Meet my new mani, a twist on Adele’s Louboutin manicure. But before we get into details, how did my first OPI GelColor no-chip manicure hold up?
Four weeks after application, the shiny colour was still chip-free when I had it soaked off. I had more layers than usual: two layers of base coat (GelColor is thinner than Axxium; it seems to need two coats of base for a smooth surface so the colour goes on evenly), and three coats of Cajun Shrimp.
Rather than soak in a bowl of acetone, this time we used the foil method with OPI foil wraps, pre-cut sections of foil with a square cotton pad in the centre. Tips owner Leeanne Colley likes them because they’re quick to apply — soak cotton middle with acetone and wrap fingertips — and they leave clients free to have their brows waxed or a pedicure done while waiting for the gel to break down. Takes about as long as a bowl soak, but it was worth being able to drink my Starbucks Veranda blend blonde roast (definitely less bitter than the usual brew) during the process.
Now I’m wearing a dark, glossy top with a glittery blue underside. The details:
• two coats OPI Gelcolor base (10 seconds of UV/coat)
• two coats OPI Gelcolor in Lincoln Park After Dark (30 seconds of UV/coat)
• dots in Essie Turquoise & Caicos
• underside in Essie Turquoise & Caicos + a layer of OPI Simmer & Shimmer
Doing the nail underside is a little messy, very tricky with a nail polish brush. Tip: Leeanne used a small short-tipped brush, like the wee brush that comes with the Maybelline New York EyeStudio Lasting Drama Gel Liner, then cleaned up skin with a Q-Tip dipped in remover. And once the polish dries, anything still left on your skin will just scrape off without wrecking what’s on your nails.
Oh hey — remember this red-underside mani by Leeanne for beauty editor Tania Kwong in glow Magazine’s holiday 2010 issue?
What do you think? Will you try this mani with red? Or turquoise blue and glitter? Or some other fabulous shade?
Manicure and top two photos by Leeanne Colley, Tips Nail Bar & Spa.
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Amazing. My nails aren’t long enough to pull this off.
Use press-on long nails!
Saying that I love this would be an understatement! Bah, if only I hadn’t broken off 3 of my opi gelcolor nails I would absolutely try this :(
I love it, it would be so fun to have done.
Your nails look amazing, I actually like this variation more than the original, but I tend to have a bias to anything when there is turquoise is involved. Good stuff!
Thanks, lady! It’s my new favourite manicure! (Every mani by Leeanne is a happy favourite mani — who am I kidding?)
Leeanne really does do perfect work. So perfect.
True dat.
So would you recommend this instead of Shellac then?
I started using Shellac just before Christmas and I’m enjoying it, but I find that the lact of variety in color is boring me out of it already. I was wondering if I should switch to Gelish because there are so many beautiful colors. But now you make me want to look into OPI GelColor.
Depends where you go, Stacey. There are so many great shades from Gelish, Entity, Artistic Colour Gloss, as well as Shellac that people now pick for colour rather than brand. (All those brands have a similar nail-polish-like finish.) OPI GelColor is certainly an option for you — it comes in several of OPI’s most popular colours, including shades that aren’t available in Axxium.
Basically, if Shellac performs well for you, you have nothing to worry about if you choose something from other soak-off brands because you love the colour :-)
Love this! Especially the undercoat.
Your nails look ah-may-zing. I’m now on a mission to grow my nails so I can try this next time!
My friend keeps telling me that where she goes to get her “gel” polish is an “all natural” place. I use Shellac mainly but have tried others. Do any of you know of a brand that has a “natural” removal not using acetone?? I can’t believe there really is one and they are giving her a load of you know what…. Thanks!
Hi Karen!
There are two things that “all natural” thing could mean in this case.
1) Usually, a natural-nail salon means they only do polish, no gel nails or acrylic nails. Soak-off gel and hybrid formulas can be carried by a “natural nails” salon because they’re applied to the natural nail surface, and can be easily removed entirely to leave the nail bare again before the next application.
2) If the salon means they use only natural products, well that’s a bit of an overstatement. Although pretty much every polish on the market is “3-free” — made without formaldehyde, toluene and Dibutyl Phthalates — not by any stretch of the imagination are they “natural.” Neither are the soak-off formulas.
As for acetone, although there are non-acetone “natural” removers on the market, they take forever to work. If your friend’s soak-off sessions take 30 minutes or more, then maybe that’s what they’re using?
Yes, I think what you describe as natural in the first instance could be correct. To speed up removal, they put her hands in the warm parafin. She does say it takes quite a while to do her manicures.
I thought even the “non” acetone removers, still had some in them.
Thank you!!!
When does the paraffin happen? While there are nail wraps on her fingertips? Or is that before? I’m confused… :-)
I have an “organic” non-acetone remover; honestly, I’d rather use straight-up acetone because it’s soooo much faster. We all have better things to do than soak-off for an hour!
She still has her nails in the foil wraps when they put them in the wax. I don’t know if they slip gloves over them? Sorry for the confusion. She thinks this speeds up the process. I’ve never heard of it personaly, nor seen it done!
Actually, warming the acetone does indeed speed up the process. The paraffin is a nice way to condition the rest of the client’s hands — must be a bit weird over foil wraps, though.
At Tips, the technicians set the bowl of acetone in a shallower, wider bowl of hot water. So you soak in warm acetone. Feels better than cool acetone, certainly, and fast-forwards the soak-off definitely. Probably shaves at least five minutes from the process.