Well, Mags, I would definately like to hear what the Gelish folks say. To my knowlege, the only PATENTED UV Gel Polish HYBRID is Shellac. In my experience, the biggest differences in our application appear to be in the bottle vs brush debate... but now there are companies coming out with soak off Gel in bottles, so who knows... Elaine will know... hopefully she will chime in. The biggest difference I have found to the consumer is that the lines other than Shellac all say to buff the shine off the nail before the base coat, and to score the surface of the top coat with a file before soak off.... Now, I am not a rocket scientist... but logic tells me if you buff the top of the nail every 2 weeks for application you are going to have nail thinning. And filing on top of the product before soaking off says "artificial nail" to me... I dunno. Maybe I am old school. As for Miss Thing who doesn't think she needs to come back to soak off... I tell new guests that while removal is not "technically" difficult, it is a pain to do yourself. I request that they come in the first time for removal and reapplication, and then if they would prefer to do it themselves before their appointments after they have seen it done, I have no issue with that. I also strongly remind them to not pick or peel it off. I deal with people every day who want to question what they have heard vs what I tell them.... I just smile, hand them my business card, and let them know when they need to come to a professional who truly knows the market, I will be here. :) Michelle Cordes, Licensed Nail Technician Gene Juarez Salon and Spa, Tacoma Mall www.genejuarez.com Find me on Facebook! Search "Michelle Cordes"
From: Maggie in Visalia <onykoph...@yahoo.com> To: 1Nail Tech list <nailtech@googlegroups.com> Sent: Friday, November 11, 2011 2:32 PM Subject: NailTech:: Looking for info about UV Polishes So I just had a new client come. When she booked her appointment, she specifically asked for a manicure with "the uv color coat"-- she did not mention any specific brand name. When she arrived, however, she was specifically interested in Shellac. She said she didn't want "gel" because her friend in LA (Los Angeles, not Louisianna) had had "gel" and had to soak it off in acetone... I explained that acetone is how we get it off-- Shellac included-- but most professionals opt for the "individually wrapped" method instead of soaking in a bowl. But that Shellac would have to be soaked off with acetone as well. Anyway... during our conversation it became extremely apparent that-- once again-- I was battling marketing that led the consumer to believe that one product was significantly different from its competitor products in ways that I don't think it is. So can y'all bombard me with some technical data about the various UV polish formulas? I've largely been nodding and smiling through all the "hybrid" vs "all gel" talk... I don't understand why I'm seeing a sudden trend toward "all gel" formulas? Do we want "all gel" formulas just because of the solvent evaporation issues? Or is there some advantage to an all gel formula in wearability/removability/health of the nail(ability?) What constitutes a "hybrid" formula? I was largely under the impression that Shellac, Gelish, Polish Pro etc all fell into the "hybrid" category-- and that "hybrid" was largley a buzz word for marketing purposes. I don't really love that consumers seem to be getting the impression that there's significant difference between all the different "gel polish" products-- not differences such as "Shellac doesn't need to be soaked off in acetone" or that "you don't have to go back to the salon to get Shellac off" that I was hearing from this lady. Mind you, this young woman was educated, articulate, and intelligent; exactly the type of customers we'd all love. BUT I also found her to fall into the category of women that feel that they have done their research and know more than I do. I could HEAR her brain sweeping most of what I said aside because it contradicted what she thought she knew. Like I say, "well, acetone is how we remove these products, Shellac isn't significantly different from Brands X,Y, and Z in that respect, but most professionals opt for a method of removel where we wrap each nail individually with acetone-soaked cotton pads in order to avoid excessive exposure to the acetone. This method is faster, less messy, and less drying to the skin." And she nods and smiles at me while she mentally corrects that to, "Yeah, lady, I know you're just trying to make me come back so you can charge me to take this off... I read on the Internet that I can take Shellac off myself." Anyway... I'm looking for a little more info that can help me properly compare the major lines of UV polish. Like, which ones are considered "hybrids" and which ones are "all gel" etc. Maggie Franklin: Owner & Artist, The Art of Nailz, Visalia CA "Visionary rebel dreamer; obviously way ahead of my time." Maggie Rants [and Raves]@Nails Magazine Facebook -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "NailTech" group. To post to this group, send email to nailtech@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to nailtech+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nailtech?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "NailTech" group. To post to this group, send email to nailtech@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to nailtech+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nailtech?hl=en.
