OPI Gelcolor

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JOANNEJENNER

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Hi therapists,

I'm trained in Shellac and have recently purchased the OPI gelcolor and have experienced several issues, for example top coat brush has hardened twice, it only seems to last a couple of days on some people as opposed to the shellac for the same person up to 3 weeks??? Can anyone help, are you experiencing the same kind of things. We so want it to work as our clients love the OPI colours!!!

I loved some feedback from other therapists who may have tried it!!!
 
http://www.salongeek.com/nail-geek/174934-opi-gelcolour-review-needed.html
http://www.salongeek.com/nail-geek/174934-opi-gelcolour-review-needed.html
http://www.salongeek.com/nail-geek/175847-shellac-opi-gelcolour.html

Just a few of the threads on here about Gelcolour, happy reading.

There was also a thread about a gel polish topcoat also doing this (possibly Gelish) and it was mainly beacuse of the tech working too close to a window or in a conservatory. The topcoat does cure quicker than the colours therefore if exposed to even the UV light around us for too long it can start curing on the brush.
Do your techs work right up at the window? Maybe time to get a tinted blind ;) or move them to the other side of the salon lol!
 
Hi therapists,

I'm trained in Shellac and have recently purchased the OPI gelcolor and have experienced several issues, for example top coat brush has hardened twice, it only seems to last a couple of days on some people as opposed to the shellac for the same person up to 3 weeks??? Can anyone help, are you experiencing the same kind of things. We so want it to work as our clients love the OPI colours!!!

I loved some feedback from other therapists who may have tried it!!!

If you have customers getting three weeks out of shellac they should get good results from OPI as well. My mum gets equal timings out of both and so do I. My peely clients are getting about 10
days out of OPI but their nails are really quite bad.

I use Gelcolor and shellac and do the same procedure. Very dry accurate prep. On OPI I use scrub fresh as well as shellac. But on OPI then u use bond aid. Make sure you are generous with the bond aid. Dip your brushnin the bottle for each nail.

When applying OPI cover entire nail carefully with base coat check cuticle and edges go right up without touching skin. If whole nail plate isn't covered you will get shrinkage. First colour coat very thin looks kinda rubbish. Second coat to cover (third if only absolutely necessary).

Ok I've also ruined my top coat brush so I bought an ordinary small synthetic make up brush and this is fabulous. For some reason uv light doesn't affect it and you can get complete top coat coverage nice and thin cap edges cleanly and do a second coat without a build up. Might be worth considering finding one. I bought mine from professional beauty but forgot the company name :rolleyes:.

See if this helps Hun good luck xxx
 
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Hello,
I have had the top coat brush harden on me a few times now!

1st time i thought it was me being to near the lamp as the light does reflect off my table so i called lena white and got another (as i ordered from them) they sent a replacement brush straight away.

I was advised to use NAS99 to clean the brush as some of the colour did come off on to the top coat brush, which does happen mainly with the darks, but my brush hardened again! so I called and got another.

A tip from a fellow user advised to wipe with a dry wipe which worked fine and wipe the colour residue off with nas99 before applying topcoat which also works.

Its been a few weeks now but for some reason on saturday the brush was going hard before id even finished applying the top coat.

I have spoken to the girls at lena white and given this feed back. I know a few people have had this issue of the brush going hard but for what actual reason Im not sure.

I do work in warm room and have my back to the window, i have blinds too so no direct sunlight is on my brush. I have even turned my table lamp off too!

I think its something to do with the gel colour transferring on to the brush and curing the brush whilst using, just my opinion a confused one at that as I set my timer to 45 secs now.

The gelcolour is a fab product and after a few teething issues, my clients and I love it. it does go the distance with no chips or peeling if you buff, well thats what I have found anyways!

its a pain about the brush, an artist brush is an option as it works well, but why should we after paying out for this product??

I have now got another brush on its way, so if you ordered from lena white then ask for one and give your feed back, they are a great team and are very helpful.

good luck x:biggrin:
 
Many thanks for all your feedback and useful tips!!! Hopefully will prove to be very helpful!!!

The brush hardening has happened to me twice and funnily enough I've not been in my own treatment room and have been sat by the window so maybe there is something in that although one of my other therapists also uses it and is always based in this room!!! Very strange!!!

I've called Lena White today to inform them again and they've got a recorded message now asking you to e-mail them if it's with regard to gelcolor!! I think possibly this may mean there are becoming quite a few issues!!! When I spoke to their education department a couple of weeks ago she advised to buff the nail very slightly which I've done on my own and apart from one nail I've managed nearly two weeks with Strawberry Margarita!!!

I think for now we'll just keep plugging on as I love the good old fav's like Big Apple Red.

This is the first time I've used the forum since becoming a member, won't be the last............so good to know other's that do the job can help!!
 
I have only recently started to use OPI Gelcolour finding it to be ok other than my topcoat brush is fine it seems to be the topcoat itself just finished my daughters nail a few minutes ago and topcoat did not look right concerned as paid so much , other than that everything seems fine doing training on the 2nd just for extra tips although I'm trained also in Gellux and gellish I really thought long and hard wether to use shellac or OPI . X
 
I have been using Shellac for a year and I've grown a lovely little business out of it, I have just purchased OPi Gelcolor and I was wondering how you advise your clients to choose between Shellac and OPI?
I have been telling my clients about the difference between the two products but just wondered how you guys described it and also do you charge the same for Shellac and OPI Gelcolor? SSx
 
I have had two topcoats cure in bottle & Kyoto Pearl has semi cured too. I do sit near a window but permanently have blinds. I love the product but they need to sort out the topcoat issue, as I am sure 'we' are not the only ones to have complained/brought to their attention ;)
 
Hardening happened to me once. Can't remember exactly but I think I used acetone to remove the hardened product on the brush and it peeled right off beautifully. Only reason it hardened it bc I was doing my own nails facing the lamp with the bottle right in front of the light (silly me). I don't use gelcolor much, but I haven't had problems on wearability when I do use it. GOODLUCK!
 
I've been having the same problem with the top coat brush going hard. It happened with my first bottle and thought I'd was my fault from having it to near the lamp but I've just used my new bottle this morning and the brush is already going hard, whilst I was using it!

I do sit near a window but I have never had problems with any of the bio sculpture gels or other OPI gels... Very irritating. It seems silly that OPI haven't changed their brushes because of this.
 
I think it's an issue with the product. I use Gelish too (& Shellac) I have never had this problem with either. I have replaced both top/base cost twice now & lost a colour gel. I think OPI knows there is an problem, that's why they have offered a free training sessions. There has been loads of threads on here with chipping issues etc as well as curing in the pot! My last topcoat, I complained & they sent me a new brush but it was sadly too late as it had totally cured. I really love the system & I want them to re-gig it so we can have confidence. It was an expensive outlay & I wish I had waited. :(
 
I think you have to remember this is a product that cures through in 30 Seconds base 30, colours 30,top 30.I'm not sure any of the other gel polishes do this for all the layers.So of course it will harden instantly in uv light including sunlight.Its not anything to do with the brushes you just have to be extremely careful about exposing your brushes and gels to uv when working.
Don't throw your good brushes away when you have finished a bottle keep them in case you have a brush go hard.
 
I think it's an issue with the product. I use Gelish too (& Shellac) I have never had this problem with either. I have replaced both top/base cost twice now & lost a colour gel. I think OPI knows there is an problem, that's why they have offered a free training sessions. There has been loads of threads on here with chipping issues etc as well as curing in the pot! My last topcoat, I complained & they sent me a new brush but it was sadly too late as it had totally cured. I really love the system & I want them to re-gig it so we can have confidence. It was an expensive outlay & I wish I had waited. :(



Now I don't agree. I use all three systems and do not have any problems with any of them. And that includes Gelcolor. All product lines have loads of threads that talk about chipping.... Yes even Shellac. But it usually turns out to be application problems, poor nail health or no after care of client. Not the product. And I have never had any of them cure in the bottle.
 
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I think it's an issue with the product. I use Gelish too (& Shellac) I have never had this problem with either. I have replaced both top/base cost twice now & lost a colour gel. I think OPI knows there is an problem, that's why they have offered a free training sessions. There has been loads of threads on here with chipping issues etc as well as curing in the pot! My last topcoat, I complained & they sent me a new brush but it was sadly too late as it had totally cured. I really love the system & I want them to re-gig it so we can have confidence. It was an expensive outlay & I wish I had waited. :(

i use shellac and opi gel color , i do love both of them and think we all generally have teething problems when we start to work with a new product.

i think gillianw has hit the naiil on the head in her post above.

you can take your time to apply shellac but maybe with opi gel color you do need to be speedier in your application
 

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