CND Shellac vs other gel brands

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charlottef91

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Hi Ladies
I’m new here but hoping your years of experience can help me!
I have been using CND Shellac since February when I qualified from the Sweet Squared course. I have done really well with getting clients but am struggling with getting them to come back as it’s actually rare that the Shellac lasts the two weeks it’s supposed to. Most people get a week but that’s about all and I’m so so disheartened by this.
Initially I went back to the trainer and showed her my technique and she assured me I am doing everything correctly. I then purchased Give Me Strength from Magpie and that has been helping but still isn’t getting people to two weeks.
I am booked in for January to do a gel conversion course so that I can then use any brand and I was wondering if you ladies could give me any advise or recommendations around alternative brands please? I’d like to use a well known brand ideally such as Gelish, The Gel Bottle, OPI etc. & I don’t really want to purchase a new lamp so something that would work with my CND lamp would be great.
Also, is it possible once I do have a new brand to use, to use CND Shellac colours along side a base, top (& maybe strengthener) from another brand?
Any advise would be great fully received.
Thanks in advance.
Charlotte
 
If you want something harder wearing that works with your CND lamp you could always try the gel polish by CND, it's called Creative Play. Although you should get 2 weeks out of Shellac for sure, it's not as hard wearing as a gel polish, and clients would at the minimum want 2 weeks out of their gel polish. I find most of them do expect 3 weeks with no chipping. They also need to make sure they use cuticle oil every day as well, so that they can get as much out of their manicure as possible. I used CND before, specifically Creative Play gel polish and brisa gel. Their colours are nice and cover well for the most part and hard wearing. I eventually moved away from cnd to a cruelty free brand, of which there are many.
 
If you want something harder wearing that works with your CND lamp you could always try the gel polish by CND, it's called Creative Play. Although you should get 2 weeks out of Shellac for sure, it's not as hard wearing as a gel polish, and clients would at the minimum want 2 weeks out of their gel polish. I find most of them do expect 3 weeks with no chipping. They also need to make sure they use cuticle oil every day as well, so that they can get as much out of their manicure as possible. I used CND before, specifically Creative Play gel polish and brisa gel. Their colours are nice and cover well for the most part and hard wearing. I eventually moved away from cnd to a cruelty free brand, of which there are many.

I give a free mini bottle of CND Solar Oil to my clients which they say they do use daily but it’s rare for them to get to two weeks. I’m wanting to move to a brand that’s pure gel I think, rather than the CND hybrid, as from what I’ve read that lasts longer. Which brands do you use?
 
I give a free mini bottle of CND Solar Oil to my clients which they say they do use daily but it’s rare for them to get to two weeks. I’m wanting to move to a brand that’s pure gel I think, rather than the CND hybrid, as from what I’ve read that lasts longer. Which brands do you use?

I use Lilly Nails, but there are many good brands out there.
Have you tried Creative Play gel polish and still getting poor results by the way?
 
I use Lilly Nails, but there are many good brands out there.
Have you tried Creative Play gel polish and still getting poor results by the way?

No, I haven’t used Creative Play but to be honest I don’t think I want to invest any more money in CND - I dread to think how much I’ve already spent!! I will continue to offer CND for people who want that but would like to have an alternative, pure gel brand to offer alongside that, once I’ve done the conversion course in January.
Have you ever used The Gel Bottle, Gelish or OPI?
 
No, I haven’t used Creative Play but to be honest I don’t think I want to invest any more money in CND - I dread to think how much I’ve already spent!! I will continue to offer CND for people who want that but would like to have an alternative, pure gel brand to offer alongside that, once I’ve done the conversion course in January.
Have you ever used The Gel Bottle, Gelish or OPI?

I have not used Gelish or OPI. But if I may be quite honest and with all my best intentions, I do not think swapping brands will magically make your issues go away. Even Shellac, which is not as hard wearing as a gel polish, should get the full two weeks wear or more if applied correctly. There might be something in your PEP that is wrong, it could be something very small, or even in your application. Every single person who experiences lifting with gel/acrylic/gel polish all say they do very thorough prep of the nail but in each case there's usually something seemingly insignificant.
Changing brands can be expensive, and is no magic cure. The reason I suggested trying Creative Play is because it is a good gel polish, and you wouldn't have to invest a lot of money in new lamps. All you need is the base, top, and a few colours to try out, if you wanted to try a true gel polish.:)
As for mixing another base/top from a different brand with Shellac I don't recommend it.
 
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Yes, changing brands can be quite expensive, and, to be honest, often not effective. Since two weeks is reasonable median wear for CND Shellac and you're consistently not getting that, there's very likely something wrong with your application. I know you've worked hard at this, but I'd recommend taking yet another hard look at your prep and application for CND Shellac. Consult someone else who is getting the full two weeks. Maybe post your prep and application here and let these wise women take a whack at it. As 7th-Heaven says, it is often something quite small that makes the difference. Your next step should be trying Creative Play since it is the most cost effective way of trying something new. I understand that you're feeling disappointed with CND, but it is an excellent brand, a good investment, and it would be a shame to overlook a possible easy solution. Switching to a new brand will require a new lamp and perhaps more. And CND Shellac absolutely rules out mixing any of its components with other brands.

That said, I have used a number of brands and have found several that I like. I like CND Shellac lot, but is not as long wearing as I need. Gelish is excellent and long wearing as is LeChat Perfect Match, Cuccio, and Artistic Color Gloss. I use them occasionally, but none have the easy removal of CND Shellac. So, OPI is my choice. I've always loved their iconic colors in regular polish and their GelColours collection is huge. Their base coats are hybrid and make for easy removal. And their education and customer service is second only to CND. So after using CND Shellac for two years, I switched to OPI GelColours six years ago, and I have been very happy with OPI.
 
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