Shellac or gelish

[LISA A]

I am considering investing in 1 of these products. I would be really interested to hear from any of you that have used BOTH products. Would like honest, constructive opinions of them, application, cost, longevity, pros and cons.

I am not investing in a LED at this point, so will be using a UV, not sure if this will have any bearing.

Look forward to hearing your opinions

 

[shedunlop]

Oh my darling! There have been so many threads on here about this very subject! You could either use the search button above and read for days and days or you could join both the Gelish Lovers group and the Shellac Lovers group and see which one you would prefer.

Everyone seems really pleased with the quality and longevity of both brands so there is not much between them there. Gelish has 48 colours at the moment with more expected at the end of the year. Shellac has 12 colours with more expected in the Spring. Gelish bottles are 15mls compared to the 7.5mls of Shellac. I think these are the only real differences now the supply issues have been sorted with Shellac. :green:

 

[Miss Sylk]

Im in the same boat hun and i just searched and YES there are SO many threads that ive been trailing through for hours and my little boy is going insane with me, i was just about to start a thread but no i will be directed straight to the search so i thought id hijack your thread and ask 3 questions.


1) how are gelish and shellac different in removal and infill procedures?

2) why does shellac do 14 days and Gelish 21 is it?

3) how to they differ from bio sculpt?

If anyone can help me id appreciate it, i gota buy this stuff asap as my NSI balance isnt working for me.

Sorry to Hijack your thread hun, hope the answers help you too.

Ive been using NSI balance but i want an easier paint on option also ive been having trouble with it on the natural nail. I dont like the idea of soak offs for my salon, as apparently they arnt as strong (as i have read through lots of threads about this) and i dont have any clients who want to change their colours frequently, in fact they want the opposite they want 4 weeks solid wear from gel overlays or on an enhancement. I want the product that can do that.

 

[chocolatepickle]

why not find someone that offers the services and try it out that way, you'll get first hand experience of each product which will be the best way to make your mind up :hug:

 

[Deena]

Im in the same boat hun and i just searched and YES there are SO many threads that ive been trailing through for hours and my little boy is going insane with me, i was just about to start a thread but no i will be directed straight to the search so i thought id hijack your thread and ask 3 questions.


1) how are gelish and shellac different in removal and infill procedures?

2) why does shellac do 14 days and Gelish 21 is it?

3) how to they differ from bio sculpt?

If anyone can help me id appreciate it, i gota buy this stuff asap as my NSI balance isnt working for me.

Sorry to Hijack your thread hun, hope the answers help you too.

Ive been using NSI balance but i want an easier paint on option also ive been having trouble with it on the natural nail. I dont like the idea of soak offs for my salon, as apparently they arnt as strong (as i have read through lots of threads about this) and i dont have any clients who want to change their colours frequently, in fact they want the opposite they want 4 weeks solid wear from gel overlays or on an enhancement. I want the product that can do that.

Hi If your clients want 4 weeks from one application, all I can say is that they obviously don't mind a lot of ugly regrowth then, which looks especially bad <imo> with the darker colours!

Some will testify to the fact that these products will stay put for that long, although some might require a slightly longer soak off time, though.

 

[shedunlop]

Im in the same boat hun and i just searched and YES there are SO many threads that ive been trailing through for hours and my little boy is going insane with me, i was just about to start a thread but no i will be directed straight to the search so i thought id hijack your thread and ask 3 questions.


1) how are gelish and shellac different in removal and infill procedures?

2) why does shellac do 14 days and Gelish 21 is it?

3) how to they differ from bio sculpt?

If anyone can help me id appreciate it, i gota buy this stuff asap as my NSI balance isnt working for me.

Sorry to Hijack your thread hun, hope the answers help you too.

Ive been using NSI balance but i want an easier paint on option also ive been having trouble with it on the natural nail. I dont like the idea of soak offs for my salon, as apparently they arnt as strong (as i have read through lots of threads about this) and i dont have any clients who want to change their colours frequently, in fact they want the opposite they want 4 weeks solid wear from gel overlays or on an enhancement. I want the product that can do that.

To answer your questions.

Both are the same with removal and infill if you want to do that. Most people will go for a new colour though but some girls are infilling.

Shellac will last 3 weeks as well. Basically both these products will go the long haul and could last until they grow off! They just become unsightly because of the regrowth. There was mention a couple of months ago that Shellac was harder to remove the longer it was on but I haven't seen any comments like that recently from users so it doesn't seem to be causing any problems.

With regards to Bio then I am not too sure about all of it but I know these products look like polish when applied properly. They do give some strength to the nail but not like an extension. Gelish does have a structure gel which will give more strength if it is required and you can either paint it on just to give a bit more strength or use it to build an apex or even lengthen the nail slightly.

I hope this helps a bit! :green:

 

[Nails Plus]

Hi Lisa,
I would have thought all your CND contacts have given you the lowdown on Shellac. Both are good, Gelish I feel is better value for money with none of the out of stock problems from Sweet Squared etc; they both do what they promote, Gelish have a great range of colours and great customer service from Nail Harmony, and by the way the Bio Desk tidy is great but you do have to be Bio trained to order.
Sue

 

[Bezza]

I would look at the range of colours too. Everyobdy has different taste, as do clients - obviously! That is what made me decide. Shellac was more to my taste, despite having less than gelish they are more classic in my mind- it really does depend on your client base and mine leans more towards the gorgeous shellacs!

Not saying that Gelish aren't beautiful too, just that this is how my mind was made up when I considered jumping on the new product wagon due to shellac stock problems. I'm so happy I stuck with shellac- I love love love it!!!

 

[The Geek]

From what I've seen, Shellac removal is easier. Both will easily exceed 2 weeks wear (someone was just going on about 6 week Shellac wear). Gelish currently has more colours. Shellac's popularity has caused supply issues, but that is starting to look like we are nearing the end of that. Shellac has been getting massive consumer attention (hell, its practically a verb now). I haven't really seen anything for Gelish so can't comment there.

I like the recommendation of trying the two out and decide first hand which one suits you best and satisfies your customer expectations.

Best of luck

 

[TweezerHappy]

I haven't used Gelish so can't comment on that.

The Shellac stock issues are basically done I'd say.

One of my clients just went 6 weeks. I posted a pic in the Shellac Lovers group. They didn't look to hot as you can imagine but she was so unbelievably happy with them that they lasted that long. I told her not to do it again but I know she won't listen. Removal didn't take any longer.

I love Shellac and I have had so many clients calling/emailing and asking for it specifically, just like with Minx.

I'm sure whichever one you decide to go with you will love.

 

[Miss Sylk]

Its all about my customers, i know what they want, so thats what im going to give them Just want to make sure i dont waste more money.

If shellac may chip and they come for infills, how do we fix the chip? whole new application on that nail?

Preferred the sound of Gelish due to it lasting longer? I dont mind lengthy soak off times

Hope Lisa gets some info from my questions too x

 

[Nail Harmony Uk]

Wow, this is like the old VHS and Betamax video days... however I dont think there will be any loser. Two fantastic products, each having their own pro's and con's but ultimately giving the consumer plenty to talk about! In turn more and more new customers walking through the doors.

And we too are totally for the one hand one, one hand another trial.
Facebook is also another great place to get a wealth of information, pictures and application information on all products.
But very important to do the research in your choice.. each brand will suit different users in different ways.

We are happy to see a nice friendly thread such as this and long may it continue!!

Love n Hugs
XX

 

[NoLimitNails]

If shellac may chip and they come for infills, how do we fix the chip? whole new application on that nail?

You don't infill with either product, you soak off and do a whole new application every time.

HTH

 

[izzidoll]

Its all about my customers, i know what they want, so thats what im going to give them Just want to make sure i dont waste more money.

If shellac may chip and they come for infills, how do we fix the chip? whole new application on that nail?

Preferred the sound of Gelish due to it lasting longer? I dont mind lengthy soak off times

Hope Lisa gets some info from my questions too x

Both products are more like a polish with all the benefits of a gel, and soak off in 10 minutes (definitely not lengthy!),
therefore there are no infills. Remove and Re Do every 2 or 3 weeks. Gellish/Shellac are treatments on their own, a new type of product and shouldn't be thought of like enhancements at all.
As to which one to go for...I definitely think the thread poster has to try before she buys.
Go get treatments of both and then decide which one is best for your clientel.

 

[shedunlop]

Its all about my customers, i know what they want, so thats what im going to give them Just want to make sure i dont waste more money.

If shellac may chip and they come for infills, how do we fix the chip? whole new application on that nail?

Preferred the sound of Gelish due to it lasting longer? I dont mind lengthy soak off times

Hope Lisa gets some info from my questions too x

I am a Gelish user, made my decision before they were both launched and received my first package from Holland.

With regards to soak off time. I will wrap my clients fingers with foil wraps soaked with acetone and by the time I get to the last finger on the second hand I am removing from the first finger on the first hand. I don't understand why anyone thinks that it takes longer to remove than Shellac, or any of the other products come to that. The longest I have taken to remove Gelish has been 10 minutes so no lengthy soak off at all!!!

Having said that I don't think one product lasts longer than the other, I would say that they just both last and last and last.

My decision was made on the good range of colours available from the beginning, 24 to start with and these were followed quickly by another 24 colours and there are even more coming before Christmas!! I had always been a polish addict so this is paradise to me!

Customer service is the best I have ever come across in 16 years and everyone gets treated as if they are the very best client. Georgie and Jason are extremely experienced in the industry and have a friendly and caring manner and really nothing is too much trouble for them.

Sweet Squared have received customer service awards too so this again should be fairly even when trying to make your decision.

Basically all of these products are fab and we are very lucky techs to have such a choice! :green:

 

[Miss Sylk]

You don't infill with either product, you soak off and do a whole new application every time.

HTH

Im sure ive heard people saying they infill? im so confused now.

Ok so forget Gellish/shellac for a mo, what coloured gel could i use that i can infill? or am i loosing the plot and theres no such thing? Sorry used to acrylic. x

 

[geeg]

Why just the two??

You have Shellac and then you have ....

coloured gels

JESSICA Geleration
NSI
Seche Gel Lacquer
OPI Axxium
Bio Sculpture
Calgel
CUCCIO Pronto
GelLAK
Gelish
NUBAR Gelicure

I've probably missed out 100 more lol ... the list is allot longer than only a choice of 2. I'm sure they all last for 2-3 weeks and I'm sure all do the job. The science behind the products definitely varies ... depends on whether or not you are interested in that or just that it lasts. Good luck which ever you decide.

 

[NoLimitNails]

Im sure ive heard people saying they infill? im so confused now.

Ok so forget Gellish/shellac for a mo, what coloured gel could i use that i can infill? or am i loosing the plot and theres no such thing? Sorry used to acrylic. x

Now you got me confused LOL I've been told you don't infill on those mentioned, but now unsure???? ANYBODY HELP!!!:lol::lol::lol:

 

[naturalnails]

You dont infill on Shellac or Gelish - this would be like saying you do infills on varnishing.

 

[salpep]

Why just the two??

You have Shellac and then you have ....

coloured gels

JESSICA Geleration
NSI
Seche Gel Lacquer
OPI Axxium
Bio Sculpture
Calgel
CUCCIO Pronto
GelLAK
Gelish
NUBAR Gelicure

I've probably missed out 100 more lol ... the list is allot longer than only a choice of 2. I'm sure they all last for 2-3 weeks and I'm sure all do the job. The science behind the products definitely varies ... depends on whether or not you are interested in that or just that it lasts. Good luck which ever you decide.

lol Do you know what I just thinking this the other day, whilst reading the Scratch Mag...there are flippin loads of them :lol:

I'm thinking traditional nail enamel is going to be a thing of the past soon, or left to the joe public to purchase.