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Judge Gigi-Honorary Geek
Using a pre-mixed or Gel product for making nail enhancements requires a completely different brush technique to Liquid/Powder enhancements. The way you hold the brush will be slightly different and the angles at which you work with the brush are also different. In fact the brush is different being made of synthetic bristles rather than natural hair, which would be too soft to support the product.
As with anything, there are many techniques that can be employed to make a beautiful result with gel. I will detail a couple of them but if you are working and making beautiful enhancements using a technique that is different to the ones I mention, then dont change. If however you have not got a set routine then some of the ideas listed may help you to develop your own style and efficient way of working.
Gel products vary, as do the products in other systems. There are many gels that are generic (basically all bought from the same manufacturer and labeled by the supplier) and there are others that are branded and still another with very new technology and patented chemistry. They all have their own different feel and characteristics and you as the technician must be adaptable to change and learn how to work differently if you decide to change from one system to another.
Some gels hold their shape, some are runny, some become surface smooth when cured under the UV lamp and others tend to pool or self-level, some are very sticky and stringy and some are not. Some gels are one component and some are three component. This really means that the system uses one gel for every layer or three different gels to be employed for each different layer.
Whatever type of gel you use, the steps to making an enhancement of one colour are the same: The first layer (generally known as the Bonder Layer) is thin; the second layer (generally known as the Builder Layer is thicker), and the final layer (generally known as the Finishing Layer or top coat glossy layer which is thin). Each layer necessitates a different brush technique.
The Bonder Layer
The grip on the brush is as normal (as described in Brush Control Part 1 Getting a grip) and the angle of the brush when working is similar to painting a nail.
The bonder layer is always thin and brushed well onto the nail surface. Some describe it as scrubbing the gel onto the surface but that description always makes me cringe at the thought of the brush doing the scrubbing! Not good for the brush! I prefer to describe the brushing technique as similar to painting a wall with a brush and emulsion paint. You never paint in one direction only, but in several directions working the paint smoothly onto the wall. Similarly, this is how you will work the gel onto the nail plate when doing this first bonder layer. Always make sure that you have control of the brush and never let the gel touch the skin surrounding the nail plate. If you like you can finish off your brushing in one direction from eponychium to free edge making sure you also carry the gel along the sides and the free edge. Cure under the UV Lamp that belongs to your system and for the recommended time for your system.
Particular attention should be paid to making sure that every layer of gel is brushed onto the sides and free edge of the nail to ensure the entire nail is encased in gel. If you neglect this step, the gel will tend to split away or chip away from the free edge area later. Remember that gels tend to shrink or pull away from where you have placed them when curing, so you must compensate for this trait by capping the end of the nail.
The Builder Layer - Technique number I
The grip on the brush is as normal and the angle of the brush when working is perpendicular or at a right angle to the nail. (Handle straight up in the air)
This is the layer where things get very different to Liquid/Powder technique. The reason for this is that gel is a totally different medium and being sticky, it is not possible to pat it into the shape you want. Instead you must tease it into the shape you want and very delicately.
Take a scoop of gel onto your brush and then laying the bristles of the brush across zone 2, twizzle or twist the brush out of the bead depositing the bead in zone 2. The bead should be about the size of a petit pois, or very small pea, for the index middle and ring finger; slightly larger for the thumb and smaller for the pinky finger.
Your brush should be in a nice point and now holding it with the handle straight up in the air you will use only the point of the brush to move parts of the bead where you want them, leaving the bulk of the bead in zone 2 where you want the apex.
The important thing is not to let the point of the brush come into contact with the nail plate. It should stay on or near the surface of the bead and drag the gel to the area you wish to cover. If you let the brush come into contact with the nail plate, the surface of your enhancement will be lumpy and full of ridges, which will only have to be filed out later.
So lets get back to the bead sitting in zone 2 waiting to be moved. I start at the left hand side of the bead (lefties may want to start on the right) and using the point of my brush I drag some of the gel from my main bead, up the side of the nail plate to the eponychium and leave it there. I go back to the bead and drag more gel up to the eponychium and so on until zone 3 is evenly covered. Next I start again on the left and drag the gel down the left hand side of zone 1 making sure I cover the edge. I then go back and do the same again working my way across the tip until it is covered evenly. The last move is to make sure that the free edge is capped or covered with gel. This you can do by simply brushing gently along the edge of the tip with the gel on your brush.
It is worth having a good look at what you have done from all angles to see if there is anything you need to correct or any dips that need to be filled, before curing under the UV Lamp.
If you need to fill a gap or a dip, simply touch the point of your brush to the gel on one side of the dip, pick it up and then touch the other side of the dip with the point of the brush. Doing this will pick up a small strand of gel and deposit it where you want it. You may do this as many times as you need to fill the gap but a warning the less you play with the gel the better. Less is definitely more with gel or you can get into more difficulties than you want.
When satisfied, cure under the UV Lamp that belongs to your system and for the recommended time for your system. You may add a second builder layer of gel if needed.
After curing, wipe away the sticky inhibition layer of gel with a lint free pad and the recommended solution for your system.
Using a 180 grit abrasive, gently shape and refine the enhancement.
The Builder Layer - Technique number II
The technique I personally use is what I call the 'log' technique and for me this builds a central vertical apex down the whole length of the nail for great strength and also a beautifully rounded C curve.
Take a scoop of gel onto your brush and then laying the bristles of the brush
vertically down the centre of the nail, twist the bead out of the brush so it forms a log down the centre of the whole nail.
Your brush should be in a nice point and now holding it with the handle straight up in the air you will use only the point of the brush to move parts of the bead where you want them, leaving the bulk of the bead in centre of the nail where you want the apex.
Working from the central 'log' of gel and starting at the Eponychium, 'tease' the product out and to one side of the nail and then the same on the other side making sure not to let the product come into contact with the skin.
It is worth having a good look at what you have done from all angles to see if there is anything you need to correct or any dips that need to be filled, before curing under the UV Lamp.
When satisfied, cure under the UV Lamp that belongs to your system and for the recommended time for your system. You may add a second builder layer of gel if needed.
After curing, wipe away the sticky inhibition layer of gel with a lint free pad and the recommended solution for your system.
Using a 180 grit abrasive, gently shape and refine the enhancement.
The Top Coat Gloss
The grip on the brush is as normal and the angle of the brush when working is similar to painting a nail.
One of the things that makes gels popular with clients is the permanent nature of the glossy surface of the enhancement. As gels do not break down easily with solvents, the Top Coat Gloss will stay beautifully shiny even after enamel has been removed.
Once all dust has been removed after filing, apply your Finishing Layer of gel. This layer is pretty much applied as you would apply nail enamel making sure the sides and free edge are covered.
When satisfied, cure under the UV Lamp that belongs to your system and for the recommended time for your system.
Note:
Make sure you 'cap', or cover, the sides and the free edge of the nail enhancement with every layer of gel.
Always keep uncured gel off both the client's and your skin.
There is a tendency to apply gels too thinly. Make sure that your gel enhancements are as strong as a liquid and powder enhancement by giving them the same strength over the stress area.
As with anything, there are many techniques that can be employed to make a beautiful result with gel. I will detail a couple of them but if you are working and making beautiful enhancements using a technique that is different to the ones I mention, then dont change. If however you have not got a set routine then some of the ideas listed may help you to develop your own style and efficient way of working.
Gel products vary, as do the products in other systems. There are many gels that are generic (basically all bought from the same manufacturer and labeled by the supplier) and there are others that are branded and still another with very new technology and patented chemistry. They all have their own different feel and characteristics and you as the technician must be adaptable to change and learn how to work differently if you decide to change from one system to another.
Some gels hold their shape, some are runny, some become surface smooth when cured under the UV lamp and others tend to pool or self-level, some are very sticky and stringy and some are not. Some gels are one component and some are three component. This really means that the system uses one gel for every layer or three different gels to be employed for each different layer.
Whatever type of gel you use, the steps to making an enhancement of one colour are the same: The first layer (generally known as the Bonder Layer) is thin; the second layer (generally known as the Builder Layer is thicker), and the final layer (generally known as the Finishing Layer or top coat glossy layer which is thin). Each layer necessitates a different brush technique.
The Bonder Layer
The grip on the brush is as normal (as described in Brush Control Part 1 Getting a grip) and the angle of the brush when working is similar to painting a nail.
The bonder layer is always thin and brushed well onto the nail surface. Some describe it as scrubbing the gel onto the surface but that description always makes me cringe at the thought of the brush doing the scrubbing! Not good for the brush! I prefer to describe the brushing technique as similar to painting a wall with a brush and emulsion paint. You never paint in one direction only, but in several directions working the paint smoothly onto the wall. Similarly, this is how you will work the gel onto the nail plate when doing this first bonder layer. Always make sure that you have control of the brush and never let the gel touch the skin surrounding the nail plate. If you like you can finish off your brushing in one direction from eponychium to free edge making sure you also carry the gel along the sides and the free edge. Cure under the UV Lamp that belongs to your system and for the recommended time for your system.
Particular attention should be paid to making sure that every layer of gel is brushed onto the sides and free edge of the nail to ensure the entire nail is encased in gel. If you neglect this step, the gel will tend to split away or chip away from the free edge area later. Remember that gels tend to shrink or pull away from where you have placed them when curing, so you must compensate for this trait by capping the end of the nail.
The Builder Layer - Technique number I
The grip on the brush is as normal and the angle of the brush when working is perpendicular or at a right angle to the nail. (Handle straight up in the air)
This is the layer where things get very different to Liquid/Powder technique. The reason for this is that gel is a totally different medium and being sticky, it is not possible to pat it into the shape you want. Instead you must tease it into the shape you want and very delicately.
Take a scoop of gel onto your brush and then laying the bristles of the brush across zone 2, twizzle or twist the brush out of the bead depositing the bead in zone 2. The bead should be about the size of a petit pois, or very small pea, for the index middle and ring finger; slightly larger for the thumb and smaller for the pinky finger.
Your brush should be in a nice point and now holding it with the handle straight up in the air you will use only the point of the brush to move parts of the bead where you want them, leaving the bulk of the bead in zone 2 where you want the apex.
The important thing is not to let the point of the brush come into contact with the nail plate. It should stay on or near the surface of the bead and drag the gel to the area you wish to cover. If you let the brush come into contact with the nail plate, the surface of your enhancement will be lumpy and full of ridges, which will only have to be filed out later.
So lets get back to the bead sitting in zone 2 waiting to be moved. I start at the left hand side of the bead (lefties may want to start on the right) and using the point of my brush I drag some of the gel from my main bead, up the side of the nail plate to the eponychium and leave it there. I go back to the bead and drag more gel up to the eponychium and so on until zone 3 is evenly covered. Next I start again on the left and drag the gel down the left hand side of zone 1 making sure I cover the edge. I then go back and do the same again working my way across the tip until it is covered evenly. The last move is to make sure that the free edge is capped or covered with gel. This you can do by simply brushing gently along the edge of the tip with the gel on your brush.
It is worth having a good look at what you have done from all angles to see if there is anything you need to correct or any dips that need to be filled, before curing under the UV Lamp.
If you need to fill a gap or a dip, simply touch the point of your brush to the gel on one side of the dip, pick it up and then touch the other side of the dip with the point of the brush. Doing this will pick up a small strand of gel and deposit it where you want it. You may do this as many times as you need to fill the gap but a warning the less you play with the gel the better. Less is definitely more with gel or you can get into more difficulties than you want.
When satisfied, cure under the UV Lamp that belongs to your system and for the recommended time for your system. You may add a second builder layer of gel if needed.
After curing, wipe away the sticky inhibition layer of gel with a lint free pad and the recommended solution for your system.
Using a 180 grit abrasive, gently shape and refine the enhancement.
The Builder Layer - Technique number II
The technique I personally use is what I call the 'log' technique and for me this builds a central vertical apex down the whole length of the nail for great strength and also a beautifully rounded C curve.
Take a scoop of gel onto your brush and then laying the bristles of the brush
vertically down the centre of the nail, twist the bead out of the brush so it forms a log down the centre of the whole nail.
Your brush should be in a nice point and now holding it with the handle straight up in the air you will use only the point of the brush to move parts of the bead where you want them, leaving the bulk of the bead in centre of the nail where you want the apex.
Working from the central 'log' of gel and starting at the Eponychium, 'tease' the product out and to one side of the nail and then the same on the other side making sure not to let the product come into contact with the skin.
It is worth having a good look at what you have done from all angles to see if there is anything you need to correct or any dips that need to be filled, before curing under the UV Lamp.
When satisfied, cure under the UV Lamp that belongs to your system and for the recommended time for your system. You may add a second builder layer of gel if needed.
After curing, wipe away the sticky inhibition layer of gel with a lint free pad and the recommended solution for your system.
Using a 180 grit abrasive, gently shape and refine the enhancement.
The Top Coat Gloss
The grip on the brush is as normal and the angle of the brush when working is similar to painting a nail.
One of the things that makes gels popular with clients is the permanent nature of the glossy surface of the enhancement. As gels do not break down easily with solvents, the Top Coat Gloss will stay beautifully shiny even after enamel has been removed.
Once all dust has been removed after filing, apply your Finishing Layer of gel. This layer is pretty much applied as you would apply nail enamel making sure the sides and free edge are covered.
When satisfied, cure under the UV Lamp that belongs to your system and for the recommended time for your system.
Note:
- A different brush technique is used for the builder layer when using the new technology gels from Creative Nail Design. Brisa Gels are not as sticky as generic gels and can be manipulated in a different way.
- It is also important to note that there are many different types of gel. It is always a good thing to do a class with the supplier of your chosen products. It only makes sense to let them teach you the techniques that work best for their system.
Make sure you 'cap', or cover, the sides and the free edge of the nail enhancement with every layer of gel.
Always keep uncured gel off both the client's and your skin.
There is a tendency to apply gels too thinly. Make sure that your gel enhancements are as strong as a liquid and powder enhancement by giving them the same strength over the stress area.
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