How do you get perfect smile lines with gel?

[angel fingers]

well my technique is different to you lot, but i'm not sure how to explain it. when i apply my white i sort of trail a string of it in a curved shape along the smile line, then brush it in a downward direction over the tip without disturbing the line. very occasionaly i go back and wipe but usually it goes on well first time.

 

[Sassy Hassy]

well my technique is different to you lot, but i'm not sure how to explain it. when i apply my white i sort of trail a string of it in a curved shape along the smile line, then brush it in a downward direction over the tip without disturbing the line. very occasionaly i go back and wipe but usually it goes on well first time.

Do you use IBD as I have seen this done with their gel. The Brisa sculpting gel is too thick for this!

 

[~bec~]

No sure if anyone has written this already, but....................

After prepping for a reballance, apply a thin layer of clear gel and cure.
Do not wipe....

Paint on your french however it is you do..... and your line will be crisper as the white will glide on the stickey layer of clear.

 

[angel fingers]

Do you use IBD as I have seen this done with their gel. The Brisa sculpting gel is too thick for this!

i use akzentz, i like it very much.

 

[MINKUS]

No sure if anyone has written this already, but....................

After prepping for a reballance, apply a thin layer of clear gel and cure.
Do not wipe....

Paint on your french however it is you do..... and your line will be crisper as the white will glide on the stickey layer of clear.

good tip i find this too !

amb x

 

[cantrelax]

Ok, sound good but what about the sticky bonding layer. Won't I be wiping it off with my brush?

 

[MINKUS]

Ok, sound good but what about the sticky bonding layer. Won't I be wiping it off with my brush?

never found it a problem matey give it a go.

Ambx

 

[cantrelax]

Cheers Amb xx

 

[NAIL FRENZY]

well my technique is different to you lot, but i'm not sure how to explain it. when i apply my white i sort of trail a string of it in a curved shape along the smile line, then brush it in a downward direction over the tip without disturbing the line. very occasionaly i go back and wipe but usually it goes on well first time.

Thats exactly how I do mine, I was just sitting here trying to think how to explain it. I very rarely have to go back and wipe it, as it usually goes on really well. If I do have to go back and wipe it in, I always clean my brush first.

 

[Lana]

It takes practice to perfect those smile lines.And depends on tools you are using to achieve your desired look.I tried a lots of different brushes untill I found two that work for me.As you can see on my picture both my brushes are oval.Small one I use to apply my whites.Bristles are more resistant and application is easier.Bigger brush I use to apply bonding gel,Natural gels and perfecting my smile lines.I apply one thin layer of bonding gel (nail should look
grainy)cure,apply white with my small red brush,starting from left unloading my brush slowly as I go to the right .Using only the top part of my brush,I gently guide white gel to cover my free edge completely.I take my big brush (clean of course)and I clean my smiles starting from the middle and going left and then again from the middle going to the right.I never clean my brush with gel cleaner or alcohol.I only use lint free squares and nothing else. Otherwise my brush looks like it's having a bad hair day.When I am done with service I store my brushes away from light (on the top shelf of my desk cabinet).I found my brushes last me longer(my bigger one is almost 2 years old).

 

[kateyork1]

Fab thread Sassy, was trying to do smiles on my nail trainer with Gel yesterday and could have done with some good tips. Will have another go tomorrow now. Thanks Sassy. xx

 

[nailcouture]

Hi Sassy,

I havn't been doing gel that long but i was taught to use your small flat brush, use a small bead of white gel.....

imagine your nail shaped like a V and place your brush from the corner down to the free edge, push it right into the corner. Then do the same to the opposite, and then go horizontal across the v. This is supposed to shape the smile line, lightly pull back the white to the free edge. Then I use an acrylic brush size7 and dip it in scrub fresh, take off excess and then sweep the smile line.

It is very similar to the way some techs do the french with polish.

It works for me, but then im not as ofe with gel as some of you guys are.................xx

 

[pippadoodle]

fantastic advice lana, thanks for the pics too..xx

 

[Carmen]

Hello fellow geeks,
One thing I find works really well for me is freeze-curing the gel for 10-15 seconds after I swipe the smile line with a clean dry brush. I find if I don't do this after each nail, the gel starts levelling a bit and the smile line isn't as crisp. While I'm freeze-curing the one nail, I go to the other hand and apply the white and just switch back and forth. Once they're all done, cure for the proper amount of time and they come out looking great! Using this method, I find I'm always happy with my smile lines.

Carmen

 

[nailsbydesign]

I think it all depends whether you learnt to do gel first or L & P first which smile lines you find easier to do, it is all a case of what you get used to. Both are applied a bit differently to each other so if you have gotten used to one way to apply it is not always easy to change to doing things another way. I hated using gel when I first tried it it was like trying to apply runny honey to the nails it went everywhere and I just ended up in a sticky mess and just getting gel on a nail was a challenge. Since converting to Brisa gel I have found this much easier to work with and my smile lines are easier to do now too after loads of practice.

 

[Lana]

Hi Carmen!
I bet you are using Akzentz.Am I right???You can do all 5 fingers with Builder french white and go back an perfect your smiles.It will not move.But if you are using UFW your metod works great.

 

[Carmen]

Hi Lana,
Of course I'm using Akzentz! I love it! I find too unlike some other gels I've had applied on me in the past, regardless of how long I cure the white for, it doesn't yellow at all. I know with some, if you go over 2-minutes at all, it gets yellow and icky looking. This works great for the freeze-curing method as you don't have to worry about that.

Carmen

 

[dEeZiGnAiLz]

Just another lil tip i am using is use a good quality eye shadow brush which is shape as a half moon and sweep this beneath the smile line, this gives an excellent crsip smile line when u use a lil scrub fresh to prevent the brusj sticking to the gel. Hope this helps.

 

[Sassy Hassy]

Wow thanks guys. My smiles have been getting better all the time, but it's so great to see so many different methods so I can have a go at them all and see if there is an easier way and get them even better

 

[mandy121060]

This is how marco taught me if i mess up my smile line, and it works for me when using brisa. i paint on the white gel paint or scuplt on the white gel. Then i get my oval brush, clean with scrubfresh (put a bit in the lid of the bottle or your dappen dish) and dry on paper towel and then back sweep the smile line. The gel clings to the brush and moves with it. i find it comes out wicked. if you have to go back and neaten it up, make sure you clean the gel off again with scrubfresh and dry the brush on a paper towel before you do it. also, do it like you mean it! if you pussyfoot around just trying to catch the edge it never works. paint your gel a little deeper so you've got a millimetre or two to play with, and then brush the smile out with a good sweep. don't know if i've explained that very well but hope you understand.

Antonia..... You explained that really well. Thats how I do my smile lines too.
It works for me but you do have to do it in one go and not stop half way through. A nice clean sweep.