different builder to top gel & white tip

[laurab71]

Hi there.
I have just been doing my research on mixing some gels & i wondered if someone had a little bit of advice for me.
I haven`t been going long, a month & a bit, but business is really picking up. I have done a few sets of enhancements, mainly acrylic.
The problem i have is with the gel. I have the edge gel but i have never really been that impressed with it. As it is self-leveling, i think it is really only suitable for people with a natural apex, as i have not mastered the art of how to build an apex with gel. So what i thought i could do is, use another builder gel underneath & continue to use the edge as a top gel & the hollywood white for tips. I just need something to give it that lovely arch in the middle.
I have tried to build an apex with the edge gel, but it doesn`t want to play. I think it is to runny for that. So you end up with bulkiness in the middle, as to much is being applied, which then goes cloudy.
So, can i use a different builder gel but continue to use my present gel as a top gel & the hollywood white for tips ?
Laws.x.

 

[ValencianNails]

Why not try adding another layer of gel to just zone 2, see how it looks, if not enough then add a tad more, then buff the nail to finish before the final gloss application and it should be ok.

Have you tried 'freeze curing' the gel for 10 seconds for each finger?

 

[laurab71]

what is freeze curing? i was never told this at college. The edge just doesn`t want to build that apex. I personnally think it is `too self leveling`.

 

[sam1]

freeze curing is a quick ten second cure to hold the product in place, so it doesn't run every where. You can build the apex by using a thicker "blob"(great tech term) and placing it where you want your apex to be then freeze cure it straight away before it levels too much.

 

[alli bongo]

Hi there I have been doing nails for about 4 years now and have always used self levelling Gel. I find it great to use. Sam1 is right you need to freeze each finger. I was taught to put a line (or blob!) of gel on the stress line of one finger on say the right hand and put it in light box do the same with one finger on left hand then swap over and carry on until all nails have been done. this gives you the shape you need. The trick I found with self levelling is not to try and do more than one finger at a time especially when you start out or by the time you come to the third finger the first finger has got more gel on the finger than on the nail!! Good luck

 

[laurab71]

Thanks ladies. I will have to try this when i get back off my hols. Thing is, my nails are still suffering from the allergic reaction i got to the pediscrub i was using, but i think i will have to give it a go no matter what. It would be a shame to get rid of my edge as i really like the acrylic, so i would feel a bit of a traitor to the gel. Funny how we see things.
Cheers,
Laws.x.