Thanks Elaine..I will experiment with the timing J I typically have the timer on for 2 minutes for the final cure..and it works always with the SOG top coats!!!
Laura From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: May-25-11 12:15 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: NailTech:: Is it just me? Thoughts on Gel Polish topcoat vs traditional UV Gel Topcoat Laura, Experiment on the amount of time you are curing them. Typically, I see dullness with all of our gels (hard or soft) when over cured. In fact, the early days of instructions on Eco, I said cure 3 mins because I wanted to be sure that gel was cured for the client in the event a tech wasn't changing their bulbs often enough. But what I later discovered is it dulled the shine. Now I tell them to cure 2 mins and it is beautiful. So finding the appropriate time vs cure will hopefully get you the shine you need. Start in small increments. If it says cure 3 mins...test some on a tip and cure 2:45. Then 2:30. Then 2:00 and compare your results. Just watch for softness or signs that gel isn't really curing enough. In a 36 watt lamp, you are usually pretty safe at 2 mins for a product without pigment in the way. Good Luck Kind Regards, Elaine T. Watson Star Nail International Vice President of Marketing and Sales Global Education Director 800.782.7624 extension 321 fax 661.257.5856 [email protected] Blog: itsnotarealjob.blogspot.com On Wed, May 25, 2011 at 9:07 AM, Laura Merzetti <[email protected]> wrote: I have been using both traditional gel uv topcoats as well as soak-off gel polish topcoats for a while now. On my regular gel clients, I've been noticing the 5-finger cure in the tunnel lamps doesn't always produce shiny, glossy nails with the traditional UV top coats. I've experimented with several - the ones where you wipe the inhibition layer. I am not a fan of the tackless sealers, so this is not about them. I thought maybe my bulbs might be wearing out, but I also noticed that whenever I had a gel polish client, her nails came out amazingly shiny and stayed that way till her next appointment, 2 or 3 weeks later. Not so with my traditional gel enhancement clients. I wipe off both with 99 percent alcohol, if that matters. I can always tell the ones that are really shiny, and the ones that are going to be dull. I feel like my application is the same on all fingers, but perhaps it isn't. If I cured 4 fingers, then the thumb separately, it would be better. But I don't have the extra time to do that. It is bugging me that I can cure all five fingers to a beautiful, high gloss shine, with say Shellac, or Gelish top coats. But not Brisa Gloss, for example, or Akzentz Top Gloss. I have tried to 'break' the gel polish systems by either applying too much, or too little topcoat and each time they come out with a mirror finish and stay that way. Sometimes my traditional top coat will come out great, and other times, one side of the thumb might be dull. I also notice it tends to pull away from the enhancement more than the gel polish topcoats do. I virtually have NO shrinking with them, ever. I am really contemplating just using the gel polish top coats now on everybody, regardless of whether they are traditional or soak off gel polish clients. I have been wearing it myself over enhancements with no real issues either. I also like the 'feel' of it better, hard to explain, like the surface feels smoother. What do you all think? Has anybody else noticed this as well or is it just me? Laura M. Scratch My Back Nail Studio www.scratchmyback.ca <http://www.scratchmyback.ca/> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "NailTech" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] <mailto:nailtech%[email protected]> . For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nailtech?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "NailTech" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nailtech?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "NailTech" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nailtech?hl=en.
