Best gel product?

[angeladove]

hey ladies I used to use Entity gel but finding a lot of lifting
any suggestions on the best line out there for durability to switch to
I have heard Star ??

 

[pure]

I would imagine that we all think the products we use ourselves are the best so you might get lots of differing answers and opinions

Personally I use CND products with great success. Star nails is a brand I associate with college, not a professional brand to charge clients for.

 

[Steph Dodson]

I use Red Carpet Manicure and it seems to do well!! xx

 

[angeladove]

I like the star because of the acrylic in it I find it is stronger
I used to use Entity and LCN but finding now the Star is much more durable

 

[Mrs Geek]

hey ladies I used to use Entity gel but finding a lot of lifting
any suggestions on the best line out there for durability to switch to
I have heard Star ??

Angela I would agree with Pure... Star is associated with colleges and known to many as 'the product I first started with until I found something better'. As to Red Carpet, it's sold in Boots, not a Liquid & Powder product and not professional... In other words your clients can readily buy this so as a professional, I would have no understanding of why anyone would use this in the salon. In fact my experience says most professionals do not use this at all... It's like selling Rimmel polish to your customers... You wouldn't, you'd sell Vinylux or Colour Club etc...

There are plenty of decent L&P products out there and I would suggest training with which ever company you go with. Some L&P is way faster to set up than others so you need to decide what is good for your application skill and technique. Lifting is often the effect of improper PREP on the natural nail. PREP should be the most thorough part of the treatment so make sure you are doing a perfect PREP each time.

What education have you had? Do you get Scratch Magazine? So much in there including companies all over the UK who distribute various nail products. We too have Creative Academy locations all across the UK and Ireland for education and we do conversions with loads of hands-on in CND L&P. Please feel free to call anytime on 0845 210 6060 if you need any advice.
Love & Respect
Samantha

 

[angeladove]

Thanks so much for the feedback
I did brisa and lcn training and am also from a small town in newfoundland canada so not many options here
They sell star at our beauty supply store here lol

 

[angeladove]

Not many options on courses either the 2 I did already and entity replaced brisa which I dont like lol
The star I honestly find holds up better than those both and the acrylic in the gel I like for it's strength
I am open to any options or suggestions as I can order products online

 

[Claire Winterton]

Has anyone had any experience with Biosculpture Gel. I am finding it very unpredictable. Any suggestions as to what the best gel system is?

 

[izzidoll]

Not many options on courses either the 2 I did already and entity replaced brisa which I dont like lol
The star I honestly find holds up better than those both and the acrylic in the gel I like for it's strength
I am open to any options or suggestions as I can order products online

What do you mean when you say it has "acrylic in the gel" do you sprinkle powder on the gel like AcryGel I see Star Nails do have an AcryGel system.
As the others have said Star Nails is a cheap generic product line used by Colleges over here, a lot of us started out using it but moved on to better.
That said a great tech can use inferior products and still create beautiful nails...it just takes a bit more work!

Sorry Steph, but I don't see any place for Red Carpet in a salon or professional environment. It was brought out as a retail line and was never meant for the salon professional. Gelish and Artistic Colour Gloss are the professional brands from the same corporation.

 

[The Geek]

@izzidoll makes a great point... Any professional system should give some level of minimum performance. Usually I find that professionals who are having challenges with a large portion of customers will often time not be following the manufacturers system (e.g. Intermixing or not following prep). No professional product that has been out for awhile could exist if it simply didn't work.

So the challenge becomes about education on what that systems expectations are for performance and seeing if there are any holes to plug. After all, if the problem is a result of insufficient prep, or using the incorrect light source, that problem will continue to exist no matter which system you invest in.

That isn't to say that all products and systems are created equal! There can often be a large quality gap in professional formulations.

 

[The Geek]

I also want to add... Don't fall into the trap of going cheap. Look for a brand with a proven track record and the education support you need to maximise that brands performance.

Often I see people choosing a brand because the sticker price is a couple pounds/dollars cheaper. What most professionals fail to account for is the difference in the cost per service. The price disparity between most major brands out there (per service) is very marginal. E.g. Saving £5 per bottle of X may save you 20p per application but may take you 5 more minutes to service. That 5 more minutes costs you far more than 20p per service. There is also the false economy in using cheaper products if it costs you any customers because of poor performance.

That isn't to say expensive is better. What is better? The product + your education on that product. That is how you get perfection!

PS - agree re: Red Carpet. It's like going to a salon for a haircut and having them wash your hair in Head And Shoulders.

 

[ibizasun]

I work on Nail Perfect Professional system. Jave tried few before stick with this brand. Really happy with the lasting time

Sent from my GT-I9505 using SalonGeek mobile app

 

[angeladove]

thanks ladies i did the brisk training and then entity but in this small province of newfoundland there are no others offered
i been using star and finding that way better than the 2 i have been trained in just wanted to see what the best brands were for strength and lifting and i know prep is 80% of it