Gel Nailpolish

For all you lovelies that use Gel nailpolish at home, when you get a UV light system (I use the Depend Gellack and have become obsessed), can you use any gel polish or do you have to use the brand of the system you used? 

Reason I ask is because the Depend system is great but has limited colours and I have seen some in different brands, Sally Hansen is one of them, that I would love to try out.  

Anyone doing this and it works?

 

The Sally Hansen ones don't need a light hon, they paint on like normal polish  :)

Thanks hun, yep I have them and use them by themselves, but wondering if I could make them stay on longer as they are usually off within 24 hours ha ha ha but this Depend Gellack one I have, the polish has been on since Tuesday and it is still going strong. Just thought I could use them and put them under the UV light lol.

Or if you have a recommendation for other brands perhaps? I just want some more colours lol

Heya, I'm not an expert in this area but I think the proper gel polish cures under the UV light. However normal polish, even the gel-type Sally Hansen version, doesn't need a UV light to cure, so I don't think putting it under the UV light will make it last longer. Do you mean you want to try putting a gel top coat on top and curing that under the UV light? I'm sure someone with knowledge about this will jump on here and answer your questions. I'd like to know the answers now too.

I'm not 100% sure of what the original question was asking, but this might help answer some questions. 

Traditional nail polishes (lacquer) dry on their own and don't require a UV or LED light. Hybrid gel polishes are a combination between lacquer/ traditional polish and gel polish. Some require a UV or LED lamp, while others air dry.  Proper gel polishes will only only cure under UV or LED light, according to the manufacturer's specifications. 

Gel polishes can be cured in UV or LED lamps, with the difference being cure time.  UV lamps take longer to cure, while LED lamps often cure in a quarter of the time. Gel polish cure times vary depending on brand, type, etc, so product labels do need to be checked for correct cure times. Undercuring and overcuring polish will affect how long the manicure lasts and can cause other issues like over exposure of your natural nails to certain chemicals in the polish.. 

Proper gel polish should not be placed over traditional polish or a hybrid polish, as these are more fragile or brittle than the gel polish, and the gel will cause the lacquer/traditional/hybrid polish to crack or shatter (these will be minute fractures in the polish structure). It's kind of like stacking a slab of concrete on top of a sheet of glass, if that makes sense. 

These different types of polish all work differently and have different requirements for adhesion. For example, traditional polish needs a smooth, shiny surface for it to stick to and look good. Gel polishes need a dull, rough surface. Gel polishes tend to be tacky once cured, for the next layer to stick to, while traditional polishes dry smooth and shiny for the next layer.  Layering these different products, with different adhesion qualities, may mean that your polish won't last as long. 

Then there's also always a small risk of ingredients in the different types products having an adverse reaction to each other, and this possibly affecting your natural nails. 

I don't know if this makes sense, or if I've answered what's been asked, if not, please let me know what you're unsure of. 
 

Silvene that all made seme and was easy to read, I enjoyed reading it, in fact. It was direct and thorough. What a wealth of information you have, thank you for sharing it. :)

Thanks Silvene! It's always really fascinating to hear it from a professional!

thanks for sharing that silvene :)

Thanks, ladies. Glad I could help.

Sorry if it came across as being too direct and to the point, it's often hard to try explain something without waffling on too much, typing an essay, or using too much technical jargon that most people won't understand anyway.  I know some of the terms I used are not the correct product / nail tech terms, but I needed to try phrase this in a way that would be understood by anyone reading it, without them having to google every second word or phrase.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask (or contact me via the links on my profile, if you're too shy to ask your question in a public forum).