Chrome nightmare!

[Louisepalmer]

Is anyone else having a mare with chrome nails using chrome powder and gel polish?

I create the chrome by prepping the nail as normal, then doing base followed by gel colour x2 then non wipe top, rub the pigment in using silicone tool then and further 2 wipe off Gelish top coats.

After a day or two the chrome wears away from the edge [emoji30]

Am I doing this wrong?

 

[Trinity]

It's a common problem, if you read through he board you'll see about 10 threads about the same thing in the lsst 2 weeks.

Some are not finding issues, some are, there doesn't seem to be a simple answer. I've always had a problem with pigments and free edge wear, even before Chrome took off but even posting on here didn't help find a solution

 

[glitterbee]

Im having the same problem. Do u use a no wipe top coat? Ppl say try a no wipe top coat and then a coat of normal gel over. I have not tried this yet but worried it might dull the nails.

 

[JERSEY JOCK]

Afraid this is a craze that is driving many nail techs mad, hopefully it will disappear soon so we can all stop pulling our hair out, we'll probably laugh about it in years to come " remember the chrome craze of 2016"

 

[Louisepalmer]

Honestly ladies it's the bane of my life right now! I love it yet it's impossible!
Yes I use the non wipe and I've tried using non wipe as the finishing top coats and my normal wipe top coats and the same thing happens on both.
Some say it's the type of top coat or the brand or the brand of pigment. I've tried so many ways but I just can't seem to crack it!
Haha we probably will laugh about this in time to come, let's hope by then the crazes are easier to pull off [emoji120][emoji23]

 

[Anna Ljungberg]

Just out of the blue, but could you use foils or wraps for the chrome look instead?

 

[Trinity]

Just out of the blue, but could you use foils or wraps for the chrome look instead?

Yes, SweetSquared have been plugging their Minx again off the back of the chrome craze. Minx never took off with my ladies, and I found it a proper faff to apply which is probably why I never pushed it either. Foils will work but it's nearly impossible to get that 'full on chome' look, they can be patchy, wrinkle badly if the nail is not perfectly flat and are a bit hit or miss. Plus, I've had significant free edge wear will foils too.

 

[Titterbug]

I do quite a lot of them the best gel polish I have found is Smartpolish non wipe polish...goes on a treat then use a top coat and 2 coats I get 2 weeks out of them ...

also you can really Chrome them up or just have Chrome highlights been playing about a bit x

 

[Lol Schofield]

I've not been having a problem with wear , this is what I do
Prep nails as usual, base coat, cure, colour x 2 cure , non wipe topcoat cure, then use a lint free (paper style) pad then gently wipe over the nail , apply chrome pigment with a soft sponge applicator, mega gloss over the top then cure

 

[Louisepalmer]

Titterbug, when you say you top coat is that with your normal top coat that you wipe or the non wipe? And you do two top coats after the chrome powder application?

Desperate to get this right x

 

[Titterbug]

I use my normal gel top coat x2 and wipe xsx

 

[Kurst87]

Ladies have any of you had cracking issues when applied to Natural nails ? This was applied Friday afternoon and when going to work this morning I noticed lots of hairline cracks by time i finished today they looked like this . I'm not a nail tech and signed up pureply to find out whats happened . I've to go back to salon on Tuesday but they are as stumped as i am

 

[x Fee x]

Ladies have any of you had cracking issues when applied to Natural nails ? This was applied Friday afternoon and when going to work this morning I noticed lots of hairline cracks by time i finished today they looked like this . I'm not a nail tech and signed up pureply to find out whats happened . I've to go back to salon on Tuesday but they are as stumped as i am

As you aren't a nail tech, and may not be aware of what products the salon are using, it might be hard to get to the bottom of. Do you happen to know?

But your nails look very much like what happens if a hard gel top coat, designed for use only over extensions, is put over a gel polish, rather than a soak off gel topcoat like the one is supposed to go with the gel polish system.

The application also looks to be very thin- I can only just about detect a layer of colour on your nails (black?) at all.

Were base coat, and two colour coats of product applied to the nails before the chrome powder?

 

[Titterbug]

Mine is Applied to my own natural nail and I have had no problems at all...it's been 1 and a half weeks so just got a bit of growth x

I have it only on one nail but I have had no problems at all xx

 

[Kurst87]

As you aren't a nail tech, and may not be aware of what products the salon are using, it might be hard to get to the bottom of. Do you happen to know?

But your nails look very much like what happens if a hard gel top coat, designed for use only over extensions, is put over a gel polish, rather than a soak off gel topcoat like the one is supposed to go with the gel polish system.

The application also looks to be very thin- I can only just about detect a layer of colour on your nails (black?) at all.

Were base coat, and two colour coats of product applied to the nails before the chrome powder?

Thanks for reply . I know it was a standard shellac manicure 2x coats under chrome . There was a non wipe coat applied prior to chrome but unsure if it was shellac top coat or the non wipe that was applied afterward . I had to get a gel extention on one nail that had snapped quite far and weirdly that is only nail thats hasnt cracked or peeled off . So thats what had me thinking it was more of a stability issue due to nail length and i work as a room attendant so a very handsy/manual job . Thanks for response

 

[Cindy2021]

Some top coats are intended for nail enhancements and not natural nails as they are flexible and can cause the top coat to shatter.
Hopefully your nail tech will be able to identify the issue when they see your nails

 

[NVX]

We've been getting crazing / flaking reported by several clients, and have taken chrome pigments off the menu until we figure out what the issue is. Tried with 3 different no-wipe gel top coat brands, and both OPI and Shellac regular top coats. Getting to our wits end.

 

[LunarNails]

I haven't had a problem with chrome on natural nails, this is what I do:

Prep nails and apply base coat, cure.
Apply first coat of colour, cure.
Apply second coat of colour, cure.
Apply non wipe topcoat, cure.
Then I gently buff over the surface of the nail so it's perfectly smooth with no bumps or ridges. Then remove all dust.
Apply second non wipe topcoat, cure.
Use silicone applicator to really push the chrome into the surface of the nail.
Use fan brush to dust excess chrome off of the nail and surrounding skin.
Apply non wipe topcoat.

I haven't had any problems and I think this is partially due to dusting off the excess, as loose dust will ruin the chrome look and also stop the topcoat adhering quite as well.

I hope you manage to solve the problem, I'm loving chrome nails [emoji5]️

 

[Jay ban]

I haven't had a problem with chrome on natural nails, this is what I do:

Prep nails and apply base coat, cure.
Apply first coat of colour, cure.
Apply second coat of colour, cure.
Apply non wipe topcoat, cure.
Then I gently buff over the surface of the nail so it's perfectly smooth with no bumps or ridges. Then remove all dust.
Apply second non wipe topcoat, cure.
Use silicone applicator to really push the chrome into the surface of the nail.
Use fan brush to dust excess chrome off of the nail and surrounding skin.
Apply non wipe topcoat.

I haven't had any problems and I think this is partially due to dusting off the excess, as loose dust will ruin the chrome look and also stop the topcoat adhering quite as well.

I hope you manage to solve the problem, I'm loving chrome nails [emoji5]️

Hi so can I just ask do u put 2x layers of no wipe top coat before u actually add the pigment ? And do you buff gently with an actual white block buffer ? This is just Antonine me so much because I love the chrome look so do my customers but they are just wearing away after a few days x

 

[Faithy]

Hi so can I just ask do u put 2x layers of no wipe top coat before u actually add the pigment ? And do you buff gently with an actual white block buffer ? This is just Antonine me so much because I love the chrome look so do my customers but they are just wearing away after a few days x

This is what I do and I've had it last 3 weeks on a client with no probs just regrowth

Do gel colour as normal, Apply no wipe top coat then flash cure for 10 seconds (if using CND lamp do under number 1 twice) apply pigment then put back in for a full cure. Apply topcoat x2 making sure to cap all of free edge.