Shellac & Gelish have you tried both?

[emma@lashes]

Just out of interest, is Gelish a similar application to Shellac ie, base coat, 2 coats polish, top coat, and can you use the CND lamp to cure it?

 

[Pooh8bear]

Just out of interest, is Gelish a similar application to Shellac ie, base coat, 2 coats polish, top coat, and can you use the CND lamp to cure it?

Yes & Yes emma@lashes

 

[geeg]

Just out of interest, is Gelish a similar application to Shellac ie, base coat, 2 coats polish, top coat, and can you use the CND lamp to cure it?

The only thing similar is the number of coats of base and colour.

The gel prep is different, the gel application is different (more steps), the gel needs a bonder/primer and the gel has to have the sticky layer 'dry brushed' after the base coat or the colour runs all over.

On removal you have to file gels first to break the seal in order to soak off and the soak off takes longer with gel.

Shellac has a much simpler application and does not bulk up the nail, instead looks like a polish but lasts like a gel. Shellac requires no primer/bonder, no removal of shine from the nail and really soaks off in 10 minutes. 30 minute application time ..... really. AND women all over the world who love their natural nails and cherish them ... are loving it. :green:

Lets be fair if we are giving out information. Shellac is unique and has very unique selling points both to technicians and to their clients. It is very different to gel.

 

[emma@lashes]

Thanks Geeg, I love Shellac and I am sticking with it but it is always interesting to know details of other products. There will always be the client who comes in and says " I've heard about Gelish and I've been told it's better than Shellac!!!" Now I feel prepared!:green:

 

[lady R]

i use both but do prefer Gelish, more colours great speed in delivery.
It is exactly the same as Shellac.
I prep - no filing or buffing
Apply the foundation layer - cure
Apply colour - no wiping or buffing - cure
apply seond coat cure
finish with top coat - cure
wipe with d-sperse

simple exactly like shellac

to remove
wrap in foils or cnd wraps soaked in acetone for 10 mins scrape off
no buffing first, again exactly like shellac

no difference what so ever!

Sorry Shellac but Gelish wins for me

 

[geeg]

Thanks Geeg, I love Shellac and I am sticking with it but it is always interesting to know details of other products. There will always be the client who comes in and says " I've heard about Gelish and I've been told it's better than Shellac!!!" Now I feel prepared!:green:

I am just being fair to both. Both last as long as each other. Many people offer both gel and Shellac. Fair enough, but if giving a system comparison, the only thing that is similar is that they both require a base, colour and top. Often with gel it requires more than 2 coats of colour for an opaque cover .. they are not really similar in application or 'look', but that is subjective and some like the extra bulk of the gel and some prefer the polished look of Shellac. CND will be adding new innovations in the next year that I expect will close some gaps between the two for those who require different 'looks' and /or strength.

 

[lady R]

sorry geeg, i know you have to stand up for shellac but have you actually tried the competition? I only ask because it is a gel/polish hybrid - as stated on the bottle -, not gel, its application is identical, the thickness is identical, the look is identical.

I only ask because you seem to be saying its totally different, when its not and that would confuse techs looking for an answer.

 

[geeg]

i use both but do prefer Gelish, more colours great speed in delivery.
It is exactly the same as Shellac.
I prep - no filing or buffing
Apply the foundation layer - cure
Apply colour - no wiping or buffing - cure
apply seond coat cure
finish with top coat - cure
wipe with d-sperse

simple exactly like shellac

to remove
wrap in foils or cnd wraps soaked in acetone for 10 mins scrape off
no buffing first, again exactly like shellac

no difference what so ever!

Sorry Shellac but Gelish wins for me

I'm very happy for you but there certrainly is confusion between what some 'say' they are doing and what the company advises you to do.

Don't forget, I have used both and do know the differences. I find it very confusing that the company advise one thing and a few users on here say they do differently to the advise given.

I also found it quite illuminating/interesting at the Scottish beauty show recenty that everyone who visited the gel booths had their natural nails buffed prior to application of the gel (there were no exceptions). What is the explanation for that if you and a handful of others say it is not necessary and you do not do it? That is what the company was doing and it was noted by many. Annother thing that was noted by all who had nails done at the Shellac demo tables and compared their nails to the gels, was how much thinner and more like polish Shellac looked .. it was perfectly plain to see.

I'm really not going to argue the point any further and to say they are the same is just plain silly as we all know that is not true ..... I have given out the information from the gel companies themselves and not the information that a few techs on this site say they do for whatever reason. I'm glad you love the colour choice of the brand you have chosen, I also love the colour choice I have with Shellac and it grows every few months so that becomes also a point of personal preference and not a unique selling point. There are dozens of gels that have tonnes of colours and we could be talking about any of them and there is nothing unique about any of them. I wish you the same joy and success in your business that I am also experiencing with Shellac.

 

[lady R]

thanks for that Geeg.
I love CND and will always use its products precisely because you know your stuff. I probably will continue to use both systems and if I can get even a third of the success you have I'll be one happy bunny!

 

[Rachelwhitmars]

We do shellac at the salon i work in and we love it and all of our clients do to! The only problem is getting hold of the stock and some of the colours are almost identical! And theres at least 4 that are just a transparent pink very samey!! The browns, reds and pinks are very popular also the french. We have a hairdresser who had it on for 4 weeks and just came back for it redone with a small chip on 1 finger which she said she did with her scissors! Im Shellac all the way!

 

[Rachelwhitmars]

Ohh and the soak off time on shellac is brilliant takes 10 minutes to get it off!

 

[geeg]

We do shellac at the salon i work in and we love it and all of our clients do to! The only problem is getting hold of the stock and some of the colours are almost identical! And theres at least 4 that are just a transparent pink very samey!! The browns, reds and pinks are very popular also the french. We have a hairdresser who had it on for 4 weeks and just came back for it redone with a small chip on 1 finger which she said she did with her scissors! Im Shellac all the way!

I agree that some of the colours do seem 'sameish' but they are actually different and by the end of this year there will be a much greater choice of 48.

Funkier colours will come along but when rolling out a colour palette it was important to get the colours in the range that have proved most popular over the years. That decision has proved to be a good one in our salon where our clientele are not teenagers and are more conservative.

If I had a teenage or yummy mumy clientele then the choice of colours would probably not have been right for us either. But Shellac is more than about a huge colour choice and we have always managed to make a much larger variety of colours by layering, than the 24 original colours. They will all come in time and when they do, I doubt that most people will carry more than 25 colours that they really use anyway (if they are honest about it) :green:.

 

[Nailsinlondon1]

Shellac and Gelish,

both have been tried and tested by us in the city since they where both launched, so not just once or twice. Whats the difference? Well there is quite a bit of difference for us.

Shellac, easy application, a great brush that gives full control and fans out perfectly, makes for a sharp and crisp cuticle line, no buffing or primer needed. It is a unique colour system, that contains unique ingredients, the bottles need to be shaken to blend the ingredients, just like enamel.
It has the texture and thinness of polish, it doesn't shrink back from the free edge as it is not a gel. No buffing needed prior to base coat application.The capping of the free edge is very easy and is done without really thinking about it. Two colour applications give perfect coverage.
Soak off time is 10 minutes and most of it comes of in the wrap when you twist and pull the wrap of the finger., any residual is wipes of with a lint free pad and acetone. It gives you 14+ day wear.
24 colours are available, which can be layered, some colours may seem the same but when applied bring out the skin tone on the clients hands and then look very different, cool tones and warm tones layered over opaque colours create a very different effect, without adding a bulky gel like look and give you a huge colour choice with a small amount of stock on the shelf, which means less money has to be spent and there are no left over bottles, bottles that collect dust and don't make me money. Delivery and ordering is speedy, either online or on the phone. Problems are sorted out with no fuss.

Gelish, doesn't need to be shaken its a thin gel in a bottle with a brush. Shake it and you get air bubbles. The brush is not as nice and if you use the push and pull technique leaves a little ridge around the cuticle line. It is thicker than Shellac and the base coat does need to be dry brushed. Manufacturers recommendation is that you lightly buff the natural nail and apply a primer. Darker colours do tend to shrink back. The soak off time is 10 minutes if you break the top coat seal, but a little longer if you don't, you do need to scrape the residual Gelish with a cuticle stick.
Wear is 21 days anything longer and it does take longer to remove and the regrowth on darker colours is very noticeable. There is a larger colour choice and lots of glitters to choose from, but to be honest out of all of the colours available I would still only use about 30 or so. The glitters where fun to start with, but our clients are the type of clients that love the classic colours, so the glitters are there but we don't use them very often. Gelish can be layered to give you different colours, but as you layer them you are also adding bulk to the nail and then it starts to look like a Gel nail and not a polished nail, the thin enamel look is lost. Delivery and ordering also is speedy and any problems are sorted out pronto.

We found that lightly buffing the natural nail every 3 weeks all over does tend to thin the nail plate over a period of time, now I know that you would buff L&P and UvGel but, you would only go over the regrowth area and not the whole nail as most of the old product would still cover the nail plate.

Some Gelish Technicians don't buff prior to application and seem to have no problems, but some do and then removal of shine is recommended as per instructions.
So bearing all that in mind, make a choice that reflect what you want from this system, make a choice that suits your clients needs, what do they want, what kind of colours rock their world. But most of all what ever your choice make it informed and make it work for you.

Shellac is our choice and we do love it !!!!!

 

[Claireybearyowen]

Shellac and Gelish,

both have been tried and tested by us in the city since they where both launched, so not just once or twice. Whats the difference? Well there is quite a bit of difference for us.

Shellac, easy application, a great brush that gives full control and fans out perfectly, makes for a sharp and crisp cuticle line, no buffing or primer needed. It is a unique colour system, that contains unique ingredients, the bottles need to be shaken to blend the ingredients, just like enamel.
It has the texture and thinness of polish, it doesn't shrink back from the free edge as it is not a gel. No buffing needed prior to base coat application.The capping of the free edge is very easy and is done without really thinking about it. Two colour applications give perfect coverage.
Soak off time is 10 minutes and most of it comes of in the wrap when you twist and pull the wrap of the finger., any residual is wipes of with a lint free pad and acetone. It gives you 14+ day wear.
24 colours are available, which can be layered, some colours may seem the same but when applied bring out the skin tone on the clients hands and then look very different, cool tones and warm tones layered over opaque colours create a very different effect, without adding a bulky gel like look and give you a huge colour choice with a small amount of stock on the shelf, which means less money has to be spent and there are no left over bottles, bottles that collect dust and don't make me money. Delivery and ordering is speedy, either online or on the phone. Problems are sorted out with no fuss.

Gelish, doesn't need to be shaken its a thin gel in a bottle with a brush. Shake it and you get air bubbles. The brush is not as nice and if you use the push and pull technique leaves a little ridge around the cuticle line. It is thicker than Shellac and the base coat does need to be dry brushed. Manufacturers recommendation is that you lightly buff the natural nail and apply a primer. Darker colours do tend to shrink back. The soak off time is 10 minutes if you break the top coat seal, but a little longer if you don't, you do need to scrape the residual Gelish with a cuticle stick.
Wear is 21 days anything longer and it does take longer to remove and the regrowth on darker colours is very noticeable. There is a larger colour choice and lots of glitters to choose from, but to be honest out of all of the colours available I would still only use about 30 or so. The glitters where fun to start with, but our clients are the type of clients that love the classic colours, so the glitters are there but we don't use them very often. Gelish can be layered to give you different colours, but as you layer them you are also adding bulk to the nail and then it starts to look like a Gel nail and not a polished nail, the thin enamel look is lost. Delivery and ordering also is speedy and any problems are sorted out pronto.

We found that lightly buffing the natural nail every 3 weeks all over does tend to thin the nail plate over a period of time, now I know that you would buff L&P and UvGel but, you would only go over the regrowth area and not the whole nail as most of the old product would still cover the nail plate.

Some Gelish Technicians don't buff prior to application and seem to have no problems, but some do and then removal of shine is recommended as per instructions.
So bearing all that in mind, make a choice that reflect what you want from this system, make a choice that suits your clients needs, what do they want, what kind of colours rock their world. But most of all what ever your choice make it informed and make it work for you.

Shellac is our choice and we do love it !!!!!

Fab fab fab comparison one I have kept in a wee file for future reference, thank you thank you. There are very close pro's and con's for both systems and clearly they can sit happily side by side............ but now I need to grow the business to justify having both systems on offer ... LOL !! :hug:

 

[geeg]

Fab fab fab comparison one I have kept in a wee file for future reference, thank you thank you. There are very close pro's and con's for both systems and clearly they can sit happily side by side............ but now I need to grow the business to justify having both systems on offer ... LOL !! :hug:

LOL we do not have both systems on offer and our business is growing apace with those asking for Shellac ... we will not do both as there is really not the slightest need for us to do so.