GEL Nails

[sylvia7an]

chubbyvoo no problem. yes, it is like filing acrylic.. is the brand of hard gel you're using easier to file off?

jeweltay I do mix my gels of different brands. It's such a waste to mix your ibd soak off with other brands of hard gel.

[chubbyvoo]

sylvia - am using starnail hard gel. it sort of "breaks" down after soaking in acetone a while, very easy to file off. anyway, i don't file much cos i use soak offs for color gels and "sandwich" them with starnail hard gel.

jeweltay - i do use soak offs and hard gels together. next time you can try not to file off everything. you can leave a thin layer of gel on your nails so that your natural nails remain "untouched".

[sylvia7an]

chubbyvoo oh, starnail hard gel is soak-able? hmm.. do you use that for your tip/sculpture extension too?

[jeweltay]

sylvia - am using starnail hard gel. it sort of "breaks" down after soaking in acetone a while, very easy to file off. anyway, i don't file much cos i use soak offs for color gels and "sandwich" them with starnail hard gel.

jeweltay - i do use soak offs and hard gels together. next time you can try not to file off everything. you can leave a thin layer of gel on your nails so that your natural nails remain "untouched".

so means leave the thin layer of gel alone and let it grow out?? can huh... customer *** complain never remove properly?

[chubbyvoo]

chubbyvoo oh, starnail hard gel is soak-able? hmm.. do you use that for your tip/sculpture extension too?

yup, i know this sounds weird. the supplier will tell you it's hard gel, but the instruction leaflet inside states can soak off with acetone. but not exactly true. it doesn't melt away like the way acrylic will react but the soaking makes it easier to file off and some parts will just peel off.

i use that for tip extension as well as overlay. initially i used christrio's soft gel for overlay and 50% of the more "cho ***" girls came back with problems here and there

so, i'm "stuck" with starnail's gel, the oldest gel brand, heehee...

[chubbyvoo]

so means leave the thin layer of gel alone and let it grow out?? can huh... customer *** complain never remove properly?

yes, just leave the clear base gel alone. it will either peel off by itself after a few days if it's thin enough, if not it will just grow out and it shouldn't be noticeble if properly done. cos' if you keep filing your nails, one day it's going to be paper thin and your nailbeds will be very sore and painful. that's for DIY.

to let out a little secret.... infact i had never file off my gel nails before. i simply trim off some length, buff away then top gel, smoothen the free edge and wait for them to drop ugly process i know... sometimes i'll just rip them off oops... i know it's harmful, heehee...

customers have to depend. if the natural nails are normal/strong, i'll file off everything. if her nails are already thin and soft, i'll leave the base gel on as a protection. afterall, as i had mention, it's not obvious and they can cut their nails as per normal. but of course i'll have to explain to the girls before hand so that they will understand.

[jeweltay]

yes, just leave the clear base gel alone. it will either peel off by itself after a few days if it's thin enough, if not it will just grow out and it shouldn't be noticeble if properly done. cos' if you keep filing your nails, one day it's going to be paper thin and your nailbeds will be very sore and painful. that's for DIY.

to let out a little secret.... infact i had never file off my gel nails before. i simply trim off some length, buff away then top gel, smoothen the free edge and wait for them to drop ugly process i know... sometimes i'll just rip them off oops... i know it's harmful, heehee...

customers have to depend. if the natural nails are normal/strong, i'll file off everything. if her nails are already thin and soft, i'll leave the base gel on as a protection. afterall, as i had mention, it's not obvious and they can cut their nails as per normal. but of course i'll have to explain to the girls before hand so that they will understand.

haha.. i am guilty of ripping off my gel nails too!!! noted on the tip! very helpful thanks!
just find it a chore to file off those hard gel!!! am also using the starnail thick gel but they don't seem to be able to be soak off! wonder is it cos of the acetone i use is no good?

[jeweltay]

yes, just leave the clear base gel alone. it will either peel off by itself after a few days if it's thin enough, if not it will just grow out and it shouldn't be noticeble if properly done. cos' if you keep filing your nails, one day it's going to be paper thin and your nailbeds will be very sore and painful. that's for DIY.

to let out a little secret.... infact i had never file off my gel nails before. i simply trim off some length, buff away then top gel, smoothen the free edge and wait for them to drop ugly process i know... sometimes i'll just rip them off oops... i know it's harmful, heehee...

customers have to depend. if the natural nails are normal/strong, i'll file off everything. if her nails are already thin and soft, i'll leave the base gel on as a protection. afterall, as i had mention, it's not obvious and they can cut their nails as per normal. but of course i'll have to explain to the girls before hand so that they will understand.

haha.. i am guilty of ripping off my gel nails too!!! noted on the tip! very helpful thanks!
just find it a chore to file off those hard gel!!! am also using the starnail thick gel but they don't seem to be able to be soak off! wonder is it cos of the acetone i use is no good?

[jeweltay]

chubbyvoo no problem. yes, it is like filing acrylic.. is the brand of hard gel you're using easier to file off?

jeweltay I do mix my gels of different brands. It's such a waste to mix your ibd soak off with other brands of hard gel.

oh... cos i thought use a good brand of gel for the base will be better for the nails ah... haha... anyway whats the difference in all the brands?
i get so confused sometimes! don't know which to get or what is better?! and i was told that soak off gel won't last as long? true?

[sylvia7an]

jeweltay maybe you can use starnail acetone to try soaking off. I don't use starnail gel, so maybe chubbyvoo can advise you on that

hmm, if you use a soak off gel for the base, you still have to file off the hard gel on top first before you can soak off the gel below.. for me, it's trial an error.. i buy those gels to try on myself first.. hehe.
yes, soak off gel is not as lasting as hard gel.

[yenlyn]

wanna ask u gals..

nail art on gel nails is done using acrylic paint?

coz.. i saw some nice gel nail photos in magz on gel.
like alternate colours stripes, flowers etc.

all these patterns can be done using gel?? but the gel seems so thick.. can do so?

[sylvia7an]

wanna ask u gals..

nail art on gel nails is done using acrylic paint?

coz.. i saw some nice gel nail photos in magz on gel.
like alternate colours stripes, flowers etc.

all these patterns can be done using gel?? but the gel seems so thick.. can do so?

can be done using both acrylic paint and gel

[chubbyvoo]

oh... cos i thought use a good brand of gel for the base will be better for the nails ah... haha... anyway whats the difference in all the brands?
i get so confused sometimes! don't know which to get or what is better?! and i was told that soak off gel won't last as long? true?

i know what you mean but it sort of defeats the purpose of have a soak off base and yet have to file off at the end of day when removing.

yup, i personally think soak off gels doesn't last as long as hard gels. tried and tested.

starnail gel will soften when soak with acetone and makes file off easier. but it doesn't "melt" away like the way acrylic does.

[chubbyvoo]

wanna ask u gals..

nail art on gel nails is done using acrylic paint?

coz.. i saw some nice gel nail photos in magz on gel.
like alternate colours stripes, flowers etc.

all these patterns can be done using gel?? but the gel seems so thick.. can do so?

yup yup sylvia is right! acrylic paint or color gel, the choice is yous =)

[Miss Bliss]

I just bought a bottle of ibd UV Topcoat that need to be cure by UV light. I intend to use this over my OPI nail polishes on my natural nails as a top coat. Was told by the SA that my nail polish will last a lot longer, something like 2 to 4 weeks. I did gel nails (both hard and soft gel) sometime ago and it didn't last me at all, it lifted within a day. Here's my question..... is UV topcoat the same thing?? I'm traveling and if it lifts, I'm in trouble without my tools!!