OPI Gelcolor
- Thread starter kkgunn
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I can't say a whole lot about the wear since I'm compelled to change my polish at least every week, but the TIO keeps its shine better for me and seems to be 100% non-acetone remover proof. When doing stamping (which for me includes multiple attempts), the repeated removing of the stamping polish noticeably dulled the shine on the OPI and Gelaze top coats, but not the TIO.
But dulling is easily fixed by a new layer of top coat, so I guess whatever works. Sorry that doesn't really answer your question. :/
Ditto what snealious wrote!
I find that the OPI top coat does NOT stay as shiny as the Gelish Top It Off.
I LOVE Top It Off. It gives my mani a hard, mega shiny finish that lasts even through much water-wear (I'm super hard on my nails due to how much water they are constantly in day to day). And if you want to put reg np over it, the shine remains after you remove the reg np with NON-acetone remover. Whereas the non-acetone remover did take away the shine from the OPI top coat. :/
I do use the OPI base coat. My manis last 14 days minimum with that combo of base coat and top coat.
I find that the OPI top coat does NOT stay as shiny as the Gelish Top It Off.
I LOVE Top It Off. It gives my mani a hard, mega shiny finish that lasts even through much water-wear (I'm super hard on my nails due to how much water they are constantly in day to day). And if you want to put reg np over it, the shine remains after you remove the reg np with NON-acetone remover. Whereas the non-acetone remover did take away the shine from the OPI top coat. :/
I do use the OPI base coat. My manis last 14 days minimum with that combo of base coat and top coat.
Thanks for your responses . I am usually getting only 10-11 days wear. I purchased a new light . I had the CND UV light, which seems to be curing ok, but some people on here said you should change the bulbs about every 9 months. Mine is about 2 and 1/2 years, and I have not changed the bulbs . They cost about $48 plus shipping to replace, so I decided to get an LED light instead which is not supposed to ever need bulbs changed. The UV light also took at least 2 minutes to cure coats, so I'm looking forward to cutting down that time . Hopefully mine will last a little longer with the new light . I did order the OPI top coat , but I don't usually put RNP over the top , so I will see if they differ in wear. If you put RNP on top do you use regular top coat over that ??
Yes I do. I just put a colour straight onto TIO (I don't use RNP base coat) and then put a coat of RNP top coat
Another vote for Gelish TIO! I use it regardless of what base or color coat I'm using. I find the combination of shine and durability to be unbeatable. Right now, I'm wearing CND Shellac base, Gelish color - Clean Slate, and Gelish TIO. Later in the week, I'll add a stamp, and change it next week. The TIO lasts through removing the stamps (with non-acetone remover) and stays shiny.
I'm so tempted to buy OPI gel polish from amazon. How does it compare to gelish? would you say it has more color selection than gelish? does it have the regular OPI nail colors in the Gel formula?
I'm lovin all the beautiful Gel colors!!!!!
The ones I've tried have been great. Highly pigmented, smooth formula. I think they did gel versions of their popular colors, and part of their collections as they come, but not all. It seems like they have a few near dupes so make sure to do research, which is easier thanks to lots of swatches of their RNP.
OPI is usually $4-5 more than Gelish, sometimes a lot more. I find them cheaper on EBay, but there's more risk there with private sellers.
The biggest issue I had was the lamp. I originally started with a UV lamp. I did a couple of OPI colors without any really obvious issues. More color seemed to come off with the top coat than usual. The polish didn't chip sooner, but was kind of dentable. I even had a swatch that turned out horrible (wrinkly, chunky, and patchy) and just chalked it up to a bad bottle. Then I heard OPI polishes can be tricky when used without the OPI lamp. I'd been wanting to get an LED lamp anyways, and most brands aren't as picky, so I got the OPI lamp. It seriously made all the difference. I don't know if my UV bulbs were old, it was just using bthe LED bulbs, or specific OPI LED magic. So I guess, if you don't have the OPI lamp, beware and start small.
I attached a picture of the polish that swatched horribly with my UV lamp (left) and then reswatched with the OPI lamp (right). Both were three coats.
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I'm so tempted to buy OPI gel polish from amazon. How does it compare to gelish? would you say it has more color selection than gelish? does it have the regular OPI nail colors in the Gel formula?
I'm lovin all the beautiful Gel colors!!!!!
The OPI GelColor base is hybrid, like CND Shellac, but the colors are pure gel, like Gelish. I find it a lot like Gelish, but dark colors do sometimes wrinkle or shrink back, which can be fixed by being careful to do your base and color coats super thin. At about 120, OPI's color range isn't quite as large as Gelish's 162 yet, but they are the regular OPI colors in gel form - which includes their iconic colors like Lincoln Park After Dark or I'm Not Really a Waitress.
Be careful who you buy OPI from. It is probably the most counterfeited nail color brand , although it isn't clear if that has extended into the GelColor line yet.
It's Are We There Yet? pastel. That pic was taken with flash, so here's one in the sun to give a better idea. There's an orange-ish tint, making it more of a pastel pink coral.
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I'll deff be careful who i buy the OPI Gelpolish from. Do you know where i can buy the OPI gel colors from besides amazon? Do you know if they sell them at cosmoprof?
I am fortunate that I can buy almost anything I need from a couple of local independent nail supply stores; you should see if there's some in your area. Online, you can find OPI GelColor (and a lot of other brands) from Nail Tech Supply - http://www.nailtechsupply.com/cart/opi-2?cat=901 or Beautywest (which also sells on Amazon) - http://www.beautywests.com/GelColorbyOPI.aspx
beautiful colors! i love the purple one and the last one on the right! Im checking out a local store in SF to check out their gel colors! super excited! will share my OPI SOG if i buy any.