Red Carpet Manicure

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#1,621
pmburk said:
I just changed mine today from Toast of the Town to Violetta Darling.

Are there new colors coming out? Ugh! Must go check the Ulta site...
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Yes they do have new colors out. 9 in a euro collection that are dupes for the Gelish UK just for you colors (which they duped in regular Gelish colors here too), then they brought back the Gelish aurora dupes, adding in the orange one which they didn't have out last time, re-released draped in rubies and evening to remember, they have one that's slightly denser/more opaque than Gelish high voltage which I don't really get because they already have a high voltage dupe in the regular line, and one unique color called Scandalous. It's like Gelish night reflection/RCM nominated for but with holo glitter. Like evening to remember but purple. None if the other colors are unique sadly.
 
#1,623
RCM is also touting a whole repair/recovery system for cuticle and nails specifically under the LED light. How can that be reparative? I still don't understand their concept or of Gelish's Vitagel. If your nails are damaged, don't they have to grow out???
 
#1,624
VodkaSoda said:
Has anyone bought any of the new colors yet? I've seen swatches and am interested in Call My Agent but it seems like it might be close to Envelope Please. Any input?
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I think it's a bit lighter than envelope please. I'm pretty sure it's a dupe to Gelish Mauvy mauve, which is lighter than exhale (the envelope please dupe)
 
#1,625
Well after some issues with polish lifting within 6 hours of being applied - and being led to believe that this could be due to the LED light not curing correctly?? - I took my Sensationail Kit back to Boots, got a refund, and got the RCM kit instead from Sally's: https://www.redcarpetmanicure.co.uk/kits

Only points so far:

Would be better if the light made some sort of indication when 30 seconds are up, rather than just going straight through to 45 seconds - especially as the base/top coats are 30 second cure, so it means you need an independent timer... I did like that about the Sensationail light, that it made a noise at 30 secs and then just went off at 60 secs...

Questions for those who use this kit:

As the light doesn't have a "base" does it make a difference what surface you place it on? The Sensational light seemed to have hundreds more LEDs than this one, does that make any difference?

The RCM "Structure" base coat seems to be incredibly thick!!! Has anyone else found that??

On the plus side, did the mani last night and it's still on this morning so that's definitely a bonus!!!
 
#1,626
Leeloo885 said:
Well after some issues with polish lifting within 6 hours of being applied - and being led to believe that this could be due to the LED light not curing correctly?? - I took my Sensationail Kit back to Boots, got a refund, and got the RCM kit instead from Sally's: https://www.redcarpetmanicure.co.uk/kits

Only points so far:

Would be better if the light made some sort of indication when 30 seconds are up, rather than just going straight through to 45 seconds - especially as the base/top coats are 30 second cure, so it means you need an independent timer... I did like that about the Sensationail light, that it made a noise at 30 secs and then just went off at 60 secs...


Questions for those who use this kit:

As the light doesn't have a "base" does it make a difference what surface you place it on? The Sensational light seemed to have hundreds more LEDs than this one, does that make any difference?

The RCM "Structure" base coat seems to be incredibly thick!!! Has anyone else found that??

On the plus side, did the mani last night and it's still on this morning so that's definitely a bonus!!!
Click to expand...

When I had the RCM pro light, I just cured all layers for the 45 seconds. Whether the light cures has to do with the frequency (length) of the uv light rays emitted, not the number of LEDs. The Sephora GelShine lamp has only 6 LEDs, and it has a cure time of 30 seconds with gels. I would use the pro lamp for the 45 second cycle for all the layers of gel, including top and base coat. Of course, when you use a very dark color, you must be sure to make the coats extremely thin because although LEDs only produce UV light in the longest (UV A) frequencies, they still cannot penetrate the gel layer completely if the coat is too thick.

Gelish foundation is a bit thicker than some other gel bases. Be sure to use the smallest amount possible. The biggest problem using the RCM base is the brush, which seems too long and flexible to allow you to "scrub" in the base coat. However, because it is transparent the light penetrates well, hence the shorter cure time.

Good luck, and enjoy!
 
#1,627
Leeloo885 said:
Would be better if the light made some sort of indication when 30 seconds are up, rather than just going straight through to 45 seconds - especially as the base/top coats are 30 second cure, so it means you need an independent timer... I did like that about the Sensationail light, that it made a noise at 30 secs and then just went off at 60 secs...
Click to expand...

Bunny1212 said:
When I had the RCM pro light, I just cured all layers for the 45 seconds. Whether the light cures has to do with the frequency (length) of the uv light rays emitted, not the number of LEDs. The Sephora GelShine lamp has only 6 LEDs, and it has a cure time of 30 seconds with gels. I would use the pro lamp for the 45 second cycle for all the layers of gel, including top and base coat. Of course, when you use a very dark color, you must be sure to make the coats extremely thin because although LEDs only produce UV light in the longest (UV A) frequencies, they still cannot penetrate the gel layer completely if the coat is too thick.
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The RCM lamp is supposed to be used for 45 seconds, not 30. Actually, the number of LEDs matter. All LEDs are not the same, some are 1.25 watts, some 2.5, some even more. And while wattage is not a measure of output, generally speaking it does give a sense of the power of the light. Some manufacturers use a few high powered LEDS and other use more lower-powered ones. The RCM/Gelish light has three 2 watt LEDs and no base, but the 18G has 18 2 watt lights with a reflective base and interior. The OPI LED has 32 1.25 lights, with some placed low and a reflective interior, but no reflective bottom. In my experience, the best lamps use a lot of LEDs broadly placed with reflectors and devices that force proper hand placement.
 
#1,629
NancyG said:
The RCM lamp is supposed to be used for 45 seconds, not 30. Actually, the number of LEDs matter. All LEDs are not the same, some are 1.25 watts, some 2.5, some even more. And while wattage is not a measure of output, generally speaking it does give a sense of the power of the light. Some manufacturers use a few high powered LEDS and other use more lower-powered ones. The RCM/Gelish light has three 2 watt LEDs and no base, but the 18G has 18 2 watt lights with a reflective base and interior. The OPI LED has 32 1.25 lights, with some placed low and a reflective interior, but no reflective bottom. In my experience, the best lamps use a lot of LEDs broadly placed with reflectors and devices that force proper hand placement.
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I agree that the wattage does not reflect the power of LEDs. In fact, the visible light emitted by the lamps also does not reflect the curing power because ultraviolet light is invisible to human eyes. The most efficient uv producing lamps would not waste any power producing visible light at all. The wattage only reflects the amount of electrical power drawn by each led. How efficient each lamp is at producing the necessary uv light to cure the polish is not a function of the number of LEDs either. If it were, the Sephora by OPI GelShine lamp with only six LEDs in a black, none reflective interior would not cure OPI GelColor and GelShine in 30 seconds, and it does cure the polish in that time. The major difference between these lamps is the ability to cure the thumbs with the other fingers. The function of the more broadly placed LEDs is to ensure that the thumb cures along with the rest of the fingers. For that reason, there are also LEDs in the 18G along the sides so that the thumbs receive an adequate amount of radiation to cure with the rest of the hand. Just for general information, the 18G draws 45 watts in total, and there is no way to estimate how much of that wattage is used to produce the visible light also emitted. I'm not that careful about hand placement, and I've never had a problem curing the polish with the 18G. I especially like the fact that I can remove the bottom of the lamp for thorough cleaning.

Btw, if anyone is interested in purchasing the OPI lamp, OPI has announced that it will soon be available for a lower price.
 
#1,630
Bunny1212 said:
I agree that the wattage does not reflect the power of LEDs. In fact, the visible light emitted by the lamps also does not reflect the curing power because ultraviolet light is invisible to human eyes. The most efficient uv producing lamps would not waste any power producing visible light at all. The wattage only reflects the amount of electrical power drawn by each led. How efficient each lamp is at producing the necessary uv light to cure the polish is not a function of the number of LEDs either. If it were, the Sephora by OPI GelShine lamp with only six LEDs in a black, none reflective interior would not cure OPI GelColor and GelShine in 30 seconds, and it does cure the polish in that time. The major difference between these lamps is the ability to cure the thumbs with the other fingers. The function of the more broadly placed LEDs is to ensure that the thumb cures along with the rest of the fingers. For that reason, there are also LEDs in the 18G along the sides so that the thumbs receive an adequate amount of radiation to cure with the rest of the hand. Just for general information, the 18G draws 45 watts in total, and there is no way to estimate how much of that wattage is used to produce the visible light also emitted. I'm not that careful about hand placement, and I've never had a problem curing the polish with the 18G. I especially like the fact that I can remove the bottom of the lamp for thorough cleaning.

Btw, if anyone is interested in purchasing the OPI lamp, OPI has announced that it will soon be available for a lower price.
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Actually, in comparison to the OPI, the 18g's lights are all up fairly high. OPI has them literally on the bottom part of the side panels. LEDs tend to direct light in a more focused stream, while CFLs are broader. So a good UV light like the CND Shellac can cure thumbs easily even with the lights all on top.
 
#1,631
NancyG said:
Actually, in comparison to the OPI, the 18g's lights are all up fairly high. OPI has them literally on the bottom part of the side panels. LEDs tend to direct light in a more focused stream, while CFLs are broader. So a good UV light like the CND Shellac can cure thumbs easily even with the lights all on top.
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Light emitted by an LED is not "directional." It has to be used with integrated optical components in order to shape the field of illumination. Take a look at LED Christmas tree lights: they don't just glow in one direction. Neither does the LED display on my radio, nor the LED screen on my smartphone shine in only one direction. If the LEDs in the lamps were directional, there would be no purpose to putting in reflective surfaces as the reflections would only bounce back and forth on discrete tracks like a laser beam. Any light source can be directed, incandescent flash lights are a good example of this.

And the roof of the 18G is so much lower than the roof of the OPI lamp that what you are saying becomes moot. The LEDs are close enough to the hand, and at the correct angle so that curing the full hand is not a problem.
 
#1,633
Bunny1212 said:
Light emitted by an LED is not "directional." It has to be used with integrated optical components in order to shape the field of illumination. Take a look at LED Christmas tree lights: they don't just glow in one direction. Neither does the LED display on my radio, nor the LED screen on my smartphone shine in only one direction. If the LEDs in the lamps were directional, there would be no purpose to putting in reflective surfaces as the reflections would only bounce back and forth on discrete tracks like a laser beam. Any light source can be directed, incandescent flash lights are a good example of this.

And the roof of the 18G is so much lower than the roof of the OPI lamp that what you are saying becomes moot. The LEDs are close enough to the hand, and at the correct angle so that curing the full hand is not a problem.
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The LED doesn't shine in one direction, no, but the field of light is much narrower than that of a CFL bulb.
 
#1,635
Bunny1212 said:
Light emitted by an LED is not "directional." It has to be used with integrated optical components in order to shape the field of illumination. Take a look at LED Christmas tree lights: they don't just glow in one direction. Neither does the LED display on my radio, nor the LED screen on my smartphone shine in only one direction. If the LEDs in the lamps were directional, there would be no purpose to putting in reflective surfaces as the reflections would only bounce back and forth on discrete tracks like a laser beam. Any light source can be directed, incandescent flash lights are a good example of this.

And the roof of the 18G is so much lower than the roof of the OPI lamp that what you are saying becomes moot. The LEDs are close enough to the hand, and at the correct angle so that curing the full hand is not a problem.
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I think you misinterpret my words and my sentiment and I don't think we disagree. I did not say that LEDs were inherently directional, I said that they tend to be directed and focused when used in nail lamps and that that focused area is smaller than on the large bulbs of a CFL UV which create large puddles of light.That is not the nature of LEDs but it is the way they are used in nail lamps. Also, I was not criticizing the 18g, just explaining that it works a bit differently than the OPI, with the 18g relying more on reflected light, while the OPI relies more on bulb placement because it does not have the bottom reflective area. Neither is superior, just different. I don't know if you have the OPI lamp, I have them both and if you flip them over, you'll see that the arrangement of the bulbs is quite different. And the roof of the 18g is no lower than the OPI, they're both 1.875 inches.
 
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