bimbogeri
Well-Known Member
First off, before I start, I am in no way advocating Rio UV Nails or any Rio products at all. I personally think that companies that put products on the market, try to call them 'professional' and try to tell anyone and everyone that they can do anything a professional does just by buying stuff from Argos is at best breaching trading standards and playing off people, but there you go... Just so people don't shout at me for using/talking about their stuff..
Anyway, at earlier-mentioned girlie night, one friend brought round one of those Rio UV Nail kits. I think it was an unwanted gift to a friend of a friend's uncle's counsin's dog or whatever and had been passed around unused until it reached my friend. Either way, she brought it round and asked did I want to try it out. Of course I was dubious about the whole thing but decided to give it a go 'as an experience' hoping that at worst I'd end up with some awful looking extensions that I'd soak off straight away. I'd like to think that I'd know enough, or at least more than most 'normal' (y'know what I mean) people not to end up overfiling my nails are ruining them. But I digress.
I watched the vid and the book, familiarised myself with the equipment, and sat down once everyone had left to give them a try.
I wouldn't say the results were fantastic - they're really quite thick, and I didn't blend the tips in that well on the first nails I did (I just did my left hand.. they do get better as I go from thumb to pinkie), but the gel seemed to cure OK and they lasted through me washing my hair this morning, although I intend to soak them off in a minute. For a start I'm not convinced that I got a 100% flat bond between the nail tip and my nail plate (I think I saw air bubbles in the middle although the glue was solid round the edges), and I don't want to end up with anything lurking under my nails.
Where this long story is going is that I wondered, what is the sign of a good gel? I'm assuming that the Rio products are pretty cheap, and, although I'm not saying my application was blameless by any means, I found it very hard to get a thin application as the gel was very thick and the brush very cheap. The gel itself was the consistency of un-heated Imaac warm wax - very solid, very stringy ('wipe one side of the brush against the pot to keep it clean' my ar*e, it was like trying to get solid golden syrup off a spoon!). Is this the consitency of all gels, or should they be more liquid and easier to manipulate? I was thinking of getting a few trial packs from companies and comparing, simply for my own use. I know a lot of people like Brisa gels, but as I'm not Creative trained am I right in assuming that I can't use them? I've also looked at The Edge and Millennium Nails. This is just for doing tip and overlays by the way, I don't intend to try scuplting.. I think I'd end up looking like Edward Scissorhands And what is the best sized brush? The Rio one is about 50-60mm wide, flat edged.
Anyway, very long post over...!
Lol x
Anyway, at earlier-mentioned girlie night, one friend brought round one of those Rio UV Nail kits. I think it was an unwanted gift to a friend of a friend's uncle's counsin's dog or whatever and had been passed around unused until it reached my friend. Either way, she brought it round and asked did I want to try it out. Of course I was dubious about the whole thing but decided to give it a go 'as an experience' hoping that at worst I'd end up with some awful looking extensions that I'd soak off straight away. I'd like to think that I'd know enough, or at least more than most 'normal' (y'know what I mean) people not to end up overfiling my nails are ruining them. But I digress.
I watched the vid and the book, familiarised myself with the equipment, and sat down once everyone had left to give them a try.
I wouldn't say the results were fantastic - they're really quite thick, and I didn't blend the tips in that well on the first nails I did (I just did my left hand.. they do get better as I go from thumb to pinkie), but the gel seemed to cure OK and they lasted through me washing my hair this morning, although I intend to soak them off in a minute. For a start I'm not convinced that I got a 100% flat bond between the nail tip and my nail plate (I think I saw air bubbles in the middle although the glue was solid round the edges), and I don't want to end up with anything lurking under my nails.
Where this long story is going is that I wondered, what is the sign of a good gel? I'm assuming that the Rio products are pretty cheap, and, although I'm not saying my application was blameless by any means, I found it very hard to get a thin application as the gel was very thick and the brush very cheap. The gel itself was the consistency of un-heated Imaac warm wax - very solid, very stringy ('wipe one side of the brush against the pot to keep it clean' my ar*e, it was like trying to get solid golden syrup off a spoon!). Is this the consitency of all gels, or should they be more liquid and easier to manipulate? I was thinking of getting a few trial packs from companies and comparing, simply for my own use. I know a lot of people like Brisa gels, but as I'm not Creative trained am I right in assuming that I can't use them? I've also looked at The Edge and Millennium Nails. This is just for doing tip and overlays by the way, I don't intend to try scuplting.. I think I'd end up looking like Edward Scissorhands And what is the best sized brush? The Rio one is about 50-60mm wide, flat edged.
Anyway, very long post over...!
Lol x