Great tutorial! I could have really used this when I was first getting into gel polishes. Quick question though, do you have any problems with the gel polish pulling away from your free edge and making it look like tip wear on a perfect new mani? I always have that issue with gels, and my nails are so short that it’s incredibly obvious. I follow the exact same procedure that you do (buff, base, wrap the tips, gel, wrap the tips on each coat, then top coat).
Hi Rebecca. Yes, that’s a common problem with many of the SOGs. When I find a color that does that I pop my hand in the light for about 10 seconds after I polish each finger so that it stays in place better. It’s kind of a pain, but it works. :)
Andrea – Like you semi-cure each finger as you paint them to avoid more pull-back? And then fully cure them all when you’ve finished all the fingers? [GREAT idea BTW — will have to try!]
I have a question regarding when I should use the Gelish Foundation versus when the pH bond should be used. I have both in a starter kit I purchased and in your tutorial video the caption said”pH Bond” but the the bottle you used was labeled “Foundation”. Can you help clarify that for me? Thanks!
You should use the ph bond before applying the foundation gel. Be sure to let the ph bond dry completely. It helps dry out your nail bed so that the foundation gets a better bond to the nail.
You could do either, but I prefer to stamp after top coating because if I mess up I can wipe it off and try again. I also apply another layer of top coat over the stamp.
You made it look so easy! Thanks. I’m toying with the idea of trying gel polish since I do have a UV lamp.
Give it a shot! It’s not as hard as it seems. :)
Loved this tute, thanks so much! I actually just bought a Gelish kit, and the first colour I’ve bought is Tiki Tiki Laranga! Perfect!
I’m glad you found it helpful! Let me know how your experience is with Gelish :)
Success so far! Just applied the Tiki Tiki Laranga, it looks great, your tute definitely helped.
Great tutorial! I could have really used this when I was first getting into gel polishes. Quick question though, do you have any problems with the gel polish pulling away from your free edge and making it look like tip wear on a perfect new mani? I always have that issue with gels, and my nails are so short that it’s incredibly obvious. I follow the exact same procedure that you do (buff, base, wrap the tips, gel, wrap the tips on each coat, then top coat).
Hi Rebecca. Yes, that’s a common problem with many of the SOGs. When I find a color that does that I pop my hand in the light for about 10 seconds after I polish each finger so that it stays in place better. It’s kind of a pain, but it works. :)
Andrea – Like you semi-cure each finger as you paint them to avoid more pull-back? And then fully cure them all when you’ve finished all the fingers? [GREAT idea BTW — will have to try!]
Exactly! :)
I have a question regarding when I should use the Gelish Foundation versus when the pH bond should be used. I have both in a starter kit I purchased and in your tutorial video the caption said”pH Bond” but the the bottle you used was labeled “Foundation”. Can you help clarify that for me? Thanks!
You should use the ph bond before applying the foundation gel. Be sure to let the ph bond dry completely. It helps dry out your nail bed so that the foundation gets a better bond to the nail.
If I wanted to stamp, at what point would I stamp? After “top it off” or before?
You could do either, but I prefer to stamp after top coating because if I mess up I can wipe it off and try again. I also apply another layer of top coat over the stamp.