Also read the sticky Soak off Gels for Beginners in the Nail Care Reference Library forum. Ferretkingdom breaks it all down.
Red Carpet Manicure
- Thread starter BrookeJ
- Start date
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Also read the sticky Soak off Gels for Beginners in the Nail Care Reference Library forum. Ferretkingdom breaks it all down.
For those interested - ulta.com is sold out of Draped in Rubies (I was going to get it for a Christmas gift for someone). So I ran over to the store & they only had one left (and 3 An Evening to Remembers). All still $4.99.
Thanks I've had a good read of the gel for beginners sticky and that's been very helpful.
This is only my second RCM and I'm finding on my right hand (I'm right handed) it has slightly lifted away around the cuticle on my index finger and thumb. I applied it on Friday and today is wednesday. I did follow all the steps and thought I got all the skin off and cleaned and prepped properly. All the rest are perfect it's just these two fingers. I'm gonna try really scrubbing the nail before hand next time and will double check my prep.
I have had proper gel nails for years and those two fingers always caused problems even then. The nail tech would add bonder and bulid the gel up a bit more.
If I continue with the problem on those two fingers I read some use a tiny bit of bonder. What bonder would I buy to use with the RCM system and how would I use that. I would obviously only use it on the two problem fingers.
This is only my second RCM and I'm finding on my right hand (I'm right handed) it has slightly lifted away around the cuticle on my index finger and thumb. I applied it on Friday and today is wednesday. I did follow all the steps and thought I got all the skin off and cleaned and prepped properly. All the rest are perfect it's just these two fingers. I'm gonna try really scrubbing the nail before hand next time and will double check my prep.
I have had proper gel nails for years and those two fingers always caused problems even then. The nail tech would add bonder and bulid the gel up a bit more.
If I continue with the problem on those two fingers I read some use a tiny bit of bonder. What bonder would I buy to use with the RCM system and how would I use that. I would obviously only use it on the two problem fingers.
Uhmm .... maybe I don't get the question, but I think the answer is "yes".
Take a soft brush, pat it very gently onto the surface of your last sticky/color layer (dry brush to brush off any excess) and then coat with one or two coats of TIO. (Sometimes it takes two coats to make it feel smooth.) Make sure you don't leave any pieces of glitter hanging off the front free edge because they will catch and cause lifting or chipping. Some people use the front of their brush or even their finger to just pat the front of the free edge to make sure it's all flush before you TIO. Hope that makes sense.
And for me, a SOG mani with glitter lasts just as long as any other.
But there is a ton more info over on the thread she mentioned. Some people will call it "scrubbing" glitter into the sticky layer. But don't scrub. Pat gently.
You probably already read this, since it sounds like you're doing your homework .... but since you said you thought you cleaned up well as far as cuticle work - maybe are you getting a little bit too close up on the skin/cuticle on those fingers - leave a little margin?
Thank you very much for your help on both my questions. I'm going to try the glitter next time. I read about scrubbing but that worried me as I imagined making a right mess of it. Patting sounds much better.
Yeah I could be too close to the cuticle, I'll leave a little gap next time I do it. I was so careful appling very thin coats and making sure I didn't get it on the skin but I did get up close. I have a picture I'll post if I can.
3 coats of Leading Lady & 1 coat of Glitterazzi:
Which $10 coupon? it's not letting me use the $10 off for new accounts coupon - is there another one?
Haven't posted on the forum in a while but thank you for posting this! I got the kit for 39.99 and two polishes with an additional $10 off coupon off the total so my total was only $49.99 and to think I was gonna go buy the kit at Ulta tomorrow for $79.99 with only one free polish! I also purchased "An Evening To Remember" and "Draped in Rubies" for $4.99 each today while in the store. All in all a great day
I couldn't use the new customer one because I'm not.. but what I did was add a Burts Bees shimmer for $4.99 (to get me over $40) and then used
6E5918C4 -which gave me $5 off & free shipping.
You could add a $9.99 polish instead & get the kit & one polish for $44.98.
What is the difference between the Gelish Probond and Phbond? I went to Amazon but they both say for use before your SOG.
Thanks!
ETA - I cleared my cookies and finally got it to work - I got a blistex, a polish and the kit for less than $45 with tax 
It's not letting me use the $5 one or the new account one (I signed up for a second account) - augh!
It's not letting me use the $5 one or the new account one (I signed up for a second account) - augh!
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Does anyone know how long I would need to cure IBD bonder with my Red Carpet Manicure lamp. I have the pro 45 second one.
Also when and how do I apply it? Do I prep the nail as normal then and a thin coat just to the problem areas? Or do I need to coat the whole nail in it? Then after that base and colour then topcoat as normal?
Also when and how do I apply it? Do I prep the nail as normal then and a thin coat just to the problem areas? Or do I need to coat the whole nail in it? Then after that base and colour then topcoat as normal?
Thank you very much for your help on both my questions. I'm going to try the glitter next time. I read about scrubbing but that worried me as I imagined making a right mess of it. Patting sounds much better.
Yeah I could be too close to the cuticle, I'll leave a little gap next time I do it. I was so careful appling very thin coats and making sure I didn't get it on the skin but I did get up close. I have a picture I'll post if I can.
3 coats of Leading Lady & 1 coat of Glitterazzi:
It's hard to tell from this, but are you pushing your cuticles back before you start? Your margins do look very neat and clean from this pic - which is of course your other hand.
Gelish PhBond is simply their dehydrator - the step alot of people substitute plain alcohol for instead. First step.
Gelish ProBond is a bonder. Use sparingly only where you have problems; some people have used it on their whole nail and it bonds like cement! This would be after your dehydrator, but before your base. Only if you need it!
IBD Bonder is actually for their hard gel products. For their soak-off gel polish products, they recommend IBD PowerBond, which I believe directions say to air dry but I haven't purchased it. Some people on here have used IBD Bonder and feel it helps; I tried a sample and didn't think it helped at all, so I wrote and asked them and they told me to use IBD PowerBond not IBD Bonder. Again, you only use it for problem spots. It would go on after you dehydrate your nail, but before your base coat.
With any of these bonder products I recommend you get your routine down without them. And if you continue to have a problem, trouble shoot it first to see if there are other reasons why you think you need a bonder (usually it's something else). But if you do need them, most people who use them, use them very sparingly on just their tips or maybe even just a problem tip or two.