April 12, 2013

SOG Gel Polish FAQ’s ²²

by Andrea • Nail Care Tips & Tricks

I receive a lot of questions about gel polish manicures and I thought I would start a list of FAQ’s. I will caveat this by telling you that I am NOT a licensed nail tech, just a girl with a gel polish obsession. If you’ve read my blog before you are probably already aware that I am a bit of a Gelish fanatic, so most of the information below is based on my experience with that brand. The same principals apply for most gel polish brands.

There is also a lot of really useful information over at The Purse Forums in the SOG for beginners thread.

Does gel polish damage or weaken your nails?

Gel polish should not weaken your nails when applied & removed properly.  It provides extra strength and prevents your nails from ripping and breaking, allowing them to grow longer and stronger.  The key is proper removal using a soak-off technique.  Don’t chisel, chip, file or peel your polish off… doing this will absolutely damage your nails.  Use an orange stick to aid in the removal if needed, but don’t use tools that will gauge your nail beds.  Also, be careful no to over-buff your nails prior to applying gel polish.  You only need a very light buff (if at all), and buffing too frequently can cause your nails to become thin.

How do you prevent gel polish “shrinkage”?

You may have noticed that some gel polishes tend to shrink back or pull away from the edges when you apply them.  I’ve heard many recommendations to dry brush your foundation before applying the color.  It’s just like it sounds – you just take a dry brush and brush the tacky layer of your foundation in one direction, then apply the color.  I have tried this and really didn’t notice too much of a difference.  I find that some colors are just a little trickier to work with.

My solution for this problem is to apply the color onto one or two nails and then put them in my UV light for 10 seconds to give them a partial cure, also known as flash curing.  It stops the shrinkage while I apply color to the rest of my nails.  Once I have all of my nails polished I cure them for the full length of time.

Also, make sure that your polish is well mixed/shaken (shaking can cause bubbles, so be careful).  Sometimes the ingredients will separate if they’ve been sitting for a while and this also causes shrinkage issues.

How do you work with polishes that are thick and tend to “wrinkle” when curing?

Thicker gel polishes will sometimes wrinkle when you cure them in your lamp.  With these polishes you need to apply very thin coats.  Try warming your polish before using it by placing the bottle in some warm water or by using body heat.  You can also use a gel polish thinner to make the consistency a little thinner and easier to apply.  I have done this with a few of the wrinklers and it helped a lot.

Can acetone be used to thin gel polish?

No.  Gel polish has has a special formula that allows it to cure with UV technology.  I recommend using a thinner that is made specifically for gel polishes.  I use LaRosa GELish Thinner.

Why does my gel polish chip or peel off after only a few days?

To be honest, this isn’t a problem that I experience often (maybe because I change my polish too frequently!).  However, I have found that what holds gel polish is place is the bond of the foundation to your natural nail.  To get the best bond, lightly buff your nails and make sure that they are clean and free of any oils.  If you moisturized your hands recently, wash them, use alcohol or the cleansing solution to clean your nails really well, and apply the pH Bond.  Also be sure to cap your tips when you apply the foundation gel as well as all of the other coats of polish that you apply.

Can I mix and match gel polish brands (ie, use Gelish foundation and TIO with another brand of color)?

Yes.  I often use my Gelish foundation and top coat with other brands.

Can gel polish be used for stamping?

In my experience, no.  Gel polishes tend to spread out making it very hard to try to get crisp lines when stamping.  You also don’t usually get full opacity with one coat, so it just doesn’t work well.  I normally use regular nail polish to stamp on top of my gel manicures.  I apply the top coat, wipe it clean, stamp, and then top coat again.  And if you mess up when stamping you can just wipe it off and try again!

Can I use regular nail polish with a gel foundation and/or top coat?

Yes, but your manicure will not last as long.  I have applied the Gelish foundation and Structure gel on my nails and then polished them with a regular polish and regular top coat.  When doing this it is possible to remove the regular nail polish with a non-acetone remover and then reapply another color.  I don’t recommend using a glitter polish because that requires some soaking and will damage the gel base.  Also, the base will start to wear/peel after a couple of applications/removals.

I have also applied regular polish in between the Gelish foundation and top coat.  When doing this you have to be sure that the regular nail polish is completely dry before applying the top coat.  If it’s not dry you can get some puckering in the polish and you can still mess up your nails if you bump them on something.

As I mentioned above, I also use regular nail polish for stamping.  Since stamping generally doesn’t cover the whole nail my stamped manicures usually last just as long as a regular gel manicure.

What type of lamp do you use and can you recommend a good UV or LED lamp?

I use a Thermal Spa UV lamp most of the time.  I recently wrote an article about lamps with some recommendations.  Read it here.

How do you swatch gel polish?  Doesn’t it take a lot of time to apply and soak off?

It does take time, but I have learned a few tricks to make the process go a little faster.  When I’m planning to swatch several colors in one session, I don’t apply the foundation gel and apply the color directly onto my nails.  I used to think that it was the top coat that makes the soak off take longer, but I found that it’s actually the foundation.  Without the foundation, I can file off the top coat real quick and then the soak off with acetone only takes a few minutes.  I also only polish the four fingers on my left hand when I’m doing a swatch session.

I recently learned another new trick for when I want to wear a color for only a couple of days. Instead of using the foundation gel, I use a regular nail polish base.  This keeps my nails from getting stained, but it doesn’t allow the gel polish to form that bond with my nails so I can soak it off faster when I’m ready to change colors.

How do you care for your hands and cuticles and keep them looking good with the frequency of your polish changes?

I don’t have a lot of tips to share here.  I always moisturize my hands after applying gel polish and just when my hands feel dry in general.  My favorite lotion right now is True Blue paraffin lotion from Bath & Body Works, and I’ve been using a cuticle oil and the nail and cuticle serum from Julep.  I also use CND cuticle remover about once a week, and I occasionally use my heated spa mitts or parafin bath when I want to pamper my hands a little. 

Do you have a list of gel polishes that fade?

These are the Gelish colors that I have experienced fading with or have heard from a friend about fading:

• He Loves Me He Loves Me Not
• Up in the Blue
• Take Action
• Go Girl
• It’s a Lily
• Princess Tiara
• You’re So Sweet You’re Giving Me a Toothache

What type of lighting and camera do you use for your swatch photos?

Most of my pictures are taken in a lightbox that I created out of a cardboard box and some tissue paper.  You can read more about that here.  This lighting sometimes washes out the shimmer effects of some polishes and I can’t capture duochrome or holographic effects very well with it.  I also use an OttLight for taking pictures sometimes, and it’s also the light that I work under when doing my nails.  All of my photos are taken with my iPhone 4S… no fancy cameras here.

Here are links to some other articles I have written with gel polish tips & tricks:

• How to apply soak off gel polish
• How to remove soak off gel polish
• How to apply Gelish Structure gel
• UV and LED nail lamp info

March 26, 2013

What’s the difference between UV and LED Nail Lamps? ⁷

by Andrea • Nail Care Tips & Tricks

I receive a lot of questions about UV and LED lamps for curing gel polish, and thought it might be helpful to provide a brief comparison of the two.

	UV	LED
Cost	More affordable	Generally more expensive, though prices are starting to come down
Curing Time	2 minutes	30-60 seconds
Efficiency	Use more energy (less efficient)	Use less energy and are more eco-friendly
Bulb Life	Bulbs need to be replaced periodically	Bulbs last the life of the lamp and never need replacement
Types of polish	Effectively cures ALL types of gel polish	Only cures polishes that are formulated for LED technology

 

Most soak off gel (SOG) manufacturers sell lamps that are compatible with their products, and you would likely get the best results when using a lamp provided by the manufacturer.  I personally like to use a variety of brands and find that my Thermal Spa UV lamp is very reliable when it comes to curing all different types of gel polish.  As I mentioned above, not all polishes are formulated to work with LED lamps so if you own one you should check with the polish manufacturers to determine which ones are compatible.  Many believe that LED is the future of SOG and most brands will provide LED formulated products over time.  In the meantime, I’ll keep my UV light handy!

I will also comment quickly that both types of lamps emit UV light, and that one lamp is not “safer” than the other in terms of UV exposure.  Read my previous article about two quick and easy things you can to to minimize UV exposure during your gel manicure.

Below are a few lamp recommendations:

Thermal Spa UV Lamp:  I own and love this lamp.  I’ve been using it for 2 years and haven’t had to change the bulbs yet (knock on wood).  You can cure both hands at once in this lamp and it has a timer so it turns off automatically when the curing time is up.

Shany UV Gel Lamp: This lamp was recommended by friends as a cheaper alternative to the Thermal Spa unit.  This lamp also has a timer built in.  It’s more compact and is only big enough to cure one hand at a time.

Harmony Gelish 18G LED Lamp:  Gelish makes and recommends this lamp for curing their products.  If you read my blog, you know that I’m a huge Gelish fanatic and recommend their products.  Some of my fellow SOG addicts use and recommend using this lamp with all LED polishes.  It cures Gelish foundation in just 5 seconds, and colors in 30 seconds!  Many pros use this lamp, and it’s on my personal wish list.  Edited: I originally said that this will cure both hands at once, but it’s only big enough to do one hand at a time (all five fingers).

Orly Smartgels LED Lamp or Red Carpet LED Light:  These are smaller and cheaper LED lamp options, but you can only cure four fingers at once and have to do the thumb separately.

DuoLite LED and UV Lamp:   Esther’s Nail Center sells a combo lamp that has both types of curing technology in one unit!

March 20, 2013

Gel Manicure Safety: Anti UV Fingerless Gloves ¹

by Andrea • Nail Care Tips & Tricks

There has been a lot of buzz about the safety of using UV and LED lights for gel manicures and whether the exposure is enough to cause cancer.  The media has definitely put a negative spin on the topic and is creating a bit of a panic.  Studies have shown that there is very little risk associated with the use of these lights.  However, little risk does not necessarily mean no risk.  There are two very easy preventative things that you can do to protect yourself during a gel manicure:

1. Apply a lotion or sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 prior to your manicure.

2. Or, use anti UV fingerless gloves during your manicure.

Esther’s Nail Center sent me a pair of these gloves to try out.  They cover your whole lower arm all the way up to the elbow leaving only your fingertips exposed.  They’re super easy to use… you just have to remember to put them on BEFORE you start your manicure!

You can see here that just my fingertips are exposed.  The fabric actually was very close to my nail on the ring finger, but it didn’t get in the way or cause any problems at all.

Ta-da! A perfect gel manicure using Gelish Plum and Done.