OPI Gelcolor

TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others

Thanks. So here is the information about my light:

Volt: AC100-130V, 60HZ
Rated power: 12W
Fixed time function: Set time is 30s, 60s, 90s

I got it on ebay and it has worked great with Gelish and a lighter OPI Gelcolor. Here is the link.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12W-LED-UV-...t=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item19d376ef94

The color comes off after I cure the top coat (I cured it for a very long time too).

I'd vote for a new (tested name brand) lamp. You're not getting a proper cure.

That lamp looks like a "Better" LED lamp and lots of people have reported problems with those.
 
Thanks. So here is the information about my light:

Volt: AC100-130V, 60HZ
Rated power: 12W
Fixed time function: Set time is 30s, 60s, 90s

I got it on ebay and it has worked great with Gelish and a lighter OPI Gelcolor. Here is the link.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12W-LED-UV-...t=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item19d376ef94

The color comes off after I cure the top coat (I cured it for a very long time too).

Sometimes you will get some color transfer when you are applying the top coat, but the color should not 'come off' after the top coat is cured. In fact, once in a while I will get a little bit of color on the side of a finger and not see it until after it has cured, and I have to use acetone to remove that little bit of cured color.. As FL Mermaid mentioned, your lamp may not be curing OPI gel correctly. Try doing one finger with Gelish, and one finger of the same hand with OPI.. cure them both at the same time and check your results.?
Cure times can vary from product to product, and also depending on application methods (how thick or thin the layer). If you do the side by side test and find that the Gelish color is not coming off after you cure the top coat, but the OPI Gel color is coming off, then it could be your lamp... and you may need to stick with Gelish and not use the OPI with that lamp.
 
It is a "Better" LED lamp that I got from ebay. It has been working fine, well I thought. Can anyone recommend a better quality lamp that isnt $350-$400. I know the OPI Gelcolor one is expensive.
 
It is a "Better" LED lamp that I got from ebay. It has been working fine, well I thought. Can anyone recommend a better quality lamp that isnt $350-$400. I know the OPI Gelcolor one is expensive.

I'm sure you'll get some responses as to what people use. I don't use OPI so I am not familiar with what they offer.

I will say, I happen to be one of the firm believers that your lamp matters and not all LED lamps cure all products equally. If you're going to stick to one brand, and really want LED, then I'd recommend buying the lamp that goes with that brand. I have the RCM Pro light but I only use it with my RCM and Gelish. For anything else I use a CFL UV light - if you're going to cross multiple brands, I think the brand name UV lamps are safer (and you can find reliable replacement bulbs).

There will be plenty of people that will tell you that they have XYZ lamp and "it cures ABC fine". The fact of the matter is, it's alot more complicated than that. With the exception of the overt problems you're having, and maybe shortened performance (like early chipping or early peeeling) you can't always tell a product is fully cured by looking at it. It can "seem" cured and not be fully cured ...continuing to cure over a period of time due to exposure to the sun, etc. All during that time it's not properly cured, you are being exposed to allergens in the products.

So, your call as to how serious you want to take all that and whether or not you want to risk it for yourself. Also, lots of information and opinions on LED lamps here if you haven't seen this thread.

http://forum.purseblog.com/nail-care/sog-led-nail-lamps-672862-19.html
 
I'm sure you'll get some responses as to what people use. I don't use OPI so I am not familiar with what they offer.

I will say, I happen to be one of the firm believers that your lamp matters and not all LED lamps cure all products equally. If you're going to stick to one brand, and really want LED, then I'd recommend buying the lamp that goes with that brand. I have the RCM Pro light but I only use it with my RCM and Gelish. For anything else I use a CFL UV light - if you're going to cross multiple brands, I think the brand name UV lamps are safer (and you can find reliable replacement bulbs).

There will be plenty of people that will tell you that they have XYZ lamp and "it cures ABC fine". The fact of the matter is, it's alot more complicated than that. With the exception of the overt problems you're having, and maybe shortened performance (like early chipping or early peeeling) you can't always tell a product is fully cured by looking at it. It can "seem" cured and not be fully cured ...continuing to cure over a period of time due to exposure to the sun, etc. All during that time it's not properly cured, you are being exposed to allergens in the products.

So, your call as to how serious you want to take all that and whether or not you want to risk it for yourself. Also, lots of information and opinions on LED lamps here if you haven't seen this thread.

http://forum.purseblog.com/nail-care/sog-led-nail-lamps-672862-19.html

I just want to support what FLmermaid has said here. The lamp is a critical part of the system and is not the place to cut corners. It is likely that all the name-brand lamps will cure all name-brand gel polishes, but likely may not be good enough. Until there is some way to identify a less than complete cure, I think using generic lamps is a serious risk. I certainly understand the limits of a budget - It killed me to spend as much as I did for my Gelish 18g and OPI Led lamps, but I can tell you now that they were worth every penny. If you can't afford the professional level models then get the RCM/Gelish Pro models for under $100.
 
Where do you guys buy your OPI Gelcolor?

I bought a few of mine from Transdesign, but I have had such problems with them sending me the wrong items, or things arriving here broken and/or leaking. I would like to find another place to buy them.
 
I have tried Shellac, Gelish and now have invested in 3 colors of Gelshine. I find using the Gelish base coat and top coat (although VERY hard to remove) gives me the best long lasting results. After using all 3 I found the Gelshine is the thickest after finishing and lasting longest by far. Yes the color limitation sucks and the price is up there. I am able to get into a pro shop to get the gelcolor by OPI but before I go spending more I was wondering if anyone has compared the two: Gelshine vs Gelcolor for thickness and durability.

Looking forward to hearing a respose
 
FLmermaid said:
I'm sure you'll get some responses as to what people use. I don't use OPI so I am not familiar with what they offer.

I will say, I happen to be one of the firm believers that your lamp matters and not all LED lamps cure all products equally. If you're going to stick to one brand, and really want LED, then I'd recommend buying the lamp that goes with that brand. I have the RCM Pro light but I only use it with my RCM and Gelish. For anything else I use a CFL UV light - if you're going to cross multiple brands, I think the brand name UV lamps are safer (and you can find reliable replacement bulbs).

There will be plenty of people that will tell you that they have XYZ lamp and "it cures ABC fine". The fact of the matter is, it's alot more complicated than that. With the exception of the overt problems you're having, and maybe shortened performance (like early chipping or early peeeling) you can't always tell a product is fully cured by looking at it. It can "seem" cured and not be fully cured ...continuing to cure over a period of time due to exposure to the sun, etc. All during that time it's not properly cured, you are being exposed to allergens in the products.

So, your call as to how serious you want to take all that and whether or not you want to risk it for yourself. Also, lots of information and opinions on LED lamps here if you haven't seen this thread.

http://forum.purseblog.com/nail-care/sog-led-nail-lamps-672862-19.html

I agree with FLmermaid. It she's t sound at all like you're getting a good cure, and many of us have had problems with that better led, myself included. Even curing as long as I would with a UV Lamp I was having issues. I switched back to UV. It cured everything and I use a lot of different brands, so I felt it was a safer option. The last thing I want is an allergy.

DB4me said:
Where do you guys buy your OPI Gelcolor?

I bought a few of mine from Transdesign, but I have had such problems with them sending me the wrong items, or things arriving here broken and/or leaking. I would like to find another place to buy them.

I buy most of mine in eBay. Also a couple amazon sellers have them, but mostly the original release of colors and not the new ones.
 
I picked up Gelshine over the summer and have been experimenting with it and Gelcolour. My natural nails are very strong and grow well.

The two products are very different...GS is a hybrid product and GC is more like a pure gel.

I am using the LED lamp that came with Gelshine.
The first GS kit I bought didn't work...it came out dull and blotchy. Turned out I had a bad bottle of polish. Sephora replaced the whole kit.

I found the consistency of the Gelshine base and top to be like regular nail polish, but the base is a bit more honey like. I find I can get about a week before chips start to happen. I find that when even small chips happen, the nail base chips too.
If I redo a couple nails, I can stretch the wear 10 days or so. Overall, it works well.
Dark colours need three coats to look even...which is a bit of a pain.

I bought some Gelcolour as well and have been testing Man-darin using the GS lamp, base and top coat. The polish is free flowing and creamy. My first go at it was a nightmare. All the nails bubbled. I did it again, this time scraping a thin coat instead. I had very bad shrink back, and had to redo half the nails two days later when they chipped. Again, chipping broke my natural nails as well! :-(
I'm not sure what to do about the shrink back....it seems to happen with the top coat and pulls the color layers back.

I also discovered that the Nailene nail glue I used to try and help with some of the breaks does NOT react well with Gelcolour, but is fine with regular polish. (cyanoacrylate glue).

I wonder if the problem I am having is a result of the GS base/top?
 
inaho82 said:
I picked up Gelshine over the summer and have been experimenting with it and Gelcolour. My natural nails are very strong and grow well.

The two products are very different...GS is a hybrid product and GC is more like a pure gel.

I am using the LED lamp that came with Gelshine.
The first GS kit I bought didn't work...it came out dull and blotchy. Turned out I had a bad bottle of polish. Sephora replaced the whole kit.

I found the consistency of the Gelshine base and top to be like regular nail polish, but the base is a bit more honey like. I find I can get about a week before chips start to happen. I find that when even small chips happen, the nail base chips too.
If I redo a couple nails, I can stretch the wear 10 days or so. Overall, it works well.
Dark colours need three coats to look even...which is a bit of a pain.

I bought some Gelcolour as well and have been testing Man-darin using the GS lamp, base and top coat. The polish is free flowing and creamy. My first go at it was a nightmare. All the nails bubbled. I did it again, this time scraping a thin coat instead. I had very bad shrink back, and had to redo half the nails two days later when they chipped. Again, chipping broke my natural nails as well! :-(
I'm not sure what to do about the shrink back....it seems to happen with the top coat and pulls the color layers back.

I also discovered that the Nailene nail glue I used to try and help with some of the breaks does NOT react well with Gelcolour, but is fine with regular polish. (cyanoacrylate glue).

I wonder if the problem I am having is a result of the GS base/top?

I only have one gelshine color but I've not worn it yet. Gelcolor dies have a problem of shrinkback with some colors I find. I use gelish base and top with mine, but doing thin coats is a must. I also find with the gelcolor you REALLY need to shake it well. I mean shake the crap out if it. And I find warming it slightly helps too. I usually put it under my led while I'm removing, then shake it really well before I apply and find that helps. Some colors have more shrinkback issues than others. I get great wear though with gelcolor using gelish base/top.
 
It is a "Better" LED lamp that I got from ebay. It has been working fine, well I thought. Can anyone recommend a better quality lamp that isnt $350-$400. I know the OPI Gelcolor one is expensive.

I just thought of something else about OPI Gel Curing.. the OPI LED lamp has a slight ledge under the lights. In other words, you slide your hand in and UP slightly to rest on a ledge which then activates the auto on of the lamp. One more thing you could try (I haven't but will) is to slightly elevate your hand under your LED lamp during curing. See if you can find a paper note pad, cover it with aluminum foil, which will elevate your hand up about ONE INCH closer to the lights. Obviously you don't have to create a ledge to rest your hand on if you can hold your hand up slightly closer to the lights at a constant elevation. Careful that you don't smudge your product on the lights when placing your hand in. I've read that the distance the beam of light travels can also make a difference in curing.
 
Last week I did two of my nails with OPI gel products (base, color & top) and three of my nails with gelish. the opi nails lasted 6 days, the gelish is still hanging in there. the nails I did with OPI were the ring and pinkie. I happened to look down and see that they were peeling off at the tip. The good thing is I didn't really have to peel them off.. they kinda lifted off cleanly.. no layer of nail with it. Nail plate was shiney and healthy.
My hands take a lot of abuse with water, hair treatments, etc (since I don't like wearing gloves all the time).. my gelish usually lasts 8-10 days. I have very oily nail plates..and I tend to use a lot of hand lotions during the day.
 
Top