Gel top coat?

[josiejo]

Please help! I've been doing beauty now for 16 years and I'm really stuck with these gel top coats that everyone uses!!!

So when I use standard nail polish to paint the nails and I put a shellac top coat on.. after a few days the varnish cracks?! This is no good.

Then I used something called "glaze and go" this did the same! I need help!!

I used to be mobile for 12years but since having kids I work from home and I know my ladies would to be properly dry before leaving! Pls help!! What do I use ???

Thanks in advance! Xxx

 

[es22x]

You shouldn't really use a gel top coat over a standard nail polish! A good top coat like Seche Vite might be worth getting, or investing in a gel brand to get the results you want maybe? Mixing a gel polish and normal polish well just end in disaster! Keep your systems separate! Xx

 

[josiejo]

A lot of salons by me use a standard nail polish then a gel topcoat so it's dry when they leave... that's what I don't understand??? Xxx

 

[es22x]

A lot of salons by me use a standard nail polish then a gel topcoat so it's dry when they leave... that's what I don't understand??? Xxx

I've never heard of that, I don't see how it would last! Get a good standard polish top coat, or train in gel polish and you'll have no problems and get the results you want [emoji1]xx

 

[josiejo]

I've been doing gel polish for 7 years now and do the shellac all the time . I offer it on extensions but I charge £8 extra which people don't like. But I usually charge 25 for a set of shellac so feel I can't charge any less [emoji19] xxxx

 

[josiejo]

I usually use OPI as my standard polish but that doesn't keep the shine for 2 weeks like theshellac x

 

[asteropi]

Any gel top coat would crack over polish. I don't really know the chemistry so I may be wrong about the next thing but I think someone here said it's got to do with the solvents (?) of the normal polish continuing to evaporate.

Anyway, the result will always be cracking and that's not good. I seriously doubt that those other techs use a gel top coat. They might as well be using a fast drying top coat and pass it on as gel.
Get yourself a Seche Vite fast dry high shine top coat (blue bottle) and a bottle of CND solar speed spray and you should be fine. Alternatively try Vinylux polish, which dries super fast.

 

[josiejo]

Thanks guys!!! U had put my mind at

 

[nailpod]

I use a layer of Calgel clear over my regular polish and bingo it lasts 2 weeks or more. I also used nsi air shield over regular nail polish AND managed to fix diamanté and they lasted 3 weeks on toes ( client wears closed shoes to gym and open in day ).

So I would say it depends on your application as well. However it important to stress to clients that a polish won't last like a gel polish or gel.
If they trying to save a by if money they should rather be realistic then leave with a false sense of their polish lasting for 2 weeks. I tell clients 3 days for nail polish (hands) and gel over make it go 5 days any longer and you on a winning wicket... if I say any longer and it doesn't last or chip, then I get very upset ladies calling me ...

Next point is : if client natural nail is soft or weak or can bend then don't do this as it will chip.
I find smokers can use tris method due to their nails being rather hard and firm: atleast positive from smoking hahah.

In all this is agree with Asteropi, you shouldn't mix systems in reality and your evaporation rates etc play a vital role so yes.

I just like experimenting ...

 

[Hannailswax43]

Please help! I've been doing beauty now for 16 years and I'm really stuck with these gel top coats that everyone uses!!!

So when I use standard nail polish to paint the nails and I put a shellac top coat on.. after a few days the varnish cracks?! This is no good.

Then I used something called "glaze and go" this did the same! I need help!!

I used to be mobile for 12years but since having kids I work from home and I know my ladies would to be properly dry before leaving! Pls help!! What do I use ???

Thanks in advance! Xxx

You can use a gel topcoat over any old nail varnish - I've been doing that for years! Best thing to do is make sure that you don't cure it too long and also make sure that your nail varnish underneath is bone dry before you do it - otherwise it will separate which is what everyone here is referring to as cracking. it's not cracking, it's just that as it is drying it's separating under the gel.

With all of that said and done, the best top coat in existence is Star Nails GF21 Clear Quattro. Goes over anything and everything, doesn't crack or lift and is a non-wipe with a fabulous shine.

Happy top coating!