Help, losing faith in Gelish colours!

[JVA]

Hi,

I'm a new nail tech and decided to invest in Gelish but am seriously reconsidering buying other brand polishes.

I purchased a few colours to start off with, these being the following:-

Gossip Girl (2 coats and looks fab)
Tiger Blossom (2 coats and fab)
Manga-round with me (not tested on client yet but seems ok on test stick with 3 coats)
Sweet Morning Dew (nightmare..took 4 coats and could probably do with another!)
Not So Prince Charming (nightmare, patchy and same as above!)
June Bride (4 coats and still looks pale pink and you can see the nail plate showing through!)

Really really disappointed with the colours. They look nothing like they do online or in the pics in the Beauty Express catalogue. I've shaken and stirred the colours too! It's embarrassing and time consuming when using these on people (thankfully close friends) at the moment.

Just wondered if you've had similar experiences and also if you're favouring other brands instead of Gelish??

Thanks

 

[Claire speirs]

I had the a full range of Gellish and sold them as they didn't go on well, sort of runny and needed many coats. Had spent a fortune but it was poor quality. Have to say cnd is much much better xx

 

[JVA]

Thanks Claire! Yes I've only liked two of the ones I've bought so am definitely going to opt out now I think! They're so expensive and time consuming....

I'm going to try IBD I think. Did you have the Gelish lamp too? Are you using that with CND Shellac polishes?

 

[cheekychick]

Hi,

I'm a new nail tech and decided to invest in Gelish but am seriously reconsidering buying other brand polishes.

I purchased a few colours to start off with, these being the following:-

Gossip Girl (2 coats and looks fab)
Tiger Blossom (2 coats and fab)
Manga-round with me (not tested on client yet but seems ok on test stick with 3 coats)
Sweet Morning Dew (nightmare..took 4 coats and could probably do with another!)
Not So Prince Charming (nightmare, patchy and same as above!)
June Bride (4 coats and still looks pale pink and you can see the nail plate showing through!)

Really really disappointed with the colours. They look nothing like they do online or in the pics in the Beauty Express catalogue. I've shaken and stirred the colours too! It's embarrassing and time consuming when using these on people (thankfully close friends) at the moment.

Just wondered if you've had similar experiences and also if you're favouring other brands instead of Gelish??

Thanks

June bride isn't meant to be full coverage.

Sweet morning dew is one colour I have problems with, needs 3 coats but shrinks and is a bit of a pain to apply.

I have roughly 100 gelish colours and out of all of them the only one I had a problem with was sweet morning dew.

I changed from CND shellac to Gelish 2 years ago and haven't looked back. Myself and my clients find Gelish so much better. It offers more strength, their colour range is so much better. And price wise it isn't expensive when you work out how many sets you get out of a bottle. (Shellac bottles are half the size)

If you have problems with Gelish, Nail harmony will always do their best to help out. Just give them a call

 

[lala85]

Thanks Claire! Yes I've only liked two of the ones I've bought so am definitely going to opt out now I think! They're so expensive and time consuming....

I'm going to try IBD I think. Did you have the Gelish lamp too? Are you using that with CND Shellac polishes?

Have to agree with the above, I love Gelish. I have 60+ colours and only have a problem with maybe 1 or 2 that need an extra coat.
I tend to do 3 coats with most colours anyway, I just prefer it and with the Gelish lamp 30 sec cure doesn't add too much time doing a 3rd coat. That's just how I like doing it.

I personally love the brand as do all my clients. It's a shame you're finding it no good.

 

[JVA]

Well that's good to know/hear. Perhaps I've been unlucky with my choice of colours! I don't mind doing 3 coats if the end result is a full coverage as advertised in the brochures/online, but they're not proving to be.

June Bride is advertised as a full coverage with depth of colour, not a pale glittery pink which it still looks like after 4 coats!

Appreciate your replies, thanks

 

[cheekychick]

Have you actually trained in gelish/gel polish? I only ask because lots of newbies start out and go from brand to brand trying to find the perfect gel polish only to find out they just needed to work out some little teething problems then all is sorted. (We've all been there)
Just a thought as you've invested money into a brand and you might as well give it a chance rather than throw more money at the situation selling & reinvesting again x

 

[JVA]

Yes I've actually completed two gel nail courses, one 4yrs ago but then I ended up getting another job so I didn't start nails. I then did a second full course a few months ago to kind of use it as a refresher. They were both with different training academies but the technique was identical so I know it's nothing to do with my application etc. It's just the polishes that are proving problematical. If I pile it on thick then maybe they may cover better but I wasn't taught like that and I'm not a fan of thick gel nails so doubt my clients would be either. The polishes just seem very thin and translucent so far.....

 

[lala85]

Yes I've actually completed two gel nail courses, one 4yrs ago but then I ended up getting another job so I didn't start nails. I then did a second full course a few months ago to kind of use it as a refresher. They were both with different training academies but the technique was identical so I know it's nothing to do with my application etc. It's just the polishes that are proving problematical. If I pile it on thick then maybe they may cover better but I wasn't taught like that and I'm not a fan of thick gel nails so doubt my clients would be either. The polishes just seem very thin and translucent so far.....

I've not used The 2 colours you've mentioned as being really bad.
Where have you purchased the polishes from? Do you do the foundation layer extremely thin like hardly anything on the brush and then dry wipe before applying colour?? As if the base layer is too thick
1. They won't last and 2. The colours will shrink and run making them appear watery and thin.
It would be a shame to start over with a different brand if you've invested a lot of money so far. X

 

[FlawlessBeauty]

I've not used The 2 colours you've mentioned as being really bad.
Where have you purchased the polishes from? Do you do the foundation layer extremely thin like hardly anything on the brush and then dry wipe before applying colour?? As if the base layer is too thick
1. They won't last and 2. The colours will shrink and run making them appear watery and thin.
It would be a shame to start over with a different brand if you've invested a lot of money so far. X

Sorry to jump in, but what do you mean by dry wipe please Lala?

I'm a CND Shellac girl and have always got on very well with it, but i work a few days in a salon where they have taken on Gelish. I find that a lot of the colours shrink terribly. I will paint one hand and need to top up the first fingers before i can put them in the lamp.

I've also found them a lot more watery than the consistency of the shellac. I had a few clients come back after losing a couple of nails, which i never get at home. Do you have any tips?

Thanks so much x

 

[lala85]

Sorry to jump in, but what do you mean by dry wipe please Lala?

I'm a CND Shellac girl and have always got on very well with it, but i work a few days in a salon where they have taken on Gelish. I find that a lot of the colours shrink terribly. I will paint one hand and need to top up the first fingers before i can put them in the lamp.

I've also found them a lot more watery than the consistency of the shellac. I had a few clients come back after losing a couple of nails, which i never get at home. Do you have any tips?

Thanks so much x

So after curing 'Foundation' you dry brush/wipe it to take off the residue to stop shrinkage etc.
I use a clean dry gel brush which works great. If there's too much foundation then the nails won't last as long at all, they are easier to peel, chip etc.
you need the thinnest foundation layer and I kind of scrub it in to the nail as I'm applying it. I've never worked with CND so I wouldn't be able to compare. But sometimes Gelish colours can settle a bit making them seem more watery, so need a stir with a stick or I roll them in my hands for a minute or so.

If I get a colour that tends to shrink I just paint 3 nails cure, then move onto other hand, paint 3 cure, then go back and do the other 2, and usually only have to do that with the first coat

X

 

[harel33]

Purchased many colours from the gelish range (over 40) over the years. Invested in this brand as seemed professional recognised nail brand. Worked around the shrinking, fading and transparency in some colours. However as other brands became more freely available via Sally's I began to try other brands. I like having all my gel polishes from the same range however after trying gelux, red carpet, artistic, asp all give much better coverage and last longer than the gelish brand.

 

[JVA]

Interesting...well I wasn't trained to dry brush the foundation layer but I do apply it very thinly anyway. Never had any problems with shrinkage and my clients nails haven't chipped or lifted...yet. They've come back to me after 2wks due to regrowth.

I bought my colours direct from Nail Harmony so I know they're not fake.

You mention shrinkage, what exactly happens with this? What does it look like out of interest?

 

[lala85]

Interesting...well I wasn't trained to dry brush the foundation layer but I do apply it very thinly anyway. Never had any problems with shrinkage and my clients nails haven't chipped or lifted...yet. They've come back to me after 2wks due to regrowth.

I bought my colours direct from Nail Harmony so I know they're not fake.

You mention shrinkage, what exactly happens with this? What does it look like out of interest?

When you get shrinkage as you're applying the colour onto the base you can see it start to pull away from the cuticle, side walls and free edge back towards the middle of the nail. I have a couple of colours that do this but I just use the method I mentioned above and it's not an issue really.

I've always dry wiped after foundation, maybe your training was different. Not every brand dry wipe but it is recommended with Gelish x

 

[romo]

I'm having major shrinkage issues with Tiger Blossom. I bought a mini from Sally's and then called Gelish to complain. They sent me a large size bottle and it shrinks, too. I have been using Gelish for 5 years without any problems. I'm so disappointed because I think Tiger Blossom is the most perfect color I have ever seen and I even found a lacquer dupe for my toes.

 

[SusieNoumea]

Hi,

I'm a new nail tech and decided to invest in Gelish but am seriously reconsidering buying other brand polishes.

I purchased a few colours to start off with, these being the following:-

Gossip Girl (2 coats and looks fab)
Tiger Blossom (2 coats and fab)
Manga-round with me (not tested on client yet but seems ok on test stick with 3 coats)
Sweet Morning Dew (nightmare..took 4 coats and could probably do with another!)
Not So Prince Charming (nightmare, patchy and same as above!)
June Bride (4 coats and still looks pale pink and you can see the nail plate showing through!)

Really really disappointed with the colours. They look nothing like they do online or in the pics in the Beauty Express catalogue. I've shaken and stirred the colours too! It's embarrassing and time consuming when using these on people (thankfully close friends) at the moment.

Just wondered if you've had similar experiences and also if you're favouring other brands instead of Gelish??

Thanks

Hello,
I have many brands in my salon
CND, Gelish, OPI, Entity, LeCHAT.
We are 4 girls workindg all day.
For us best result:
we use gelish base coat with any gel polish and it's the best hold we ever had
then our favorite gel polish colors is this new brand we use since one year DND. We love it, not runny, sold with the same nail polish color, great colors and what's great about it, it makes the nail harder. We do love OPI, more expensive, jjust as CND, small bottles. I do also love gelish structure, the one in a bottle. It makes nail harder and strong. Easy to apply over the color or under.
And as top coat, we use gelish or OPI.
Kindly,
Olivia

 

[agnbeauty]

Personally I ditched Gelish 4 years ago and never looked back. I've found that though Nail Harmony is a great company I only get along with TIO & their foundation.. I like to use their base and top with other brands like Essie, OPI, and others. Multiple coats and shrinking problems cost you more time which means more money out of your pockets. extra time with clients is enjoyable when you're both satisfied. Why struggle with crappy polishes when there are soooo many companies who make better ones? As a new tech you're finding your way and that's ok but don't settle. I'd take the crappy ones back to the supplier and move on.. (if it's possible) The pro supply stores give refunds in America. ‍

Hi,

I'm a new nail tech and decided to invest in Gelish but am seriously reconsidering buying other brand polishes.

I purchased a few colours to start off with, these being the following:-

Gossip Girl (2 coats and looks fab)
Tiger Blossom (2 coats and fab)
Manga-round with me (not tested on client yet but seems ok on test stick with 3 coats)
Sweet Morning Dew (nightmare..took 4 coats and could probably do with another!)
Not So Prince Charming (nightmare, patchy and same as above!)
June Bride (4 coats and still looks pale pink and you can see the nail plate showing through!)

Really really disappointed with the colours. They look nothing like they do online or in the pics in the Beauty Express catalogue. I've shaken and stirred the colours too! It's embarrassing and time consuming when using these on people (thankfully close friends) at the moment.

Just wondered if you've had similar experiences and also if you're favouring other brands instead of Gelish??

Thanks

 

[cheekychick]

I'm having major shrinkage issues with Tiger Blossom. I bought a mini from Sally's and then called Gelish to complain. They sent me a large size bottle and it shrinks, too. I have been using Gelish for 5 years without any problems. I'm so disappointed because I think Tiger Blossom is the most perfect color I have ever seen and I even found a lacquer dupe for my toes.

Tiger blossom is my most popular colour and I'm often replacing it. I have the complete opposite experience with it to you, It's one of my favourite to apply!
No Shrinkage, only needs 2 coats and it's full coverage so that's really weird. x

 

[cheekychick]

Personally I ditched Gelish 4 years ago and never looked back. I've found that though Nail Harmony is a great company I only get along with TIO & their foundation.. I like to use their base and top with other brands like Essie, OPI, and others. Multiple coats and shrinking problems cost you more time which means more money out of your pockets. extra time with clients is enjoyable when you're both satisfied. Why struggle with crappy polishes when there are soooo many companies who make better ones? As a new tech you're finding your way and that's ok but don't settle. I'd take the crappy ones back to the supplier and move on.. (if it's possible) The pro supply stores give refunds in America. ‍

Thing is, everyone's application is different. And not everyone follows the correct steps or has had the actual Gelish training. Also everyone's version of a thin coat of polish is different. So not all issues are always down to the polishes, some are down to the actual tech. But there are lots of techs that don't want to admit it. x

 

[agnbeauty]

Thing is, everyone's application is different. And not everyone follows the correct steps or has had the actual Gelish training. Also everyone's version of a thin coat of polish is different. So not all issues are always down to the polishes, some are down to the actual tech. But there are lots of techs that don't want to admit it. x

That's very condescending and I wish you wouldn't have replied to me. I was simply trying to help a fellow tech out. You haven't provided me or her for that matter with anything constructive. Please don't reply to me anymore unless it is positive or helpful!