Can someone help me here I'm so confused! I'm learning nail technology, wev been taught a gel overlay with tips where you literally apply the overlay and it's done. But when I've watched other YouTube videos lots of them file the top of their overlay like you would a set of acrylics (not so vigorous though). I'm using NSI secrets, and in their tutorial videos they don't file the top. Is it personal preference whether you file, does it just depend on your brand or is it a difference between using hard gel and soft gel?
Do you file the top of gel as you would acrylic?
- Thread starter c.mrsm
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Do you mean final finishing buffing? If so then yes, no matter how good your application is or how well the gel settles/self levels there will still be minor shaping and the odd bump or dip that needs buffing out.
It might be nothing more than a while buffer skim over the surface but you'll definitely need to refine the side walls and free edge
It might be nothing more than a while buffer skim over the surface but you'll definitely need to refine the side walls and free edge
Basicly yes. Do you file/buff the top to smooth out? They didn't teach us this on my course, just said you would file down to rebalance. Also if I was doing a french would I end up buffing my white smile line away? I've just done two sets of gels on friends and I was too scared to try incase I ruined what I'd done x
Can you link to the tutorial
I've just checked the NSI YouTube page, are you referring to this video?
They do final finishing they just don't show it. Instead at 3:58 they show the abrasive to use, a plush brush to dust off and finishing wipe to cleanse before applying top coat.
It's a bit misleading but you definitely need to finish file. If you look closely at the nail you can see it's been refined, at the very least the side walls and free edge have been refined as they are clean edges whereas when the form is removed you can see the jagged edges.
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They do but it's a waste of video time to show filing, it's hard to record as the moving abrasive causes odd things to happen to the focus, and it's virtually impossible to show all the angles correctly. Lots of YouTuber's cut out the filing parts
I'd be seriously questioning the training if it doesn't include final finish buffing, thats probably 20% of the skills required for a complete set. As my tutor told me 'you can turn a sows ear into a silk purse with an abrasive if necessary but better not to have to'
They did for the acrylics, worked us really hard on that one and the fibreglass. Not on the gel though. Personally it was too many overlay systems to learn with not enough training days in my opinion. It's a years course but only 7 training days to learn 3 overlay systems. I love gel but I haven't mastered acrylics and feel like dropping it altogether x
In their defense then final finishing for gel is exactly the same as L&P so no need to reteach you. You just need to be more careful with gel and it's so soft its easy to overfile and thin out too much and file off your white.
