Gel polish recommendations please

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Vickylou1989

Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2014
Messages
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Location
Gloucestershire
Hey lovelies,

I’m currently using CND shellac and have been for a number of years. I have been debating on whether to change brands as I have had a few issues recently and the newer lamps are awful! Wish I kept my original bulky one!

If you could give me you recommendations that would be great.

I’ve been thinking:
The gel bottle
Ink London
OPI gel (currently use OPI for normal polish which I love)
Magpie.

TIA XX
 
Hey lovelies,

I’m currently using CND shellac and have been for a number of years. I have been debating on whether to change brands as I have had a few issues recently and the newer lamps are awful! Wish I kept my original bulky one!

If you could give me you recommendations that would be great.

I’ve been thinking:
The gel bottle
Ink London
OPI gel (currently use OPI for normal polish which I love)
Magpie.

TIA XX
Take a look at ikon iq prima gel, if you use the search bar on here you can see all the great reviews from it
 
Ikon.iQ Nails, the way to go.
[emoji1360]
 
Ink london are fab. And love that there a British brand
 
Made a jump to ink London as there a UK brand who sell direct therefore cutting out distributors costs etc.

Haven't looked back

Amazing longevity. Especially with there flubber ir cover flubber base. And prime bond for those clients prone to lifting
 
INK London for me too, for all the reasons listed above.

But if you're looking for a hypoallergenic range that is also HEMA free, I'm also very impressed with Ikon.iq
 
I use Glitterbels and am so far very happy with them xx
 
The criteria for me when I look at gel polishes is:

1. Must be easily available and in stock
2. Last at least 1-2 weeks.
 
Hey lovelies,

I’m currently using CND shellac and have been for a number of years. I have been debating on whether to change brands as I have had a few issues recently and the newer lamps are awful! Wish I kept my original bulky one!

If you could give me you recommendations that would be great.

I’ve been thinking:
The gel bottle
Ink London
OPI gel (currently use OPI for normal polish which I love)
Magpie.

TIA XX

I have switched from CND to INK London and I am never going back!
 
The criteria for me when I look at gel polishes is:

1. Must be easily available and in stock
2. Last at least 1-2 weeks.

There's a lot more to choosing the right brand than the 2 criteria you have mentioned! Most the cheap, Chinese non-pro brands available from EBay are easily available and last 1-2 weeks, but that doesn't make them a good choice!

I'm aware this probably sounds rude to anyone who hasn't come across any of your other replies to posts, but having read a lot of your recommendations on SG since you joined recently I would like to recommend that you do some more in depth research yourself as you have been giving out some very inaccurate advice which could be very damaging and that is not what this forum is for.
 
There's a lot more to choosing the right brand than the 2 criteria you have mentioned! Most the cheap, Chinese non-pro brands available from EBay are easily available and last 1-2 weeks, but that doesn't make them a good choice!
.

Whats wrong with the Chinese non pro brands? Also what inaccurate info did I say?
 
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Whats wrong with the Chinese non pro brands? Also what inaccurate info did I say?

1. This is a professional forum where only professional products should be recommended.

2. Cheap products made in China and sold to anyone without proof of qualification are more likely to contain cheaper ingredients with higher percentages of acrylates such as HEMA, which are more likely to cause allergies. These cheaper ingredients have a tendency to make the products last longer on the nails though, which is often appealing to buyers who are unaware of the risks. Also these products do not have a tried and tested lamp (tested in a lab) to ensure a perfect cure.
China are not bound by UK/EU regulations and a lot of people importing these products aren't even aware what these regs are and don't fully understand what they are selling.

3. The inaccurate information you have given is repeatedly recommending CND's lamp as a "universal" lamp to cure any product, despite being corrected.
 
1. This is a professional forum where only professional products should be recommended.

2. Cheap products made in China and sold to anyone without proof of qualification are more likely to contain cheaper ingredients with higher percentages of acrylates such as HEMA, which are more likely to cause allergies. These cheaper ingredients have a tendency to make the products last longer on the nails though, which is often appealing to buyers who are unaware of the risks. Also these products do not have a tried and tested lamp (tested in a lab) to ensure a perfect cure.
China are not bound by UK/EU regulations and a lot of people importing these products aren't even aware what these regs are and don't fully understand what they are selling.

3. The inaccurate information you have given is repeatedly recommending CND's lamp as a "universal" lamp to cure any product, despite being corrected.

1. What exactly makes a gel polish "professional"? Is it because you need a license to buy it? Its not like there is a standard the brand must meet to be considered "professional". Needing a license doesn't make it "professional".

2. Many products are doing away with HEMA. But thats not the problem. Many chemicals can cause an allergic reaction if you abuse it. So the problem lies with the nail tech when they don't take proper precautions to shield themselves from the chemical by using gloves, venting machines, etc.

3. My information isn't inaccurate. I stated that a universal lamp doesn't exist, yet it does at the same time. And I went about explaining why this is which you did not care to try to understand. I will explain again: A universal lamp does not exist because a single lamp cannot cure all gels properly. BUT because techs uses one lamp as a UNIVERSAL lamp - it exist in that sense. And there's no convincing them otherwise once they start working in a salon environment. The only way to fix this problem is to teach them while they are in tech school. People are very reluctant to spend their dollars on new products, especially when the lamp that they have is doing an ok job and that the lamp can cost $100 each. So good luck convincing them to that a universal lamp doesn't exist.
 
1. What exactly makes a gel polish "professional"? Is it because you need a license to buy it? Its not like there is a standard the brand must meet to be considered "professional". Needing a license doesn't make it "professional".

2. Many products are doing away with HEMA. But thats not the problem. Many chemicals can cause an allergic reaction if you abuse it. So the problem lies with the nail tech when they don't take proper precautions to shield themselves from the chemical by using gloves, venting machines, etc.

3. My information isn't inaccurate. I stated that a universal lamp doesn't exist, yet it does at the same time. And I went about explaining why this is which you did not care to try to understand. I will explain again: A universal lamp does not exist because a single lamp cannot cure all gels properly. BUT because techs uses one lamp as a UNIVERSAL lamp - it exist in that sense. And there's no convincing them otherwise once they start working in a salon environment. The only way to fix this problem is to teach them while they are in tech school. People are very reluctant to spend their dollars on new products, especially when the lamp that they have is doing an ok job and that the lamp can cost $100 each. So good luck convincing them to that a universal lamp doesn't exist.

1. No, needing a license does not make it professional, but general, unfettered access certainly precludes professional status. Nowadays, when anyone can get any product online, the definition of a professional product seems elusive. And many companies that make professional products now also have consumer divisions (like CND, OPI, Orly), so it is more useful to think of a professional product rather than a professional company, although those certainly do exist. But I think you can still easily identify a professional product. A professional product is one that is designed with professional usage in mind and marketed to professionals through trade journals, professional shows and organizations, and that provides the appropriate professional supports - education, training, r&d, customer service, MSDS, associated products, etc.. Such products tend to be a bit harder to find and may still require certification, of a higher quality (remembering that quality often goes beyond what is in the bottle), and is often higher in price.

2. It is well known (and documented) that there is a problem with the regulatory environment in China that has allowed counterfeit, tainted, and even dangerous products onto the market. While many of the chemicals we use can be dangerous, the problem with many of the non-pro "brands" from China goes beyond the nail tech taking proper precautions and comes down to a fundamentally defective product.

3. There is no such thing as a universal lamp - it is really that simple. Utilizing a lamp universally does not make it universal, it just makes it dangerous. While they should learn that in tech school, it is also critical that they hear it in professional venues like this forum. Anyone who will not spend an additional $100-150 buying the proper lamp should be called out in this forum. When you recommended using the CND lamp as a universal lamp, you gave incorrect and misleading information and failed to take responsibility for educating our colleagues.
 
3. There is no such thing as a universal lamp - it is really that simple. Utilizing a lamp universally does not make it universal, it just makes it dangerous. While they should learn that in tech school, it is also critical that they hear it in professional venues like this forum. Anyone who will not spend an additional $100-150 buying the proper lamp should be called out in this forum. When you recommended using the CND lamp as a universal lamp, you gave incorrect and misleading information and failed to take responsibility for educating our colleagues.

I agree with almost everything you said except for point 3. In short, techs should stick to well known brands and take proper precautions to protect themselves and clients. But the problem I see is this - techs want to save the most money and get good results. A lot of non "professional" is cheap and will give good results. They're also easily available at the supply store. So, how do you combat that? With education? I think that's silly and wishful thinking. I've seen first hand how education doesn't work once people reach a certain age. Their minds are no longer open. I hate to say that.
 
1. No, needing a license does not make it professional, but general, unfettered access certainly precludes professional status. Nowadays, when anyone can get any product online, the definition of a professional product seems elusive. And many companies that make professional products now also have consumer divisions (like CND, OPI, Orly), so it is more useful to think of a professional product rather than a professional company, although those certainly do exist. But I think you can still easily identify a professional product. A professional product is one that is designed with professional usage in mind and marketed to professionals through trade journals, professional shows and organizations, and that provides the appropriate professional supports - education, training, r&d, customer service, MSDS, associated products, etc.. Such products tend to be a bit harder to find and may still require certification, of a higher quality (remembering that quality often goes beyond what is in the bottle), and is often higher in price.

2. It is well known (and documented) that there is a problem with the regulatory environment in China that has allowed counterfeit, tainted, and even dangerous products onto the market. While many of the chemicals we use can be dangerous, the problem with many of the non-pro "brands" from China goes beyond the nail tech taking proper precautions and comes down to a fundamentally defective product.

3. There is no such thing as a universal lamp - it is really that simple. Utilizing a lamp universally does not make it universal, it just makes it dangerous. While they should learn that in tech school, it is also critical that they hear it in professional venues like this forum. Anyone who will not spend an additional $100-150 buying the proper lamp should be called out in this forum. When you recommended using the CND lamp as a universal lamp, you gave incorrect and misleading information and failed to take responsibility for educating our colleagues.

Perfectly explained!
 
I agree with almost everything you said except for point 3. In short, techs should stick to well known brands and take proper precautions to protect themselves and clients. But the problem I see is this - techs want to save the most money and get good results. A lot of non "professional" is cheap and will give good results. They're also easily available at the supply store. So, how do you combat that? With education? I think that's silly and wishful thinking. I've seen first hand how education doesn't work once people reach a certain age. Their minds are no longer open. I hate to say that.

What is frustrating is that you acknowledge the fact that there isn't a universal lamp that cures all gel, yet keep recommending the CND lamp because YOU think nail techs won't listen and can't be educated!! That is incredibly judgemental and defeatist! True, some just don't want to know, but there's many, many nail techs out there that just aren't aware of the importance of using the correct lamp as they weren't taught this, and when they have it explained to them they DO accept and believe it. (I was one of these nail techs!). We need to protect our nail industry and do everything we can to promote safe practice and not give out incorrect, potentially dangerous advice.


***. Note to OP - apologies for hijacking your post and going off topic :-(
 
I use SBD London, great packaging great product and most importantly BEST customer service. I also use naio nails acrylic good for its variety
 
I agree with almost everything you said except for point 3. In short, techs should stick to well known brands and take proper precautions to protect themselves and clients. But the problem I see is this - techs want to save the most money and get good results. A lot of non "professional" is cheap and will give good results. They're also easily available at the supply store. So, how do you combat that? With education? I think that's silly and wishful thinking. I've seen first hand how education doesn't work once people reach a certain age. Their minds are no longer open. I hate to say that.

Professional products exist at a variety of price points, often even below counterfeit and non-professional products. Can't afford CND? Try Tru-Gel, IBD, Kiara Sky and a multitude of others. It just takes a few minutes online, or a visit to a trade show to find them. It's sheer laziness to say one can't find affordable pro products. When you remember that product cost is a small part of the business expense (usually less than 13%), such unprofessional penny-pinching makes no sense. We all must deal with the financial realities of our businesses, but cutting corners and sacrificing client safety (and your own) for the sake of profit, is the height of unprofessionalism. Ironically enough, people who are willing to do that often don't last long in this business. Again, the information you gave, regardless of your motives, was incorrect. You can't make a difference starting with bad information.

To the OP - I love OPI Gelcolours. The base coats are hybrid and have easy removal, but the colors are gel. OPI colors are iconic, they have matching lacquer and long lasting polish (Infinite Shine).
 
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My information isn't bad. You just don't understand it. I explained it in clear precise English and you still don't get it. (...Deleted by a moderator)

Being rude and insulting is not big or clever and certainly doesn't make you credible
 

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