Please help me to choose the right soak-off Gel?

[twink]

Hay hope every1 is good. Im sure u get lots of these kind of posts so im
Sorry in advance if I am just going over old ground!!!

I’m Pippa and I am in the middle of completing my Nail services NVQ.

I am looking to try a Gel course / product. I am only currently using L&P and I just cannot warm to it. I am a Gel gal at heart, always having gel myself.

My town in saturated with Bio Sculpture and I have always opted for this in the past , however after lurking around on this site I see that there are many other options.

This is where I need your years of expertise!!!!! I need some help in deciding what company to go with. My only request is that the Gel is self level and must be a soak off. (Tried NSI balance and don’t like buff off)

Thanks in advance, all advice is very greatly received. It’s like a mind field out here!!!!!

 

[angel fingers]

though originally trained with biosculpture, i now prefer lechat nobility soak off gels.
theres a very good colour selection as well as glitter ones and the price is very reasonable.

see them at LeChat UK - Nail Care Products
and check out my blogspot[link below] for some tutorials and photos.

 

[twink]

thanks... do they soak off easy ????

i keep reading on here that people are buying " soak off " thats takes forever to soa and they end up filing ??

thanks again x x

 

[Bettierae]

What about Shellac? It isn't suitable to sculpt with though. It will give you some of the features you need, will fill a gap in your clients, as its perfect for all those ladies who have a nice natural length, and soaks off like lightning! Brisa is fab, but it is buff off, and to be honest, not many of my ladies like buff off, so they tend to stick to acrylic! Shellac is worth looking into though hun, you'll be surprsed how many clients you'll be able to use it on. hth x x

 

[twink]

whooo fab thank u. c this is what i need som egreat advice from ladies who are in the know !!!!! Is the CND 1 like the new opi ????

Would i have to do courses with all off these to be able to buy the product ??

 

[gillian w]

Have a look at Calgel.It is a brilliant system and its clear gel is very strong and is used for all jobs it will protect the nail until it is taken off.There are also well over 90 colours and their training and customer support is excellent and ongoing.
It soaks off very quickly and as everyone has now found out with Shellac, soak off gels dont have to damage the nails when done properly.
I now do no advertising at all for my business all clients come from recommendation to have Calgel and i am very busy.

 

[amandas nails]

though originally trained with biosculpture, i now prefer lechat nobility soak off gels.
theres a very good colour selection as well as glitter ones and the price is very reasonable.

see them at LeChat UK - Nail Care Products
and check out my blogspot[link below] for some tutorials and photos.

Hello,
I, too am curious about the soak off's & have not tried them yet. I use ONYX Essential UV Gels & colored gels on my clients, use to use NSI products. I heard the soak off's were more expensive to use, is this true? Do we need to buy a different lamp to cure them? Also, I have a few clients that the "acetone" really bothers them, so maybe the soak off''s would not be used on a client like that? Does anyone else have a client with acetone issues? Please tell me why you like the soak off gels - what do you like about the brand you are now using...... I look forward to your replies!

Curious in Canada [::wink::]
Amanda's Nails

 

[BABSann]

What about Shellac? It isn't suitable to sculpt with though. It will give you some of the features you need, will fill a gap in your clients, as its perfect for all those ladies who have a nice natural length, and soaks off like lightning! Brisa is fab, but it is buff off, and to be honest, not many of my ladies like buff off, so they tend to stick to acrylic! Shellac is worth looking into though hun, you'll be surprsed how many clients you'll be able to use it on. hth x x

Hmmm isn't Shellac for clients who want a longer lasting polish? Not a gel system ,which is what the poster asked for,:suprised:xx

 

[twink]

i thought that shellac, opi an likes of were just a nail polish tbh.... its so confusing when ur starting out.
I cant see why you would need it when you can just overlay with Gel. Am i missing something ??

 

[NailbyDee]

In order to answer your question first ask yourself what you are actually looking for. Are you looking for length enhancement soak offs or just reinforcing the natural nail and wear of color?

If its the former, the first generation of soak off is preferable. They do take more work and are longer to soak off than the new generation of soak off. But they have the substance to do overlays on tips and longer natural nails.

If its the latter then you would want the newest generation. Total ease of polish like application. Soak off is under 10 minutes. The natural nail is completed intacted and healthy. Color wears for 2 - 3 weeks. Outstanding shine.

I personally have stopped using first generation soak off. I use Gelish by Harmony. It has the added benefit of a structure gel. It acts like a heavy duty ridge filler base coat. It is completely self leveling, it's fabulous for a quick fill and polish over enhancements as well. Someone in the thread commented how surprised you would be at how many of your clients you would be able to use this type of product on and she is absolutely right. It really can cross over from gel to acrylic to natural with ease.

One of the innovations of Gelish is the ability to use a standard 36 watt uv lamp or the newest technology LED UV. The LED UV is concentrated uv beam, it cures the sysem in seconds rather than minutes. A-MAZE-ING

Gelish has 48 colors available running the full gammet of the polish spectrum. Including glitters and frenches. I have been mixing them too which is wicked fun. I think they'll put out seasonal collections as well.

Gelish and Shellac are in the same family of gels. I don't know anything about the newest OPI. You're best bet is to get samples of what's out there and see what works best for you. I order almost all of my product from nailtechsupply.com. They offer discounts on orders over $100 just use the coupon code NAILTECH2 at checkout.
Well i hope that helps.

 

[twink]

I guess what i want is to be able to use as you would l&p

either over lay or to extend. would this be the old gen of soak off ?? and what ones come under "old gen"

i must be comming accross as a right idiot to those who have been doing this for yrs

sorry !!!

 

[gillian w]

I guess what i want is to be able to use as you would l&p

either over lay or to extend. would this be the old gen of soak off ?? and what ones come under "old gen"

i must be comming accross as a right idiot to those who have been doing this for yrs

sorry !!!

I can only speak for calgel but yes you can extend and do nno and tip overlays.You can mend very bad breaks by using silk under the clear.
It soaks off in about 15 mins depending on how thick it is applied.

 

[angel fingers]

Hello,
I, too am curious about the soak off's & have not tried them yet. I use ONYX Essential UV Gels & colored gels on my clients, use to use NSI products. I heard the soak off's were more expensive to use, is this true? Do we need to buy a different lamp to cure them? Also, I have a few clients that the "acetone" really bothers them, so maybe the soak off''s would not be used on a client like that? Does anyone else have a client with acetone issues? Please tell me why you like the soak off gels - what do you like about the brand you are now using...... I look forward to your replies!

Curious in Canada [::wink::]
Amanda's Nails

onyx is not a brand i have come across before.

lechat gels are formulated to work with any 9watt or above lamp.
it takes aprox 15 mins to soak off. i dont soak off every time either, i do about 5 infills before removing completely and starting over. so that helps mimise the drying effects of soaking. the gels are a little harder than some soak offs ive tried, so that makes it a little easier to file because its not so rubbery when it comes to maintenance.
the remover does contain acetone but also has nourishing ingredients to combat the drying effects of the acetone.
its a good price, costs me around 1/3 of the price i was paying before and that allows me to have more colours. all the colours are intermixable too for extra shades.
you can see some tutorials if you scroll through my blogspot and i think the one for french is on my website.

 

[twink]

Thanks so much... this info is fab

i bought some lechat earlier today , figured it was cheap and didnt require a course before i could buy so im gonna give that a go...... knowing my luck it wont be what i was looking for, thats very negitive of me .... just once burnt twice shy ( is that the saying !!!) !!!!!

Calgel sounds really good tbh. I dont think any1 does that in the town where i live either. a better option to bio i feel. im kinda bio'd out !!!! its lovely but i always end up having a hard gel over the top cos i hate that rubbery feeling !!!!

not that im fussy at all hehe !!! much !!!!

 

[angel fingers]

I guess what i want is to be able to use as you would l&p

either over lay or to extend. would this be the old gen of soak off ?? and what ones come under "old gen"

i must be comming accross as a right idiot to those who have been doing this for yrs

sorry !!!

with the lechat nobility gel you can sculpt, tip or use over the natural nail.

 

[twink]

phewww thanks !!!!

thought for a min there i may have got the wrong one !!!

Can you help with colours at all please ???? i really struggled today ordering as there charts arnt very clear !!!

 

[angel fingers]

phewww thanks !!!!

thought for a min there i may have got the wrong one !!!

Can you help with colours at all please ???? i really struggled today ordering as there charts arnt very clear !!!

there are some photos of the colours on my blogspot. they arent identical to the actual ones but are a lot clearer than the colour chart.

 

[twink]

i have just PM'd u 2 links for the colours i really like . you are so very very gifted... your work is amazing

 

[deeirishgal]

In order to answer your question first ask yourself what you are actually looking for. Are you looking for length enhancement soak offs or just reinforcing the natural nail and wear of color?

If its the former, the first generation of soak off is preferable. They do take more work and are longer to soak off than the new generation of soak off. But they have the substance to do overlays on tips and longer natural nails.

If its the latter then you would want the newest generation. Total ease of polish like application. Soak off is under 10 minutes. The natural nail is completed intacted and healthy. Color wears for 2 - 3 weeks. Outstanding shine.

I personally have stopped using first generation soak off. I use Gelish by Harmony. It has the added benefit of a structure gel. It acts like a heavy duty ridge filler base coat. It is completely self leveling, it's fabulous for a quick fill and polish over enhancements as well. Someone in the thread commented how surprised you would be at how many of your clients you would be able to use this type of product on and she is absolutely right. It really can cross over from gel to acrylic to natural with ease.

One of the innovations of Gelish is the ability to use a standard 36 watt uv lamp or the newest technology LED UV. The LED UV is concentrated uv beam, it cures the sysem in seconds rather than minutes. A-MAZE-ING

Gelish has 48 colors available running the full gammet of the polish spectrum. Including glitters and frenches. I have been mixing them too which is wicked fun. I think they'll put out seasonal collections as well.

Gelish and Shellac are in the same family of gels. I don't know anything about the newest OPI. You're best bet is to get samples of what's out there and see what works best for you. I order almost all of my product from nailtechsupply.com. They offer discounts on orders over $100 just use the coupon code NAILTECH2 at checkout.
Well i hope that helps.

Hi...I've been trying to find out more about the step by step application of Gelish Structure...Ive found out some things but was wondering if you need to fully etch the nail like you do with acrylic or just a light buffing as recommended with Gelish polish?...also I noticed in the video for the application of Gelish polish they did not cap the free edge, do you cap the free edge with Structure like with other gel products?...and what kind of brush do you use...synthetic or sable? Oh yeah one more thing...Ive seen that you have written on a few sites that nailtechsupply.com gives 20% off when you spend $100 or more...is this true?...I was on the site and tried to test it out but when I went to checkout there wasnt a spot to put a coupon code (NAILTECH2)...thanx in advance for any info!