CND Shellac or OPI gel system?

[BeautySpot2012]

I was hell bent on buying my CND starter kit today when the O.P.I. System caught my eye and now I'm confused,iv done a bit of homework and just want some personal experiences and feedback!! I'm leaning a bit more to O.P.I. Because of the matching generic polishes. Please help, iv recently shot myself in the foot with milenium nails and can't afford to make another mistake as my salon is only open a month. (Please don't yell at me about the mileniums,I know I was silly) thanks in advance x

 

[Victoria Still]

I know exactly how you feel, I was very tempted by the opi as i love the nail varnishs & such a wide selection of colours availabe. In my experience ive experienced technical faults with some of the colours e.g to watery & so then I had to invest in Gelish l which I personally find a lot easier but wasted a lot of money in the process. I do however love some of the opi products for cleansing the gel of the nail & remover. I wouldn't recommend it as a full system I have not used the cnd shellac so couldnt comment on that. Hope this was helpful :lol:

 

[Beautyy123]

Loving my OPI gelcolor

 

[emma84]

Haven't used shellac, I love OPI gelcolor only problem is u do have to educate clients with it as mine where calling it shellac, but I now find them correcting their friends when they say oo you've had shellac done lol :0)

 

[ButterflyGal]

I also use OPI Gelcolor, and i LOVE IT! I love opi and there colours are amazing, clients have been coming back saying it usually lasts for about a week and a half.

The one colour i had trouble with was OPI ink. As to get the true fullcolour i had to layer it a few times but otherwise its beautiful! and i am inlove with the LED lamp

 

[xxx]

I use shellac and as you can tell the name sells itself!

 

[BeautySpot2012]

Thanks so much, just going to take a few days to really think about it, great help x

 

[NancySyd]

First, relax. Between Shellac and OPI, you can't make a bad choice. They're both exceptional products. I think the choice depends on your own business goals and client needs.

Personally, I like having both Shellac and OPI, but if I could have just one, it would be OPI GelColor.

If you already have a clientele that prefers CND or OPI, or a good business relationship with either, you should give some strong consideration to sticking with that brand. Some people prefer that CND is a professional only brand; they appreciate the commitment to industry professionals. On the other hand, some people value the knowledge and experience that OPI has from working on both sides of the aisle.

When it comes to name recognition, market penetration and education, CND Shellac is tops. People know Shellac and ask for it by name. Although Shellac boasts easy application and removal, so can OPI, but Shellac is hypoallergenic and although that word has no scientific value, it is known that many people who cannot wear other brands can wear Shellac. OPI is the one brand of gel polish that can give CND Shellac a run for its money in terms of marketing and name recognition. OPI already has more colors than Shellac with more coming every season. Also, if retailing is important to you, OPI has matching rnp in iconic colors. Finally, OPI has the LED cure, which I believe is the faster, more financially cost-effective, and environmentally friendly choice.

Again, you've got two good choices.

 

[Devonnaydf]

First, relax. Between Shellac and OPI, you can't make a bad choice. They're both exceptional products. I think the choice depends on your own business goals and client needs.

Personally, like having both Shellac and OPI, but if I could have just one, it would be OPI GelColor.

If you already have a clientele that prefers CND or OPI, or a good business relationship with either, you should give some strong consideration to sticking with that brand. Some people prefer that CND is a professional only brand; they appreciate the commitment to industry professionals. On the other hand, some people value the knowledge and experience that OPI has from working on both sides of the aisle.

When it comes to name recognition, market penetration and education, CND Shellac is tops. People know Shellac and ask for it by name. Although Shellac boasts easy application and removal, so can OPI, but Shellac is hypoallergenic and although that word has no scientific value, it is known that many people who cannot wear other brands can wear Shellac. OPI is the one brand of gel polish that can give CND Shellac a run for its money in terms of marketing and name recognition. OPI already has more colors than Shellac with more coming every season. Also, if retailing is important to you, OPI has matching rnp in iconic colors. Finally, OPI has the LED cure, which I believe is the faster, more financially cost-effective, and environmentally friendly choice.

Again, you've got two good choices.

I agree with Nancy, I use both and Gelish and I like them all. Of course OPI and Gelish cure under an LED lamp which is quicker but you truly can't go wrong.

 

[Anna from Toronto]

I used both and at first I was excited to add more colors (OPI) to my collection.

I way prefer Shellac.
Shellac is way more consistent in my opinion.
It doesn't shrink, it doesn't pull away from the free edge.
Some of the OPI bright pinks stain the nails, same goes for blue. Quite a few OPI colors need 3 coats. I found that Bubble Bath and Passion fades to a dirty "smoker's nails" color.
Shellac Beau and Romantique are I think the only light pinks on the market that dont yellow (and I've tried Entity, IBD, Artistc Color Gloss searching for that perfect pink)
You Dont Know Jacques also changes to a more of a brown shade.
The soak off time is inconsistant with OPI. Sometimes it flakes off beautifully in one piece and sometimes i cant get it off.
Shellac's removal is always 10 min. It just crumbles and flakes off. Even from the toes (after 6 weeks). It's fantastic.
I have invested in a whole OPI system including the OPI lamp and now I think will sell it all. My curiosity got the better of me and now I'm stuck with like 50 colors + that I don't use.
Also with Shellac I can get that perfect line at the cuticle. Once applied the color doesnt move or pull. It just feels like polish, only better

You really don't need matching nail polish colors. My clients change Shellac colors all the time. There is no way they would be buying matching shades just in case.
Also in case something chips it time for an appointment and not fiddling and polishing chipped nails with polish
Just my honest opinion

PS. I thought that LED lamp was going to save me time but in reality it didnt.
The whole "you can do a manicure in 1/2 time" sales pitch drives me mad.
You still have to perform a manicure and still have to polish the other hand while the other one is curing. Unless you can polish in 30 seconds. I cant :wink2:

 

[Taylor Lehmann]

I used both and at first I was excited to add more colors (OPI) to my collection.

I way prefer Shellac.
Shellac is way more consistent in my opinion.
It doesn't shrink, it doesn't pull away from the free edge.
Some of the OPI bright pinks stain the nails, same goes for blue. Quite a few OPI colors need 3 coats. I found that Bubble Bath and Passion fades to a dirty "smoker's nails" color.
Shellac Beau and Romantique are I think the only light pinks on the market that dont yellow (and I've tried Entity, IBD, Artistc Color Gloss searching for that perfect pink)
You Dont Know Jacques also changes to a more of a brown shade.
The soak off time is inconsistant with OPI. Sometimes it flakes off beautifully in one piece and sometimes i cant get it off.
Shellac's removal is always 10 min. It just crumbles and flakes off. Even from the toes (after 6 weeks). It's fantastic.
I have invested in a whole OPI system including the OPI lamp and now I think will sell it all. My curiosity got the better of me and now I'm stuck with like 50 colors + that I don't use.
Also with Shellac I can get that perfect line at the cuticle. Once applied the color doesnt move or pull. It just feels like polish, only better

You really don't need matching nail polish colors. My clients change Shellac colors all the time. There is no way they would be buying matching shades just in case.
Also in case something chips it time for an appointment and not fiddling and polishing chipped nails with polish
Just my honest opinion

PS. I thought that LED lamp was going to save me time but in reality it didnt.
The whole "you can do a manicure in 1/2 time" sales pitch drives me mad.
You still have to perform a manicure and still have to polish the other hand while the other one is curing. Unless you can polish in 30 seconds. I cant :wink2:

Hi!
My salon is switching to all CND and I have heard great things! Do you perform the dry manicure exactly as followed or are there a few things you do to make it last longer? I’ve read it’s a dry manicure which I am not use to. Thanks for any help!