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Professional gel coat for nails reddit The main thing is to make sure the gel you use matches the wattage needed from your lamp. ” Any OPI gel color I’ve used I’ve had to do one nail, cure, one nail, cure, and so on. Review top 6 formulas with tips for long-lasting, flawless nails. It is not the same as a gel polish base, but many brands can be used instead of a gel polish base i. if you want to put gel polish on the nails, you don't need a base coat first. I only needed two colour coats to get a nice solid colour. What to purchase to do gel nails at home? I want to try doing my own gel nails at home (gel polish, not gel extensions). It seems like there is a lot of stuff I need: UV lamp, gel polish, something to push back my cuticles, base coat, top coat, cuticle oil, a nail file, gel polish remover, the list goes on! Post about your gel x nails! Questions, comments, cute nail posts! This community is for you to share your gel x nails! 7) Apply a thin coat of color and cure. Many gel polishes are less opaque than traditional lacquers, so you may need 2-3 coats or more, depending on your desired level of opacity. Not the top/base coats but I use a lot of DND Gel because there are soooo many colors and they come with the matching non gel polish. Discussion/Question Share Add a Comment Sort by: Top Open comment sort options Best Top New Controversial Old Q&A blue-jay-walker •• Edited I second the Essie gel top coat and the drip dry drops - I also take a cheap nail brush from Amazon and clean around the edges. This is an important step!! As for colors, I seem to have the best results with Red Carpet gel polish from Ulta and CND Shellac on the beyondpolish site. co/d/6pu8gWW Beetles LED Nail Lamp, Anti Aging Nail Light Curing Gel Nail Polish Gel Set/Base Gel/Top Coat/Poly Nail Gel Extension for Professional Nail Art Design Salon DIY at home https://a. if I don’t, the color will run. These gel tops will keep your nails fresh and polished for a long time. I started because of some amazing advice and step by step guides from this subreddit and have built up a decent collection. My qualifications: I am not a licensed professional! I do my nails pretty much every day for my Instagram and almost exclusively use gel polish because I own a nail polish brand and am therefore elbows deep in acetone on a daily basis. I'd have benedryl ready, and don't hesitate to go to your doctor if the reaction worries you. Beetles Gel Nail Polish Set, 23pcs Gel Polish Kit, 20 Colors Pink Green Blue Uv Gel Polish with Base Top Coat, All Season Manicure Tools for Beginners Nail Art Home Gift for Women Gel 0. (post in comments) May 5, 2025 · We tested a dozen of the best top coat nail polishes, from glossy finishes to shimmering formulas, to ensure your nails are covered and protected for everyday life. If the nail look shown was NOT created by you, you must flair properly. We researched the best options for long-lasting wear. You can use other gel products on top (builder gel, gel polish, etc. Thinner is better to ensure proper curing, and don't forget to wrap the tips! 8) Once you're satisfied with the color, apply a thin layer of top coat and cure. Here is everything I use: Dehydrator Bonder Base coat Top coat You will also need some rubbing alcohol to wipe your nails with after you’ve cured the top coat. I’ve always felt like OPI gel colors seem “watered down. With its wear-resistant feature, this set can make your gel last for over 28 days with proper application. To remove it I just soak a cotton round in acetone and wrap it with aluminium foil for about 15 mins and then it easily comes off. Gel polish has an inhibition layer that is sticky/tacky after it has been fully cured. I'm looking into buying some more polygel, top coats and bases, some cute charms, possibly some chrome and pearl powders as well! We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Hi, all! I’ve been doing gel nails on my own for about 3 years now. The brand and colors are required. Say goodbye to chipping and hello to stunning manicures with these top-rated products. #BestGelTopCoats Nov 24, 2025 · Find the best gel top coat: UV-cured or fast-drying shine. A quick reminder: If this is a nail image, you must provide a complete product list within 6 hours of posting. What strange timing! I just bought some stuff to start doing gel nails at home. But it will often give you the best results. This means you could end up sealing wet polish, which won’t adhere to the top coat. I’m talking a 4 hour affair to do typically one coat of base coat, 2 thin coats of polish, and a coat of top coat. I prefer LUXA as it has a thicker viscosity and works in 1 coat with stickers, charms, glitter and I don’t have to double coat. Young nails (one of my favorite brands for acrylic and hard gel) is dropping a bottled (base?) gel that will make the nails harder sometime soon. So, what are the best gel top coats available for use in your salon? Take a look at our bestsellers below - are you using any of them? Just got my first ever at home gel set & lamp today - gels from beetles! It was my first ever attempt at doing my own gels so I had low expectations, but they cured beautifully, the gel is a good consistency to work with, and you can get a big variety of colours for your money. The flexible UV gel top coat also provides a glossy shine while avoiding nicks, chips, and smudges. I have a lot of experience with Amazon gel nail kits and I'm never going back. I decided to give it a shot with builder gel for about a month, and man, did they stick! I followed all the SUNUV 48W UV LED Light Lamp Nail Dryer for Gel Polish with Auto Sensor Professional Nail Art Tools SUN4 Black https://a. Product List Requirements. 7) Apply a thin coat of color and cure. May 16, 2025 · InStyle editors spent 54 hours trying the best at-home gel manicure kits, evaluating each on their ease of use and removal, quality, and how well the kits protect nail integrity. May 5, 2025 · We tested a dozen of the best top coat nail polishes, from glossy finishes to shimmering formulas, to ensure your nails are covered and protected for everyday life. This tacky layer helps stick to top coat or another layer of the color polish. What was once a fun hobby has really turned into a stressor for me. I've heard tons of folks swear by gel as a savior for their natural nails or as a protective shield. Welcome to r/nailtechs! This sub is for nail techs to discuss advice, and ask for constructive criticism and product discussion. There are cheaper options and more expensive ones. Oct 31, 2019 · Similarly, using a gel top coat over a normal nail polish isn’t recommended, as it can take up to 24 hours to fully dry. Also consider cross allergies might be a thing. DC800 base coat and DC900 top coat are awesome! These are professional UV gel polish from DND. For professional, qualified nail technicians and students only. Warhammer 40k is a franchise created by Games Workshop, detailing the far future and the grim darkness it holds. As well as if the polish needs UV or LED that the lamp is the type needed. If this is a nail picture, please post a list of the products you used for your manicure/pedicure. Jun 25, 2024 · We tested dozens of at-home gel nail kits to compile the seven best options (including gel polish, UV lamps, and base and top coats) at a variety of prices. I always advise, though, to be careful. i think it'd be more ideal for me to use not only for keeping my nails long & strong but may make my manicures last longer? im no longer using polish with strengtheners and haven't used I want to tell you all the reasons why hard gel is my favorite thing to put on my nails. It has everything you need to apply and remove gel nails. I do wonder, what do you women think of men with shiny nails?😅😂 I bought baby pink, white and the top coat to try. co/d/6ONzYFJ Sun UV has good lamps. The Nail Hub on Youtube did a good video on HEMA, there's different forms, some more allergenic than others. I did however find that the buffing made my nails thinner because I kept buffing and buffing to keep the shininess up🤣 I just bought some top coat clear gel polish (i think) and tried it out, they are so shiny now, and I love it. If you can afford it I recommend using the same lamp as the brand you use, but its not nessesary. Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Base Coat, Salon Perfect Nail polish, and either the Salon Perfect Gel-like Top Coat, or Rock Top Coat from Sally's. I do use a nail strengthener under my base coat and polish, I use cuticle oil to keep the skin around my nails and the nails themselves hydrated and of course, hand moisturizer, and I take vitamins that include biotin for nail and hair health, too. . Posts without a complete product list will be removed after 6 hours. Discover the options that dry No matter the base coat, polish brand, or top coat, no matter how thin my coats are, no matter how long I wait in between coats, it take FOREVER for my nail polish to dry. Yes rubber base gel works well for flexible nails. I would 100% getting good quality gel nail polish or else you’ll just have a nightmare. Gel manicure has become a beauty staple. Thinking about investing in gel: do you prefer it to regular polish and what should I be looking for in a curing lamp? A subreddit dedicated to gel nails and all gel-adjacent products. I don’t want to spend 8 hours a week Welcome to r/nailtechs! This sub is for nail techs to discuss advice, and ask for constructive criticism and product discussion. My friends like to use the soft gel in the bottles from IBD but I’m a girl who loves potted gels. com KOKOIST Ultra Glossy for blacks. e. The Salon Perfect is from Walmart and that top coat is amazing. I was looking at the Gelous kit but saw a comment suggesting to buy from a professional retailer. I don’t have much experience with gel polish but I have bought some gel nail polish online and I bought the UV lamp. This includes base gel, builder gel (hard or soft gel), full coverage tips, or polygel (if used), colored gels, and top gel. LUXA Gloss is also excellent but is a non-soakable top coat meant for extensions/structured gel manicures, I believe it may crack over natural nails/ non structured gel manis. 5 Fl Oz (Pack of 1) 10K+ bought in past month Right now, I don't have much in my collection, only one polygel tube that I really like, a builder gel that I'm still practicing with, a soft gel tip set, a few small bottles of gel polish and some basic prep stuff. #BestGelTopCoats Yes rubber base gel works well for flexible nails. Discover which A lot of the gel kits on the market only do the first part well but still need a salon's help to remove gel nails. Gel used improperly can Nov 18, 2025 · The best at-home gel kits give you pro results without the hassle of a salon. Jun 3, 2025 · The Modelones Gel Polish Top Coat and Base Coat Set is a reliable solution for those who want their gel nails to last longer. If you've already put the product list elsewhere, please copy and paste it in a reply to this comment so it's easier for everyone to see. The things you need are: nail lamp, nail gel/polish (there are different kinds) to apply the press-ons with, nail file, base coat and top coat, preferably a dehydrator (you can also use acetone) and a primer to make your nails last longer and lastly gel colours! Mar 21, 2025 · Looking for the best gel top coat to enhance your manicure? Well, look no further. An often recommended DIY gel kit here is S&L's gel nail kit because it has what you need to do both, but also because they hav some beautiful colors and last at least 3 weeks for me! Please feel free to post photos of your dip powder nails, have conversations about dip powder nails (wearing and DIY), and anything else dip powder related! Please refrain from spam-posting ads for personal gain or harassing other users. My Recs: Amazon Products I Use: Gel Polish: Gelike EC Amazon Products I Have Found But Not Tried: Gel Polish For seche, only use one coat and seche works best before everything is completely dry. Can you paint over cured gel polish with more gel polish? My nail tech messed up & I'm not happy with them. It’s not a quick dry but dries after 10 min - you cannot use seche on days old dry Polish because it will peel! I learned the hard way Reply reply allthedamnquestions • Reply reply Thewritingsoflafleur • Reply reply like the title says im looking for the best rubber gel base! i been looking into videos on Pinterest by parallelbeauty (?) for nail tips and she recommended using a rubber gel base for flexibility & strength. Remember, these are gel polishes, meaning they need a curing unit to dry! They will never air dry like regular nail polish. I don’t want to spend 8 hours a week I don’t have much experience with gel polish but I have bought some gel nail polish online and I bought the UV lamp. If products are not listed within 4 hours of posting, your post will be removed. This includes any posts with broken nails or if you're seeking advice. While kits from Amazon 9/10 times don't come with the tools to let you remove gel nails so you always need to buy more supplies. Also when it does lose its shine, I use sally Hansen ultimate shield top coat. We tested 12 of the top user-friendly kits to find our winners worth your money. Just to clarify that I’m not against anyone using gel for their nails; but it just didn’t pan out well for my nails and Reddit seems like the perfect place to let out some steam. It will never go away unless you wipe it off with alcohol, but that is not necessary. It's frustrating because I was really excited to have a coloured builder gel that's marketed as beginner friendly. If you do acrylic or soft gel, you might like hard gel better. I tested and found the best gel top coats that will give your nails a long-lasting, glossy finish. Acrylics absolutely fucked my natural nails, so I’m going short for awhile - surprisingly, I’ve gotten a lot of positive comments on the length! I was going to get 2 NT builder bases (1 pot 1 bottle), mega stick, PBD, kokoist ultra glossy top coat, a couple of brushes, and maybe 1 or 2 gel kokoist polishes. Brands of charms/stones or other nail embellishments are not required. If you put the gel polish on too thick, it will wrinkle. ) It will replace a normal gel base coat. So both salon owners and clients need to know the popular professional gel nail polish brands used in salons. In which case you need to remove it and polish again; it's dangerous to have uncured It has top coats that aren't 5-free, a base coat known to badly damage some people's nails, a nail strengthener that is also not 5-free with an ingredient that has been banned in the EU due to safety concerns (ethyl tosylamide), and a particularly sensitizing brand of gel top coat. (post in comments) I'd try a hypoallergenic gel, the most well known offending chemical in gel polish is HEMA. This includes base gel, builder gel (hard or soft gel), full coverage tips, acrygel, color gels, and top gel. However, I think I’m ready to scrap all of it and move towards regular nail polish. If your nails are flexible, I would stick to soft gel overlays until they aren’t as weak. This set is made of an upgraded formula that can keep the Nail See full list on stylecraze. I ended up getting some items for NSI Nails - UV/LED lamp, top coat and base coat, three polishes, and a cuticle oil. Oct 17, 2025 · The best top coat nail polishes keep your nails chip-free and protected from damage.