Disguising the free edge seen through the tip..?

[bimbogeri]

I've been playing with gel tip & overlays on myself using natural tips and clear gel.
The problem is, I'm having to then do a french polish over the finished nails because I can see my natural free edge through the tip. I've just ordered some clear tips because I'd heard they were easier to blend and wanted to try glitter tips, but how on earth can I disguise my free edge through these?
I even tried using pink and white gel, but no dice - still too see-through.
Is there some industry trick I'm missing?
It's probably something obvious that I would know if I had done gel training, but at the moment I'm just playing with a trial kit to get the feel of it.
Thanks!
Lol x

 

[Fab Freak]

Wish I could help you out, but I dont use Gel yet (roll on Sept 14th) which gel are you using as this might help the others give you some good pointers....

 

[bimbogeri]

I'm using The Edge system at the moment over natural tips. The Edge Olympia off the top of my head, I think, and the tips I've ordered are clear tips from Nail Order.
Lol x

 

[PLAOH]

I use winter white gel and pink builder gel from IBD and have no probs with the free edge showing through. Are you're nails very short? Do you mean that you can see the free edge through the pink?

Kind Regards

 

[bimbogeri]

Sorry, I don't think I've explained myself very well.
What I mean is, I can see the white part of my free edge, and the point where my natural nail ends, through the free edge part of the tip, so I'm having to then do a french polish on the whole nail so that you can't see through to the natural nail underneath.
I can actually see the tip join as well, but I think this is my poor blending, and the fact that I still can't get every tip joined 100& bubble-free (in terms of the glue) so it's quite obvious that I'm wearing nail tips.

I tried using the pink and white gels from my Edge trial pack, but you can still see the nail through them.
I'm going to buy some IBD gel from Ellison's I think, but would like to work out why I can still see through before I spend more money.
Is is a fact of life (or should that be a fact of nails ) that unless you are using white tips, in which case major blending required, that you will see the natural nail through the tips, and therefore must master the art of pink and white gel rather than using clear? Or do I simply continue using polish over my extensions to disguise the natural nail?
Lol x

 

[angel fingers]

are you leaving your free edge too long. you would normaly file it to about 1mm and then fit the tip. or have i missunderstood your post ?

 

[angel fingers]

also, another thought, have you looked at anna la jourdies gel tutorials on www.polished.ca .they helped me a lot.

 

[Nailsinlondon1]

You can make a natural tip and a clear overlay look pretty damn good.............
If you do this:
The tip here is, remove as much of the natural nail free edge as possible.......... so when you adhere the tip there is no natural free edge to be seen...........
Airbubbles are caused by to much resin and the tip not being rocked on to the nail.....
Slide the nail up to the free edge and then rock it into place.........

To avoid this completely and to make blending a breeze, pre-blend your tip, reduce the well area to a minimum, this way your blending is reduced to a simple blend and buff...........

The well area is only usefull if you have an odd shaped nail, one that would need the sidewall to give the nail a good shape and structure, to replace a missing or mishaped sidewall.......... as in server nail biters with triangle shaped natural nails......... you know the ones that bite them into a point........
On another note, mastering the forever french look with gels is greatly to your advantage.............it adds another string to your bow and another service to your menu .............
As said look at Anna's website, her tutorials are brill and she is a kick butt cheek Gel Technician...............
Give this a try xxx

 

[bimbogeri]

Thanks so much for everyone's replies!
Yep, I was leaving the free edge too long About 3mm rather than 1, and although I am doing the rocking motion for applying the tips, I think I may be using too much glue.
Would people recommend putting the glue onto the nail or the tip??

Also, how much of the well area would you leave after the stop point? I'm leaving it so that the tip covers about 1/3 of the nail plate - is this too much?
I've looked at a couple of tutorials, and they seem to show no well area at all - the cuticle end of the tip is curved into a smile line rather than straight across. Should I be removing the whole well area or cutting it to match the stop point rather than a straight line?
Oh, so many questions!

Lol x

 

[angel fingers]

i remove my well area with a file, until i have about 1mm left. so when i fit to the nail its sits just above the smile line. then it's easier to blend in.

 

[Glorsclaws]

I sometimes file out the well area but, since I got my nifty curved scissors, I mostly cut it out cos if the clients free edge goes off on a tangent along just one sidewall, I can pre-tailor it perfectly to fit.
I only need about 1mm of contact area unless its a biter.
Creatives Gelbond is an ace adhesive when first starting out, its thicker and takes longer to set so gives you extra time to get the fit right as well as squidging into any little gaps ... less air bubble probs.
You can put a little adhesive along the free edge as well as the tip but make sure youre not flooding it as this will also show through.

 

[mgloverfam]

I sometimes file out the well area but, since I got my nifty curved scissors, I mostly cut it out cos if the clients free edge goes off on a tangent along just one sidewall, I can pre-tailor it perfectly to fit.
I only need about 1mm of contact area unless its a biter.
Creatives Gelbond is an ace adhesive when first starting out, its thicker and takes longer to set so gives you extra time to get the fit right as well as squidging into any little gaps ... less air bubble probs.
You can put a little adhesive along the free edge as well as the tip but make sure youre not flooding it as this will also show through.

I do the same thing as Glo. I file out my well area mostly, but not completly. Put and thin line of Gelbond on the filed down free edge, and a tiny smudge of it on the tip. Rock it on, and hold it for a few seconds. I love Gelbond, it's the best. I match the smile line of the tip with the smile line of the nail.