Gel polish cracking

[Beauty By Lynda]

Hi Geeks,

I wonder if any of you could help me?

A lot of my gel polishes seam to be cracking on my clients lately. I am using a few different brands so i cant seam to pin point what is happening or causing it.
First i thought it might be the top coat i was using so i changed it to a different brand but that hasn't made a difference.
They are tiny little hair line cracks.
Has anything like this happened to any of ye?

 

[cheekychick]

To start off with, What products are you using?
Base?
Colour?
Top coat? Etc

 

[asteropi]

It's not very clear in the picture but it seems as though the top coat is peeling off, whilst the colour stays intact.
What brands are you using?
From your post I've understood that you are mixing systems (pex shellac colour with gelish top coat). Try not to do this and use a system as a whole

 

[sammi010]

Are you using the correct base and top coat for the system? If you are mixing and matching that could be your problem.

I use 3 different brands of gel polish but use the appropriate brand top and base coat.

 

[Beauty By Lynda]

I was using all Semilac products initially, base, color and topcoat but when clients started to come back i changed to a different top coat.
Now im using an IBD one.
The other brands im using are sunflower and bluesky.

Its really starting to stress me out as i cant see where im going wrong!

 

[Bronstar]

I was using all Semilac products initially, base, color and topcoat but when clients started to come back i changed to a different top coat.
Now im using an IBD one.
The other brands im using are sunflower and bluesky.

Its really starting to stress me out as i cant see where im going wrong!

So are you using the full IBD system? base, colour and top, or using a different top to the colour and base?

 

[cheekychick]

At a glance I'd say the cracking could be down to the gel being applied too thickly.

However if you are mixing that many brands it could literally be anything.

 

[asteropi]

I was using all Semilac products initially, base, color and topcoat but when clients started to come back i changed to a different top coat.
Now im using an IBD one.
The other brands im using are sunflower and bluesky.

Its really starting to stress me out as i cant see where im going wrong!

I was having stupid problems like this when I didn't have enough money and I too was mixing and matching systems.
IBD is a fabulous brand, but you need to use it correctly. So get the base coat and the colours from IBD too and you shouldn't have any problems. Try to apply very very thin coats too.
I'd sway away from bluesky and similar brands as they are non-professional

 

[Stook]

I always use a full system. So, if a client wants shellac they get CND prep products, base coat, colour and top coat cured in a CND lamp.

I also use Ink and Gel II and stick to this principle - I don't like the idea of mixing brands.

 

[Charlotte Burton]

It could be that the gel is too thick.
As some gel is hard, it would not be able to be "supported" by a soft base (ie customer's soft nails)