Opinions on Bluesky/Red Carpet to start a small business?

[emmaspeers]

I am looking for peoples opinions on bluesky / red carpet. I have used bluesky on myself (as my mum has it for her personal use and loves it and so does her friend), it lasted well on myself and I am terrible with my nails

I am hoping to change to an LED lamp

 

[pure]

If you want to offer a professional service to your clients then you should invest in professional products, which neither of these are. There are so many affordable, top quality brands out available to us there really is no reason to use products like these.

 

[emmaspeers]

If you want to offer a professional service to your clients then you should invest in professional products, which neither of these are. There are so many affordable, top quality brands out available to us there really is no reason to use products like these.

Thank you for your advice,it really is appreciated. Please could you give examples of afffordable products that can be sured with an LED amp, many thanks

 

[Steph86]

Thank you for your advice,it really is appreciated. Please could you give examples of afffordable products that can be sured with an LED amp, many thanks

Gelish xx

 

[MelHairAndNails]

Absolutely love gelish x

 

[libbylou]

Have you thought about INK nails, there is a thread on here, it has good reviews and seems very affordable. I have not used it myself so can not comment. I would not recommend any of the products you have suggested. If you are going to be offering a professional service then your customers will expect professional products. Good luck what ever you decide. x

 

[NancySyd]

pure is absolutely correct. BS is a counterfeit product and Red Carpet Manicure, although excellent, is a consumer product. If your goal is to be a professional, these are not appropriate products to use and will undermine a positive perception of your business. There are lots of good, legitimate brands out there - IBD Just Gel, EX Flow TruGel, SuperNails ProGel, and INK are all good pro brands that come at a lower price point. But be careful, this isn't about how much a bottle of gel polish costs. Sizes vary as does application. The real issue is cost-per-service, so keep that in mind as you shop.

 

[emmaspeers]

pure is absolutely correct. BS is a counterfeit product and Red Carpet Manicure, although excellent, is a consumer product. If your goal is to be a professional, these are not appropriate products to use and will undermine a positive perception of your business. There are lots of good, legitimate brands out there - IBD Just Gel, EX Flow TruGel, SuperNails ProGel, and INK are all good pro brands that come at a lower price point. But be careful, this isn't about how much a bottle of gel polish costs. Sizes vary as does application. The real issue is cost-per-service, so keep that in mind as you shop.

Could you please tell me if all of the above brands you mention can be cured with an LED lamp, many thanks for helping

 

[emmaspeers]

also I have been looking at gelish and the lamp is very expensive - can you use any led lamp? and also does it need to be 18 watts. Im sorry for the questions but I want to be sure when I change and once I have set up properly and made some money I will upgrade my lamp etc

 

[pure]

Whichever brand you decide to go with will have a lamp that they recommend and THAT is the lamp you need to purchase. So choose your brand of gel polish before you choose your lamp.

 

[NancySyd]

Could you please tell me if all of the above brands you mention can be cured with an LED lamp, many thanks for helping

All of these brands are LED curable. The Gelish lamp is 36 watts, not 18. The 18 in the name comes from the 18 2-watt bulbs.

Not to be rude, but in all honesty, it seems as if you are looking to do this on the cheap. That is a terrible error (one that many unsuccessful business owners make). You need to do this with excellence as your primary value. I am not saying that you need to spend lots of money on the most expensive brands; there are lots of ways to do this frugally without cutting important corners. And definitely do not cheap out on your lamp, it is the backbone of your system.

 

[maddynails]

INK is led curable but to be honest i find the results a lot better when curing under uv. I understand that time is money but i still find uv curing gives the best results in general. Stay clear of anything blue sky or cco not because i am a snob but because it will at some point lose you clients (which are hard to find), they will either get the hump that you have used a cheap product on them or buy it and do it themselves.

 

[emmaspeers]

All of these brands are LED curable. The Gelish lamp is 36 watts, not 18. The 18 in the name comes from the 18 2-watt bulbs.

Not to be rude, but in all honesty, it seems as if you are looking to do this on the cheap. That is a terrible error (one that many unsuccessful business owners make). You need to do this with excellence as your primary value. I am not saying that you need to spend lots of money on the most expensive brands; there are lots of ways to do this frugally without cutting important corners. And definitely do not cheap out on your lamp, it is the backbone of your system.

Im really sorry if it appears like that. I am not trying to be tight. I have paid out for a system which my trainer recommended me to get to train with and i hate it (lechat) so I have paid all that money and not will just throw it away.

I am looking to pay around £200 for a lamp and basic products to start which I thought was reasonable and upon more research I can see I can get a gelish pro kit for under this with the lamp (albeit not the new 18G one but an 18 watt 5-45 led lamp) which I am more than happy with and was almost decided to do this until the lady who trained me said to try bio seaweed as it is better for your nails than gelish among other reasons. This has made me undecided again. She has offered me 10% off also off any purchases I make

I like the idea I can go to Sallys and buy Gelish (and one of the reasons I decided today to use gelish over other LED products is because I can get it at Sallys which is very close to me)

What a minefield! I feel overwhelmed

 

[NancySyd]

Im really sorry if it appears like that. I am not trying to be tight. I have paid out for a system which my trainer recommended me to get to train with and i hate it (lechat) so I have paid all that money and not will just throw it away.

I am looking to pay around £200 for a lamp and basic products to start which I thought was reasonable and upon more research I can see I can get a gelish pro kit for under this with the lamp (albeit not the new 18G one but an 18 watt 5-45 led lamp) which I am more than happy with and was almost decided to do this until the lady who trained me said to try bio seaweed as it is better for your nails than gelish among other reasons. This has made me undecided again. She has offered me 10% off also off any purchases I make

I like the idea I can go to Sallys and buy Gelish (and one of the reasons I decided today to use gelish over other LED products is because I can get it at Sallys which is very close to me)

What a minefield! I feel overwhelmed

It is complicated, so it is no surprise that you're feeling overwhelmed. I'm a business person so I think that every problem can be solved with a spreadsheet! So I did a big spreadsheet of all the brands and options and filled it in. Having everything laid out like that made it quite a bit easier.

I must confess I find the statement that bio seaweed is better for your nails ridiculous and unsupported. You'll find a lot on this forum about BSG. All gel polishes are fine for your nails if properly applied, maintained and removed.

I also am concerned that you didn't get on with LeChat because it is considered a very good brand and my concern is that if you didn't get on with LeChat, it is likely that you won't get on with another brand. As you know, its a big investment so it is important to get it right. What were your problems with it? What are you looking for in a new brand that was lacking, or you want different from LeChat? In moving from one brand to another, it's helpful to know that.

 

[Steph86]

Im really sorry if it appears like that. I am not trying to be tight. I have paid out for a system which my trainer recommended me to get to train with and i hate it (lechat) so I have paid all that money and not will just throw it away.



I am looking to pay around £200 for a lamp and basic products to start which I thought was reasonable and upon more research I can see I can get a gelish pro kit for under this with the lamp (albeit not the new 18G one but an 18 watt 5-45 led lamp) which I am more than happy with and was almost decided to do this until the lady who trained me said to try bio seaweed as it is better for your nails than gelish among other reasons. This has made me undecided again. She has offered me 10% off also off any purchases I make



I like the idea I can go to Sallys and buy Gelish (and one of the reasons I decided today to use gelish over other LED products is because I can get it at Sallys which is very close to me)



What a minefield! I feel overwhelmed

Gelish has a great reputation, lots of geeks use it & it also has client brand recognition too.

I don't think you'd go far wrong!

Xx

 

[emmaspeers]

It is complicated, so it is no surprise that you're feeling overwhelmed. I'm a business person so I think that every problem can be solved with a spreadsheet! So I did a big spreadsheet of all the brands and options and filled it in. Having everything laid out like that made it quite a bit easier.

I must confess I find the statement that bio seaweed is better for your nails ridiculous and unsupported. You'll find a lot on this forum about BSG. All gel polishes are fine for your nails if properly applied, maintained and removed.

I also am concerned that you didn't get on with LeChat because it is considered a very good brand and my concern is that if you didn't get on with LeChat, it is likely that you won't get on with another brand. As you know, its a big investment so it is important to get it right. What were your problems with it? What are you looking for in a new brand that was lacking, or you want different from LeChat? In moving from one brand to another, it's helpful to know that.

I found it became tatty around the outside quite easily. I have the instructions also which i was given after my training and am doing everything it says to do. I didnt have any problems when on natural nails but once on enhancements only lasting around a week and then the glue was coming loose and they would ping off (but the gel would break at the edge of the enhancement and so (I would still half a nail of gel lol which stayed well put!)
Most of the people I would apply to friends and family have enhancements and so this became a problem. As far as I can tell though LeChat is very hard to get hold of now and was discontinued after I trained (typical!) The lady who sold me it stopped selling it and moved on to other products

I am wondering if actually though the problem might be the adhesive I am using now and not the product after talking to a few people on here. I was using just a cheap adhesice (the ones you tip upside down and are a nightmare to squeeze out sometimes lol). I have bought some fibreglass resin (not sure if this is a good move or whether it will work but will only trial on myself) and some brush on glue to try instead. But they didnt have many options in terms of adhesive in Sallys and I was at a loss of what to do next, I need to fathom this out instead of throwing in the towel.

But as I say I feel overwhelmed and just wish I could work this out! I only have 1 colour in lechat too and unsure where to purchase now plus Gelish have a lovely selection of colours!

 

[emmaspeers]

Also I have had my lechat products for maybe 3 years now - could that be an issue or should it last that long and more?

 

[NancySyd]

Also I have had my lechat products for maybe 3 years now - could that be an issue or should it last that long and more?

That could be the issue right there. 2-3 years ago LeChat Perfect Match reformulated its product to make it LED curable, so the LeChat you're using may not be the current formula. LeChat is not discontinued and has new collections on offer now. It's not hard to find (at least in the US) and is considered a real up-and-comer largely due to its Mood Collection. I will leave it to others better informed than me to answer the enhancements issue, but I use LeChat on natural nails and find it to be an excellent product.

I know this is a difficult decision, but you are going about it correctly, getting information from lots of people. Organize that information and take your time, sometimes the answer just comes to you.

 

[emmaspeers]

That could be the issue right there. 2-3 years ago LeChat reformulated its product to make it LED curable, so the LeChat you're using may not be the current formula. LeChat is not discontinued and has new collections on offer now. It's not hard to find (at least in the US) and is considered a real up-and-comer largely due to its Mood Collection. I will leave it to others better informed than me to answer the enhancements issue, but I use LeChat on natural nails and find it to be an excellent product.

I know this is a difficult decision, but you are going about it correctly, getting information from lots of people. Organize that information and take your time, sometimes the answer just comes to you.

This definitely isnt LED curable. I like in the UK so could be an issue locating?

 

[emmaspeers]

I use le chat powder gel system