no shine on gel?

[Penny H]

hi
i'm new to this (just got my ITEC results this week - credit!!!) - anyway i did coloured gel toes for my daughter yesterday and they looked great until i wiped off the sticky residue, when the shine disappeared & they all looked dull - very surprised & disappointed i wiped them again (clean wipes) - they shine reappeared for a second whilst they were wet, but disappeared immediately as they dried again.
is there an obvious reason for this?
i've done them before with bright red calgel - 2 coats of colour & 1 clear on top - they were lovely & shiney & lasted ages.
this time she had lechat options 'pomegranate' for a change - took 3 coats of colour to get a good coverage, then 1 clear on top.
any ideas what i might have done wrong?
thanks

 

[pippadoodle]

Cannot speak for le chat but could it be that after your final application of colour when cured it needs to be buffed and then the clear applied and cured.

 

[Zingara]

Again, I can't speak for the individual manufacturers, but it sounds like it could be an undercure problem. I think Calgel clear cures in about 30 seconds, but other gels need longer.

How long did you cure your final clear layer for?

 

[tracey louise]

ive had the same problem with my balance finish clear gel.it doesnt always happen and sometimes it can only be some of the nails rather than all 10.so i would be interested to know any answers to this.x

 

[Sassy Mill]

how long is it since you changed your tubes in your lamp? i had this a while ago, with a finish gel on the odd finger. i changed my tubes, and it hasnt happened since...

 

[ValencianNails]

When was the last time you changed your UV lamp bulbs?

 

[tracey louise]

my lamp isnt that old so im pretty sure its not that and i dont have any problem curing my other finishing gel (glaze n go).
could it be my wiping technique?x

 

[Zingara]

ive had the same problem with my balance finish clear gel.it doesnt always happen and sometimes it can only be some of the nails rather than all 10.so i would be interested to know any answers to this.x

I would guess if your lamps are Ok then you are using the gel too thinly at times. If the gel is applied to thinly it will appear dull when wiped after curing.

Alternatively ensuring you are wiping with the correct solution. For example one gel i use goes dull when wiped with a sanitiser from the other manufacturer.

 

[ValencianNails]

I would guess if your lamps are Ok then you are using the gel too thinly at times. If the gel is applied to thinly it will appear dull when wiped after curing.

ditto :green:

If you use your UV lamp a lot (ie heavy usage) then you should change your bulbs approx every 6 months, if you have light usage then you should change them about once a year.

hth's

 

[tracey louise]

thanks geeks.i dont use my lamp that much so i still have a few months before i should change the bulbs and the solution i use is cleanse which is also by nsi so the only other option is that im applying it to thinly so lets hope that makes a difference.thanks for helping me to narrow it down.x

 

[Penny H]

my lamp isn't even 6 months old, and hasn't been used much.
i'm using all products that go together ie all calgel or all lechat.
the gel didn't need buffing before the final clear layer.

so that only leaves maybe applying the final layer too thin?
not had the problem before, so i do find it odd that i suddenly applied it too thin on all 10 nails at once.
i did wonder if it was the different product.

 

[Zingara]

my lamp isn't even 6 months old, and hasn't been used much.
.

Gel lamps don't actually need to be used much at all for the bulbs to degrade...it just happens over time. Call me a cynic but could your supplier have had the lamp in stock for a while before you bought it?

And like I say check your cure time too.....that last sealer layer may need a longer cure with one system than another.

 

[Penny H]

i really don't think it's the lamp - it was fine the day before with a different product. and i cured all layers for 2 mins as per the instructions.
i may try a test on some tips and compare nobility/calgel.

 

[cute nails]

Hi, I had this problem once when i phoned and spoke to the company who's gel I used I was told I wiped the gel to soon after it was removed from the lamp, they said to wait 1 min and it won't happen. I tried this and did not have the problem again.

Most manufactures of products ie nsi, creative, the edge, if you are trained to use there products, they will advise and help over the phone.


hth

 

[Penny H]

thank-you for that - wiping too soon is a possibility - and i was so pleased that my speed had improved!
i will make sure to wait a minute when i next try it.