Gel Disaster Day

[champagne]

I am sooooooooo fed up I want to throw all my gel away.......

I havent done any gel except toes since May.

I have a set booked in next week so thought id get it out today for a play...

Well it was a disaster !

I watched my brisa dvd last night but I cant get the shape right, they are far too flat, i tried doing the white first, then the reverse and I cant get the thickness of zone 1 or 2 right, smile lines are fine.

Im getting really stressed...

1. Bonding
2. Thin layer of pink
3. Build up clear (cutting out for smile)
4. White gel zone1
5. Refine & top coat

I then tried POW which i dont like using as it seems to look too fake & looks like its just been painted on iykwim.

How much of each approx should be going on, should i be using a similar amount to L&P?

I need some help desperately, I have never really practiced too much with gel and this has now become a gel phobia.

any help would be greatly appreciated before i lock myself in my room and never come out.

thankyou to anyone who can help xx

 

[champagne]

Come on all you gel experts pleeeeeeze xx

 

[ValencianNails]

I watched my brisa dvd last night but I cant get the shape right, they are far too flat

You place a bead the size of a petit pois (posh peas lol) and feather it out towards zones 3 and 1, leaving the majority of it in zone 2, when you have a good shape freeze cure for 10 seconds before moving on to the next nail. I usually work on 2 nails at a time on each hand, then do the thumbs last.

You can, if you don't have much of an apex) turn the hand over and leave it for a few seconds for the gel to 'form' in zone 2, thus creating more of an apex. (I personally don't use that method).

Have you tried doing your white first, then using clear/pink in zones 2 and 3 afterwards? (as per L+P)

Don't give up on gel, it's a popular service :hug:

 

[champagne]

I cant give it up .... I have to do it ......

Im doing all the locking....I just cant seem to get it built up enough arrghhhhhh

 

[ValencianNails]

Are you applying enough gel?

Are you moving too much gel away from your intial bead?

Is the 'form' of the nail thicker at the sidewalls than it should be?

 

[champagne]

I am doing a full set tomorrow on one of the hairdressers so I will see how i get on....

I know what I should be doing and thats making it all the more frustrating ........I think i am moving too much gel away & also prob not getting enough on there in the 1st place.

I sculpted some today did zone 2 & 3 1st with no problem but with the tips it all went to pot...

 

[fifitrix]

Just a thought, are you maybe being a wee bit heavy handed with your brush? By that I mean, are you placing the correct amount of gel but pushing it flatter instead of floating it or gently working it? I don't mean that in a bad way but when you are used to doing l&p then do gel as you know it is so different. :hug:

 

[Bagpuss]

Alot of people make the mistake of not using enough gel.....it files off so easy that mistakes can be quickly rectified.

The brush work with gel is so different than with L&P...its very gentle, just teasing the gel into place...not pushing...no patting.

 

[adelekeegan1]

Someone said to me once that you just 'tickle it into place'........works for me

 

[Gina Silvestro]

BFBFB.. Big Fat Blobs Float Better... Thats what one of my students came up with at a class and she kept chanting it while she was working with the gel. hehehehe... Its true though, if you don't have enough gel on the nail you will end up spreading it too thin.

Also, I never "wipe" it on, because if you do you will actually be wiping it off... The gel is like a magnet, the molecules will attract to one another so all you have to do is touch your brush to the bead you placed on the nail and you can drag it down the nail. Pause and give it a little shove back if you notice you are dragging too much and making a dip. I call it push/pull all the way down.

I have some tutorials on my website www.gelessentialz.com you can view. When you are watching, don't look at the nail I'm creating, but rather look at my hand, the brush angle/position, the movement of my brush. You can see that I use a very light touch at all times, I even hold my brush lightly and feather it over the gel.

Also remember, if its too thin, you can always add another layer.Practice makes perfect! Hope this helps and feel free to email me if you need to.

 

[beautynails]

BFBFB.. Big Fat Blobs Float Better...

LOL. Love it.