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. 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?
This has been an issue with some of the new collections that Gelish has put out lately. The formula of the polishes is thicker than normal and they 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 specifically for gel polishes. I use this 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 the 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.
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
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. Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
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: