Gelish is the latest range of 3 week manicures to arrive in Dublin, I was dying to try it out. There seems to be a much wider selection of colours than Shellac range.
I went to my much loved Carter Beauty in Blackrock for my treatment. I opted for a classic French polish. It looked fab, it was much shiner than usual nail polish and went on in about 45 mins.
The nails were still thin and looked very natural however by Day 4 the edges had started to lift on two of the nails. I happened to be calling into the salon for my tanning before going to London on Monday so the girls offered to redo the nails… I declined at first but then said why not.
(please excuse the scankie tan finger)
On Friday morning, Day 9 the only nails that weren’t lifting were the ones that we redone last Sunday. I couldn’t be bothered with them so peeled them all off. Probably not the best for my nails but I was at my desk in work.
I now just have a strengthener on them & plan to paint them with my Chanel Particuliére tonight before bed.
I did love the nails but 3 week manicure it wasn’t!
Has anyone else had it done? I have only heard good stories from others so maybe I was just unlucky.
Would I give it another go…. maybe but not for my holidays next month like I’d planned.
Mwah
Havent tried the gelish but have had shellac and think the two are supposed to be very similar. I got the french polish and it was great. I had them on for over two weeks and they were grand. They did chip a bit at the edges so I went back and got a colour shellac instead. Theres not much colours to choose from to be honest but it turned out fine. Am addicted now really handy for holidays!
Oh that’s a pity – I’m scheduled to get it done next week… the 6 week pedicure though. Off on hols on Saturday so I’m hoping it lasts at least 3 weeks. Did you feel it damaged your nails at all? I was just going to have a regular french manicure anyway though. Very interesting.
BTW did you do a blog post on your hair and I missed it?
@Celine I reckon you should be grand on the toes. I don’t know what happened, I am a reformed nail biter and my cuticles grow fast & thick, wonder if that’s anything to do with it. Haven’t done my hair one… finding it difficult! Should be up in next few days though…
aw that’s crap – saw Gelish on Ireland AM & was planning on giving it a go at some stage. Had Shellac done which is meant to last two weeks – mine started to look ropey after about a week (a bit of chipping and very noticeable new growth) but would definitely still get them done again for holidays or a wedding or something.
That’s such a pity Lee, your Gelish didn’t last. We’ve had great feedback so far but after hearing from you I’ve been on to the Distributor of Gelish and they are adamant they shouldn’t chip for 3 weeks. We’ve been telling our clients that they should expect them to look fab for 2 weeks and then by the end of week 3 the regrowth at the cuticle really means you need to have them done again at that stage. I suppose the tricky part is that it is probably going to vary from person to person. We’re charging less for the Gelish 3 Week Mani than we are for a regular Manicure so they’re well worth giving it a go. Either way the Gelish will definitely last longer than regular polish so it’s win win really! X
@Marissa I know, I’ve only heard good things too, maybe it’s because of my cuticles growing fast because of nail biting. On a more positive note 3 of my readers & Twitter friends are in with you tomorrow & Sat for Summer Pamper Packages
xx
I’ve just come across these messages and just wanted to let you all know that Gelish is a fantastic product so please don’t let one person’s bad experience put you off.
The problem was probably down to the application and not the product. I have been using Gelish since May and the majority of my traditional gel clients have moved onto Gelish. They love the fact it remains shiny forever, it doesn’t chip and is so quick to apply, especially with the LED lamp curing the gel. I have been using it on myself and now find as a nail tech I only have to do my nails every 3 week. It lasts that long even with me doing other’s nails.
If the correct process of application is followed there is no room for error. Quite a few techs I have spoken to have put the gel on too thick as they are treating it like a polish. The layers need to be applied very thin and it is important to ensure the foundation layer has been dry brushed prior to the application of colour or white for it to adhere well.
Happy Gelishing
Hi Ladies!
I am a nail tech and I offer the shellac. Can anyone tell me where I might get my hands on the Gellish range. Who stocks it in Ireland?
Thank you in advance!
Carter Beauty…. 3 week manicure.. NOT – Hi I got the Gelish done on the 13th August toes and hands.. Toes have lasted although gone a bit bubbly.. not noticeable as I got the black and white done..
I enquired with the nail tech if I got the French manicure done would the nails go yellow with me smoking an all she said no it wont affect it all.. so got the French manicure done (Gelish) looked fab and I was raving to all my friends but come Saturday 21st August ( only 8 days later) my nails looked awful all yellow looked like id smoked 60 ciggys a day which by the way I don’t… rang Carter Beauty asked if they had any appointments they said no but they would put me on the cancellation list.. so was happy with that.. received a call on Sunday at 1.30pm saying had a cancellation for 2.30pm I said great id take it (did mention I lived 1 hour and a half away).. left straight away got there about 10 mins late.. which I apologized for.. the nail tech asked what the problem was as she couldn’t see.. think she was a bit pissed that a load of appointments didn’t show up and I just got the brunt of it..
Even though id asked for an appointment for the Gelish to be re done also mentioned I had Gelish on.. very willing to pay for another set done.. in a darker colour.. I explained that the nails had gone yellow and wasn’t happy could she re do another colour.. she said no I will put another 2 top coats on and it will be fine make another appointment for 2 weeks nails will last I wasn’t very happy with that I asked if she take the Gelish off she said it takes 15 mins she had another appointment..
Now its 26th Aug 2 nails have chipped looks awful and again nails gone yellow.. suffice to say I’m not happy, although Carter Beauty didn’t charge me for the appointment Sunday I would have much preferred to have the Gelish taken off or darker colour put on.. so overall not satisfied with the service I received and what happened to customer is always right …. obviously not!
I actually felt like my custom wasn’t wanted .. made me feel like I was a burden to the nail tech.. so now I’m on the hunt for a new salon that will value my custom.
@Sharon, I’m glad I came across your comment. As the product is so new on the irish market it is difficult for me to say whether it is common for smoking to discolor the top coat. The manufacturer maintain that it shouldn’t but we will know for sure the more feedback we receive but in my own opinion I agree with you that a dark colour is probably best for smokers. I will speak to my staff about this. Regarding your nail tech not being able to accommodate your soak off and reapplication due to time restriction unfortunately this seems to have been unavoidable. Please feel free to contact me directly regarding customer service marissa@carterbeauty.ie I welcome your feedback and would be happy to resolve the issues you raised.
Gelish and Shellac will both discolour if a person is using fake tan, without washing it off the fingers and nails thoroughly. Something to be considered.
I’m a nail tec myself and have been using Shellac for a couple of months now. The main problems I have with Shellac are 1) the French polish does not wear well- a week max. 2) the polish is quite thick and is hard to apply in thin coats 3) it’s not ‘chip free’. The average woman having Shellac done will be using their hands for everything and anything, chips are bound to happen. A week is great to get out of any polish but 2 weeks is pushing it to be fair. I went for my Shellac training the CND educator DID my nails… The free edges were wearing within 5 days after having them done. I’m not overly impressed with Shellac as I believe the product should do what it says on the bottle but my clients like it as the polish lasts longer then regular polish ( roughly a week). As long as the client is happy I’m happy but I think it’s important to stress to clients that the product may not last the full two weeks, depending on their nail type, depending on what they are doing with their nails, gloves are a must!
Hey girls i am nail tech thinking about to try gelish, any suggestions according the product, is it realy not damaging the natural nails, will be very appriaciate, thanks
Hi
i want to do one of the course whether it be shellac/gelish etc i’m not sure which one to do. I’ve heard about the jessica 3 week polish and was wondering when it is coming out
Thanks
@Jane I think they are launching it at this week’s BITE show in the RDS. I know Burgundy Beauty Salon in Blackrock have it in their salon already and I will be trying it out in the next few weeks, stay tuned for my review!
Hi All, I have had Shellac done twice (in different places) and I found it fab – I got two weeks out of it no problem before re-growth started to make it look a bit ropey. I was very impressed and converted totally from a normal file and polish. So I went to Carter beauty last Thurs to try the Gelish, as I heard there is a much wider range of colours – and I had heard great things about the salon. I had booked in for the Glam Package (great value at E99 for Gelish manicure, pedicure, spray tan, eyebrow shape, eyelash tint and eyelash extensions I have to say) but my flight from London was completely delayed so by the time I arrived I had very little time (I had a two hour appointment booked – arrived at 8.20pm). I asked could I just get my nails and tan done and I have to say the girls were wonderful – I was so stressed and they were just lovely to me and helped me out so much. However, I am very disappointed with my nails – by Sunday the tops from two of them were peeling – its now day 5 and I’ve lost 3 nails – so disappointed as I was banking on getting two weeks out of them. When I looked at the nails in detail on Saturday, I realised that the top coat was not applied properly, so I think that’s part of it. So, while the girls were lovely, I would prefer lovely nails to be honest! All in all a big disappointment – I wont be using Gelish again – and I now have to pay to get my nails done again this weekend – don’t think ill be heading back to Carter Beauty I’m afraid. I would definitely recommend Shellac to anyone though I have to say!
@Evelyn I haven’t had the Shellac done yet but I am trying the Jessica GELeration this week so stay tuned for a review on that in the next few weeks! xx
Hi guys, Im just back from maternity leave and am mad to do the training for the shelac or Jessica 3-week manicure where can I do this????? I cant seem to find a training course or distributor! I also have heard of OPI doing the 3-week manicure too any thoughts on it seeing as shellac has had mixed reviews???
Hi Ladies,
I have been reading your comments with great interest. I have my own salon in Churchtown called Fresh Images. We have had the Shellac in since June and it has been superb. We do all sorts of nails including Bio Sculpture Gel 3 week manicure. The main difference is that the Bio offers a bit more strenght than the shellac. I agree with you that the french is harder to get to last the 2 weeks, but I have to tell you I had a client in on Wed.s that had her Shellac colour on for 7 weeks- no problems. I know she is definetly the longest wear yet, but she really got value for money. Some people seem to be harder on the Shellac than others. I think it has more to do with household chemicals breaking the sealed top coat, that causes the problems. The only complaint that I have with Shellac is the limited colours. We were promised new ones for Xmas, but now they will not be in until next year, something to do with demand. I was going to purchase some of the gelish products, but you have stopped me in my tracks , as I do not want unhappy clients. Anyone trying the other systems out there, please give honest feedback…..
Look forward to hearing your comments,
Gwen
Hi Ladies
I’m UK based and I have to say again that the main problem anyone is finding with Gelish is how it is applied. Like with any product, if it is not applied correctly there will be faults in how the product looks/wears/lasts.
Bubbling happens if it is applied too thickly. Thin layers are required.
Lifting occurs if the nail is not prepped correctly.
If it chips then the nails have not been capped correctly or the free edge has been filed after the top coat has been applied.
Gelish is a fantastic product for which I have not received any complaints. I’ve been using it since it came out and my clients are all 3 weekly and that’s only because of the growth and because they like to change colours
When I first tried Gelish on myself, I wore it for 8 weeks and it did not budge and it made my nails grow very quickly. The only reason I took it off was because the 8 week growth was horrible but I needed to see what it could do. It stayed shiny throughout that time too.
Don’t be put off by other’s experiences, speak to Nail Harmony Ireland 02892661617 for advice and check out Nail Harmony on facebook for other nail techs experiences etc xx
Hi
Im looking to get the 3 week nail polish in my salon. can you help me please?
I am a nail tech in Henderson, NV… Ive been using Shellac since it’s release. It’s really sad some of the posts I’m seeing above that aren’t giving Shellac a fair shot!!
For me I have clients that can go upwards of 5 weeks, with a French, and they are flawless when they come in!! Aside from re-growth at cuticle.
I never see clients with chips any earlier than 2 weeks and those clients are super tough on their hands!! Even then they are tiny chips.. And come on, if your not happy with 2 weeks that’s kind of expecting to much.
Shellac is truly a great product… But the application does need to be very precise!! If you aren’t following every step exactly or are trying to rush through the service, that may explain why it’s not lasting.
I had Gelish applied to my nails the day after Thanksgiving in Dallas. They are still beautiful and have grown out quite a bit. I love the product and wish I could find a place in TUlsa OK that uses this product. It didn’t chip, crack, peel or anything. I have small flat nails and get a fungus every time I have the fake nails applied. This product is wonderful and your nails look so natural. I’m sold.
just wondering can you get gelish even if you dont have much nails…. i bite my nails .. i nooo its awful..so just wondering and i work beside carter beauty so wouldnt mind getting them done there.
I am a nail tech in Buffalo and I am still researching Gelish vs. Axxium. Anyone have an opinion? Also, does anyone know if you need the UV light to match the system you use? And when applying Gelish, you must use the gel brush after the first application of base coat and UV, is that right?
hi ladies
iv recently opened a salon in ireland and im totally torn between which 3wk manicure to use. i dont reli want to use shellac cos well everybody has it so basically would ye recommend gelish or opi axxium or bio sclupture! i no dat gelish have a colour range of 48 bt what about the other 2, yer opinion wil be greatly appricated
xx
Bio has over 100 colours but it’s a totally different product to either Gelish or Shellac. It’s a traditional gel and the application time is much longer. I had bio applied to my nails and never got more than 2 weeks wear out of them before they chipped and broke off. Given the much higher cost of Bio overlays than Shellac or Gelish I wasn’t a happy customer. I tried getting my bio’s done at two different salons but the result was always the same. They couldn’t be infilled because of the condition of them and had to be soaked off. Now that I’ve had them removed I’m disappointed to see the damage to the natural nail plate as a result of my tech being too happy pushing the still stuck bio gel off my nail.
I’m about to switch over to Gelish, I like the colour choice and if they only last 2 weeks I’ll still be ahead in terms of $$. I’m mostly interested in the much easier prep and soak off over gels like bio. Even if I had gelish done weekly it would still be cheaper than getting Bio done.
I am a nail tech and do the Shellac. They are great much better than regular polish and they do protect your nails and help them grow. HOWEVER, I do wish they hadn’t promised 2 weeks as everyones nails are different. If you have very shorts nails they won’t last as long as you have to brush under the ‘free edge’ with the top coat to seal it. The other thing is, Shellac is the only one that Isn’t a gel so doesn’t damage your nail. GELeration, Gelish ARE gels so they DO DAMAGE YOUR NAILS as you have to ‘buff’ the shine off before application (but they do have more of a colour range).
Hi girls, delighted to say all our teething problems with Gelish are over (thank god as I was having a heart attack over it all!) I might ask some recent Gelish clients to post up their thoughts. I’m a big fan of mwah.ie and was so disappointed when the gelish didn’t work so I’m really hoping that anyone who has had the gelish with us will give positive feedback so people don’t write it off! My email is Marissa@carterbeauty.ie
thanks for yer comments, iv decided to go wit d gelish
Does anyone know of anywhere in Dallas, Tx that uses gelish? I really want to try it
hi Marissa, i have had Gelish, Shellac, Gelac & Gelaration done over the last year. I went to your salon last October (see comment above) and was extremely disappointed with the results. The salon and your staff was wonderful but unfortunately, my two week manicure was disappearing by day 3 – 5. As well as posting on this forum, I also emailed you separately and received no reply from you which i was surprised and disappointed with. So while I was very impressed with your service and salon, I’m afraid I haven’t been back since.
Hi Ladies, just a note to say I have done an updated review http://www.mwah.ie/2011/03/gelish-3-week-manicure-review-carter-beauty/