, but I was shocked at how long it lasted. My husband just bought me a LED mini pro 45 from Sally’s for Christmas. I have used it on my toes, my daughters fingers and toes, and two of my sister’s fingers and toes. Already paid for itself in one week! I LOVE LOVE LOVE it.
I have found that my 10 year old daughter’s peel off quicker than mine. I think it’s because it’s more difficult to paint her nail without getting any polish on the sides of her fingers. When you do that it peels faster. But she had her nails done professionally with me once for a vacation and it did the very same thing. I am so sold on Gelish and I like the LED vs. UV lights. Also, I love the foil method for removal. Easy and quick. I never plan to pay for a mainicure again! I have heard about sandwiching regular colors, but haven’t had the time to try it. I was told that you need to cure it under the light just as you would Gelish.
Great Blog, Thanks!
I have been using the Sensationail kit from Walmart and love it! The colors that are available with this brand is limited though so I have just purchased two bottles of colored Gelish polish. My question is this…can the Gelish top coat be used as both the base coat and the top coat? The top coat is much less expensive than the base coat, and I’m hoping it can be used for both layers. The Sensationail base and top coat is the same polish. Thanks!
My Granddaughter does our nails with Gelish. Instead of soaking our fingers in a bowl of Acetone she soaks a cotton ball in a lot of the Acetone & puts it on the nail then wraps the ball and finger tip in aluminum foil. She does both hands and can still do things while she is soaking the Gelish polish off. It doesn’t dry out your whole finger tips like using a bowl does.
can I repair my gelish nails where they have grown out, or must I remove and redo
I can apply another couple of coats over the original polish but it doesn’t last as well. Maybe another week or so. It’s best just to redo it unless you haven’t got the time.
Is it sage to use on kids or infants?
I’ve used it on my 7-yea-old but I wouldn’t use it on any children who put their hands in their mouths a lot. And definitely not on babies.
Hello,
I just bought the gelish mini pro:45. I know I have to buy the starter kit now with the top coat and everything but I was wondering if you can put regular nail polish in between coats for you color instead. I have over 100 nail polish and I can’t imagine not being able to use them again. I know you can always paint over you finish nails but then it will just chip like it does when you put it on regularly. So can I put the base coat and top coat on and then put my regular nails polish and then put another top coat on top to cure it? thanks so much
You can definitely use regular nail polish sandwiched between the Foundation gel and Top It Off. However, it doesn’t last nearly as long. I can get maybe a week of use before it starts chipping off instead of two weeks or so with regular Gelish polish. It’s fine if I have to wear a certain color but I much prefer the Gelish colors. Not only because they last longer but because the colors cure in less than two minutes vs. 10 minutes (or more) for regular polish.
I have problems with my foundation and top it off brushes. After a few uses, the bristles don’t hold together like a normal brush. They start sticking out in different directions and get hard. Do you have a tip for resolving that?
Donna. this hasn’t happened to me but all I can guess is that somehow the polish in your brushes is being cured. Make sure the bottles are well away from the light when your polish cures. To help soften up your brushes I’d try soaking them in acetone for several minutes. Maybe this will help. Good luck!
I used by Gelish kit for the first time. My husband gave it to me for Christmas. I was apprehensive but LOVE IT!!!!!!!! The polish has been on for a week now and not one chip which is amazing for my nailes. My question to you is have you tried using any other gels like OPI or others? Gelish doesn’t carry a reddish-orange, only an orange-reddish color (Tiger Blossom). My guess is it would work but just wanted to hear if you tried it also. Thanks!
I’m glad you’re loving your Gelish. I haven’t tried any other polishes although I have ordered a few and am just waiting for them to arrive. I was hoping for a coral color from Gelish too, but I’m thinking I might get Tiger blossom and add some Gossip Girl. Good luck and let me know if you find any polishes you love!
I love Gelish as my nails would break easy…I use harmony gelish but im in need of a new led lamp an have seen that red carpet are sellng a mini pro led lamp,do you know if the red carpet lamp will cure the harmony gelish or am i gunna have to save up abit more an buy another harmony gelish led lamp,thankyou
I actually have this LED lamp and I have mixed feelings about it. It does cure the nails twice as fast as a UV light which is fantastic. I can do my nails in half the time. LOVE that! However this lamp is teensy. You can only get four fingers in at a time. I usually do one hand then the other hand. I do my thumbs at the end. Not only is this confusing (which had did I do two coats on and which three coats?) But it’s just a pain. Because the nail light doesn’t have as many reflective surfaces as my UV lamp (the most obvious being that it sits on the table. No reflective surface on the bottom. I’ve tried putting it on tin foil and haven’t noticed a huge difference), the sides of my nails will often remain uncured. I have to slowly rotate them from side to side as they are curing. As I said, it’s a real pain. I’ve found a couple of LED lamp possibilities on Amazon and I’m saving my $$ to try those out. They’re around $100.
Even with the major flaws of the red carpet lamp I still use it over my UV lamp. Especially since my UV lamp seems like it needs new bulbs and those run about $40-50 for a new set!
Good luck!
Hi Ladies…
Thank you for such informative and interesting posts!
I spend my life on the internet doing my homework on several products before taking the plunge to distribute them here in Greece. People here are extremely fussy about what products they use and available colours.
There is an amazing new product on the market that tops Gelish, Shellac, Blue Sky, CND & Geleration in terms of price and quality. It’s called Gel-iT and it really is a very good product. I am the distributor for it here in Greece and it’s spreading like crazy! Ladies converting daily!!
* It’s an 18ml bottle with contents clearly visible right to the top of the bottle
* Extremely competitive price wise – in fact cheaper than any other products on the market that only have 7.3ml – 15ml
* 60 colours currently, a further 447 to be released at 10 per month
* It maintains its shine extremely well
* It’s odorless
* Non flammable
* Can cure with both UV and LED
* It’s NOT a Chinese product
* Durability tried and tested by me personally and hundreds of salons who would attest to this gladly!
Have a super day!
Can you buy it at Sally’s Beauty Supply?
I purchased the Salon Edge Top 36W UV Curing Lamp Acrylic Gel Nail Dryer Light from the Salon Supply Store on Amazon.com for less than $30.00 (including shipping). It works great. I have to cure them a little longer than with an LED light, but the extra minute or so was worth saving the money!
I ordered the Gelish Basix Kit (Full size bottles) and 3 Gelish polishes for $80 from Payless Nail Supply, also on Amazon.com. The Gelish kit and polishes had free shipping…I ordered them on a Tuesday and had them on Thursday the same week. Just an FYI for people out there looking for lamps and polishes, Amazon is a great outlet!
Good to know about the kits, Jamie. The good thing about Nail stuff is that prices seem to be dropping all the time. Good for us nail polish addicts!
hi, i saw you use the pro bond in your tips to make the manicure long lasting i been having issues with peeling but the gelish page says that the probond is to be used with hard gel not with gelish but i heard some other people who use the pro bond with gelish so i am confuse now can i use it with gelisg or not and is easy to remove as you normally remove the gelish?
thank you
Okay, I am offended at the cheapskate comment. I am always looking for ways to save money and if you were not a cheapskate you would go and fork out the money to get them done professionally instead of doing them yourself. And the fact that you are getting money from recommending the light makes me really mad that you would make the comment about not trying to find a cheaper way to set the polish. Not cool.
Natalie, being a cheapskate is kind of a negative term; one that I think means a person who won’t spend money no matter what. I’m less of a cheapskate, more like just “cheap”. Or rather, I prefer to get a good value. I guess whether someone takes offense at the use of “cheapskate” depends on what their definition is. I use the term playfully because if a reader really were a cheapskate, she wouldn’t be worried about wear to buy a Gelish nail system. No offense was intended.
As fas as recommending the lamp on Amazon, it’s the lamp I use and have had good results with. It’s pretty much the cheapest lamp I’ve found. I do make a whopping $1.25 if someone buys that lamp clicking through my link. Not all that much money, I’m sure you’d admit; if I really were trying to rip people off I’d be telling you to buy a $200 LED light. But I’m not. I recommend this lamp on Amazon because it’s cheap and shipping is free. Sorry you feel like you’re being duped.
What kind of brushes can you use with the Gelish soak off Structure gel.
Hello,
I have a UV and the Gelish Pro45 lamps, I use mostly Gelish polish products. When I am doing a gel manicure I will file the nail a little to rid of oils, wash hands, spray with alcohol, wipe dry, apply bonder (gelish brand) and base coat, color n top coat, curring for atleast 1.5-2min between each coat. The probelm is, after doing tremendous amount of research, I cannot figure out what it is that im doing or not doing that is preventing the polish from staying on more than 3 days. It typically peals or pops right off in the shower or when while washing hands or dishes…Is there any advise or suggestions that you could give me?
Please help,
Celia
The only thing I can think is that your coats are too thick. I use pretty thin coats, especially the base coat. It seems like the thicker the coats, the easier they peel off. It’s kind of a fine line between too much polish and not enough. I hope tho helps! Good luck!
I have done gel manicure twice and I love it. I thought it would be great to have a kit to do my own nails. So, I have just bought Gelish mini and Gelish LED light at Sally’s. It seems to be a nightmare to get the right thin layer of foundation and top off it. It takes ages to dry and it shrinks so easily. In three days I have done my nails 6 times. I little disappointed!