Which gels?

[BeautyBeeLG88]

Can I please have some recommendations/pros/cons for Gel systems?!
I've used Geleration for a few years now but don't feel I'm getting the best value for my money and I'm underwhelmed by the results. Ive been looking at the Essie Gel system but don't know much about Shellac... Any advice would be hugely appreciated!! x

 

[BeautyBeeLG88]

Anyone have any preferences between Shellac/Essie Gel/Geleration?
Pretty please?!?

 

[willowrose]

What underwhelms you about geleration?

All brands have their good & bad points.

Shellac I like texturally, for swift removal, reputation/market penetration. But for me a poor colour selection, high price & annoyingly small bottles, doubled led curing times, never any enticing supplier offers, poor mani/pedi lines (quality of ingredients, scents, & packaging) in my opinion very dated marketing campaigns. Vinylux I see as both a positive and negative- a long pro & cons debate could be had on that polish!

Essie is in salon only which I see as a plus, interesting colour palette - the word tasteful springs to mind - but not a huge range, strong brand awareness, nice retail & mani/pedi lines. Negatives are longevity/texture (we got some free to entice us & it underperformed - all colours were quite thin & didn't feel quite as strong as most other gel polishes), very late to market so less feedback available, colours don't quite match best selling rnp essie shades hence different names etc & very dubious about the added vitamins doing anything at all.

 

[BeautyBeeLG88]

What underwhelms you about geleration?

All brands have their good & bad points.

Shellac I like texturally, for swift removal, reputation/market penetration. But for me a poor colour selection, high price & annoyingly small bottles, doubled led curing times, never any enticing supplier offers, poor mani/pedi lines (quality of ingredients, scents, & packaging) in my opinion very dated marketing campaigns. Vinylux I see as both a positive and negative- a long pro & cons debate could be had on that polish!

Essie is in salon only which I see as a plus, interesting colour palette - the word tasteful springs to mind - but not a huge range, strong brand awareness, nice retail & mani/pedi lines. Negatives are longevity/texture (we got some free to entice us & it underperformed - all colours were quite thin & didn't feel quite as strong as most other gel polishes), very late to market so less feedback available, colours don't quite match best selling rnp essie shades hence different names etc & very dubious about the added vitamins doing anything at all.

Thank you so much! That's really helpful! I've used Geleration for 2ish years now and just felt that the brand was stalling a little. Having heard such positive reviews about Shellac (I've never used it personally) I was concerned I wasn't offering the best to my clients. I think I'm going to trial a few first before I definitely move away. Thank you! x

 

[jennypenny1972]

If it helps at all, I use OPI GelColor and on the whole I love it!

 

[BeautyBeeLG88]

Thank you! More food for thought to try! x

 

[Hhh]

I love gelish the colour range is great, they have glitter trends to glam up any colour. They have offers. And are often making new relises.

 

[Biljana]

Well, for my salon Shellac is the winner.
Application is flawless, stays put and designing art with it is limitless. Colour range is quite large for my liking, honestly I haven't had much of an issue with clients not finding it exciting. I made a mistake of bringing another range, LCN Recolution and it sits on the shelf even though it has brights and glitters and a wear of 3 to 4 weeks.
I have tested other brands, Gelish and OPI and all three fail at removal in comparison to CND Shellac.
In the end, majority of my clients would much rather come every 2 weeks, 3 with Smoothing Shellac under it, than endure scraping and white marks that other gel polishes leave behind. I am a firm believer in gentle removal, but soak all you want and some pieces do not come off unless you help them with your cuticle stick. Then you are forced to buff the nail and that just further thins it out.

P.S. New Shellac express top coat makes the removal more of a dream than ever before!
Great education, and brand awareness are just a few other positives and why I still stick with CND after all these years.

 

[tiggerlady]

Shellac is a hybrid...halfway between gel and polish, hence the slightly easier removal...
regarding gel polishes, I use and love OPI and Gelish, similar quality, easy application, 15 ml bottles so last ages, no thickening over time. I have also tried IBD as they have a Tiffany blue..of preference I would say OPI for colour range ,application and marketing etc..hope this helps x

 

[jolou]

I love biosculpture, great range of colours and keeps the nail healthy. They don't do 'deals' or offers but then again they don't need to and are salon only suppliers.

 

[Katfin]

I've been using Essie recently in the salon I'm working in and I am quite impressed with it. It goes on lovely and has some really nice colours, it also seems to last well.The only down side I have found is the removal takes a while.
I'm doing Shellac conversion tomo for my mobile work and whilst I've been playing around with it I have found the removal to be so easy and I love the combinations and nail art you can create with it!

 

[BeautyBeeLG88]

Thanks everyone for all your help! For those that have worked with Shellac, have you found the removal a problem? My clients can be quite impatient as they are always rushing to something else and I don't want to keep them waiting trying to soak of the gels! X

 

[squidgernetball]

Thanks everyone for all your help! For those that have worked with Shellac, have you found the removal a problem? My clients can be quite impatient as they are always rushing to something else and I don't want to keep them waiting trying to soak of the gels! X

I think genuine shellac has the easiest removal of most gel polishes. But that's genuine CND Shellac.

Vic x

 

[NancySyd]

Can I please have some recommendations/pros/cons for Gel systems?!
I've used Geleration for a few years now but don't feel I'm getting the best value for my money and I'm underwhelmed by the results. Ive been looking at the Essie Gel system but don't know much about Shellac... Any advice would be hugely appreciated!! x

I have not been completely thrilled with Geleration but I do continue to use it. EssieGel has Ben a bit of a disappointment - it doesn't apply or wear as well as others, but it does have those wonderful ESSIE colors!
My choice would be OPI Gelcolors. I have always loved OPI colors and the GelColor range expands with the rnp range. I think OPI combines the easy removal of CND Shellac (it also has a hybrid base) with the color range of Gelish, and the easy application and texture of OPI polishes.
I do still use Geleration, Essie, Gelish, et al, but OPI is my go-to.

 

[Katfin]

I did my training yesterday and Shellac was so easily removed 5 mins (with new top coat) and no scrapping or buffing it just comes away.

 

[Omeya]

Orly Gel Fx and now they have the no cure, no soak off Orly Epix - Love them and they don't damage the nail !