You all should know that about me by now, right?
Ok, here are my two most recent experiments -- (1) Which gel polish base & top coat (if any) will work with ibd's Just Gel gel polish? (2) Will OPI's Nail Apps work over gel enhancements?
(1) GelColor, by OPI, is the winner... but not by much. I had two ladies (Jessica and Nicole) who let me do my thing. On Jessica -- right hand was Gelish top & base, left hand was Shellac top & base, with Just Gel in "Tickled Pink". On Nicole -- right hand GelColor top & base, left hand Gelish, with Just Gel in "Turtle Bay". Now, I was hoping these would be full-coverage in two coats, but they're not. Both of these colors (and, I assume, the third one I bought -- "Solar Rays") need three coats for full coverage. BUT, those three bottles cost me the same as one bottle of GelColor, so it was worth it for this experiment.
Jessica had one Shellac'd nail (pinky) peel off at 12 days, but she admitted to not using her Solar Oil (bad girl!!). All nine other nails looked perfect, but for grow-out. The Shellac'd hand looked shinier at her two-week appt. Just as I properly prepped according to which base & top coat I used, I also soaked off properly. Shellac'd nails got CND Shellac Remover & CND wraps. Gelish got OPI's "Expert Touch" because I like it better than pure acetone.
Nicole had one Gelish nail (thumb) chip at the tip at 9 days, however she *did* use her Solar Oil. All nine other nails looked perfect, but for grow-out. The GelColor'd hand looked shinier at her two-week removal appt. Just as I properly prepped according to which base & top coat I used, I also soaked off properly. Both sets here got OPI's "Expert Touch" remover & OPI wraps.
As predicted from past use -- Shellac came off in 8 minutes (CND says 10m, but if your hands are warm, it comes off faster), GelColor came off in 12m (again, warm hands), and Gelish came off in 17m.
The reason behind this experiment is because (a) I've had bad experience with ibd in the past. Their previous gel polish, Gelac, was crap. It cured in the bottle, and I lost a ton of money when they wouldn't allow returns... and (b) I didn't want to invest in a new system, so was hoping that at least one, if not all, of these tops/bases would be compatible. Since they are, if I can't find certain colors I want in the three lines I currently carry, I'd be okay buying it in this line.
(2) Stay tuned to find out; I just did this on a client today. :)
