Nail art gels & Nail art guides

Scroll down to the FAQ section below to see the Step by Step Nail Art Guides for the 10 topics mentioned above.

 

Planet Gel Paints are highly pigmented potted gels with the perfect consistency for detail work, designed to draw extremely thin lines for more intricate designs. The opaque one coat coverage means you save time and product whilst creating detailed nail art.

When opting to use Planet Gel Paints for full cover designs or as a french application we would recommend to apply sticky bond to the free edge and sides of the free edge for best results. We always recommend to use these gels with our PN Speciality Dual Cure Lamp (405nm LED, 365nm UV 54 watts), if your lamps' LED wavelength differs the product won't cure properly and you may need to follow the UV cure time. These gels work best when applied in thin even coats. These gels cure with a tacky layer making them perfect to be used with our neon pigments. Pro Tip: when using these gels for character painting and you are finding the viscosity tricky to get an even application, try mixing it with a little bit of Planet Gel Polish Base Coat. 

 

Stamping Gel is a HEMA FREE highly pigmented gel with the perfect consistency for use with stamping plates, designed to give you perfect transfers every time. Unlike normal stamping polish, this product will only dry once cured so there's no pressure when it comes to time.

Don't forget to get some Liquid Latex Cuticle Guard to protect your clients skin and for super easy clean up after stamping. No Nail products should ever be applied to the skin!!! Scroll down to the FAQ for the Step by Step Guide.

 

Ella Zala Gel Liners are HEMA FREE ultra-pigmented full coverage gel paints with a thin liner brush designed for precise and steady control. A smooth formula with self-levelling properties are here to inspire you and help you unleash your inner artist!

These are Dual Cure Gels recommeded to be cured for 60-90sec 405nm LED or 2-3mins 365nm UV. We recommend to apply these highly pigmented gels in a thin even coat to ensure a proper cure. These gels cure without a tacky layer making them perfect to be used with Chrome or Aurora pigments, achieve best results by applying the chrome or aurora as soon as the nail comes out of the lamp. Scroll down to the FAQ for the Step by Step Guide where we used these liners for an Isolated Chrome effect.

 

Ella Zala Art Gel Polishes are HEMA FREE ultra-pigmented, single coat gel polishes designed to make the nail techs' life easier.

This formula comes in a 15ml polish bottle with a polish brush making a smooth thin coat application a breeze. Four convenient most frequently used colours make up the range. These gels are full cover one coat colours that cure without a tacky layer making them ideal to be used with mirror chrome or aurora pigments. These are Dual Cure Gels recommeded to be cured for 60-90sec 405nm LED or 2-3mins 365nm UV. We recommend to apply these highly pigmented gels in a thin even coat to ensure a proper cure.

 

Ella Zala Magnetic Gel polishes will give any set of nails a stunning, eye catching effect! These gels provide a Magnetic Cat Eye effect, they are highly pigmented and provide a strong magnetic attraction for easy design manipulation.

The Magnetic Over Black range are colours that work best when applied over black as the gel itself has a black undertone. The Magnetic Over the Rainbow range can be applied over most colours but you get the best results when applied over a complimentary colour.

You simply apply any of these gels over the base colour of choice, don't cure, use your chosen magnet to create the 'cat eye' design of choice and once you are happy with the effect simply cure - 60sec 405nm LED or 2mins 365nm UV. These gels cure with a tacky layer. These gels can be used for full coverage without magnetic manipulation too- providing more of a shimmer gel polish look. 

 

Ella Zala Foil Gel has revolutionized foil transfers!!!

Need a little assistance in the nail art department? We got you! Our Ella Zala Foil Gel & Transfer Foils will bring out the nail artist in you. No need for air drying like with foil glue! Paint. Cure. Transfer. It's that simple! Scroll down to the FAQ for the Step by Step Guide.

 

Ella Zala Art Effect Top Coats are Top Coats with common art effects mixed in, saving you a the added step of having to create these effects using other methods. 

These are dual cure top coats that cure without a tacky layer. Recommended cure times are 60sec 405nm LED or 2mins 365nm UV. Even though these top coats cure without a tacky layer and most techs would refer to these top coats as no-wipe, we would still recommend to wipe after curing using a nail wipe saturated with The One spray. Recent studies have shown that there is still a small amount of uncured gel left after curing and this is why removing it by wiping is highly recommended. Simply wait for the nails to cool slightly before wiping over.  

 

Planet Spider Gel is a highly pigmented gel with a super stringy consistency, designed to give you perfect lines every time. Used to create super thin lines, straight lines, geometric patterns, spider web, background detail effects and 3D line patterns.

Don't forget to get some Liquid Latex Cuticle Guard to protect your clients skin and for super easy clean up after curing. No Nail products should ever be applied to the skin!!!

 

Lastik Stick and Stay Gel is truely the most versatile single product in the Planet Nails product range. See the list of nail art effects that you can use your Clear Lastik for:

Scroll down to the FAQ foe a few Step by Step Guides where Lastik is recommended to be used.

FAQ

Gel Paint is much a much thicker consistency and is more pigmented than gel polish.  

None of our products are tested on animals nor do they contain any animal derived products except our Sable Hair (Kolinsky) Acrylic Brushes.

Clear Lastik or Stick 'n Float Rubber base (for your standard flat back gems/crystals)- recommended cure times for both are 60sec (405nmLED) or 2mins (365nmUV).

For larger gems like bows or non-flat backs you may find Iconic to work better- recommended cure time 60sec (405nmLED) or 2mins (365nmUV).

Clear Lastik or Stick 'n Float Rubber base- recommended cure times for both are 60sec (405nmLED) or 2mins (365nmUV). I like to use soak off gels for encapsulation as it makes design changes easy. If a client requires a harder wearing gel you can opt for PUG in Clear too- recommended cure time 60sec (405nmLED) or 2mins (365nmUV).

PUG Builder Clear is our thickest viscosity gel and works best for this type of design: 

 

Luxe Gloss, recommended cure time 60sec (405nmLED) or 2mins (365nmUV), before burnishing the pigment into it. 

This can be due to a few reasons and you have a few different options to choose from to help prevent this in future. 1. Try applying Sticky Bond to the extension free edge before applying your final sealant layer of top coat. 2. You are able to seal your chrome with a layer of Lastik or Planet Gel Polish Base Coat (curing the layer) before applying your sealant layer of top coat.

Ensure you dust to remove any loose or excess chrome thoroughly, especially under the free edge, before applying sticky bond/lastik or Top Coat.

This is an indication that it has been applied over a top coat or gel colour that cures with a tacky layer or that the no-wipe top coat chosen hasn’t been cured for long enough. If you don’t remove the excess chrome thoroughly before applying your sealant layer of top coat it can also cause a glittery appearance. Mirror finishes can only be achieved when a no-wipe top coat is used. When performing chromes on the thumbs we recommend curing them separate and FLAT to ensure a good transfer.

Not all no-wipe top coats can be used. We recommend to use LUXE GLOSS for the perfect chrome application everytime. If you’re finding that your powder doesn’t stick to your chosen top coat- 1. try wiping the top coat with alcohol after curing, wait for the nail to dry and try burnishing the chrome again; 2. Try curing the no-wipe top coat for a shorter period of time like 30sec instead of 60sec before burnishing the chrome. 

This happens when not enough chrome was applied before buffing the chrome into the nail. This is why we recommend applying the powder liberally to the nail surface before burnishing or buffing the chrome into the top coat. 

NO! It is not recommended to remove the tacky layer as that is what the foil sticks to for a good transfer

Always ensure you are applying the Foil Gel as thinly as possible. If foil gel is applied too thick it can lead to chipping and peeling, it may also cause a heat spike if applied too thick.

If you struggle with peeling, Sticky Bond can be used on the free edge and sides of the free edge before your Top Coat to prevent peeling.

This indicates that the tacky layer of the gel or gel polish colour isn’t compatible with the Foil Gel- in a case like this we would recommend to remove the tacky layer from your base gel before applying the foil gel. When removing the tacky layer you will need to apply a coat of Sticky Bond to the gel surface before applying the Foil Gel otherwise your Foil Gel may peel.

This indicates that the Foil Gel has been under cured. We recommend to cure your Ella Zala Foil gel for 60sec (405nm LED) or for 2mins (365nm UV) using a lamp of at least 48watts and ensureing the nails are placed directly under the globes (some lamps have the LED globes arranged in a half moon formation and the Foil Gel won’t cure properly if the nails aren’t placed in the correct spot for proper curing). When placing the foil onto the nail if it just slips instead of sticking, you need to cure the foil gel for longer, (using the UV cure time) the older your lamp is the longer you may have to cure it- so play around with cure times.

You can apply a layer of Clear Lastik or Lastik Plus over your foil design before applying top coat, ensuring you are capping the extension free edge. You can also opt to use a Hard Gel like PUG Clear before applying your top coat, hard gels cure harder and will be less prone to chipping and peeling. When applying any top coat please ensure you are capping your extension free edge to minimise peeling.

When using Stamping Gel it is very easy for the gel to slide or smudge and there are a few things you can do to prevent this from happening; 1. Try removing the tacky layer from your base colour- when removing the tacky layer we would always recommend to apply Sticky Bond the the free edge and sides of the free edge to prevent peeling. 2. Some techs find it easier to stamp over a Matte Top coat, apply your chosen matte over your base colour and cure for the recommended cure time (remove the tacky layer if you are using a top coat that cures with a tacky layer), and stamp. 3. Technique may be an issue too, ensure you are stamping the design onto the nail in one smooth and precise motion, if the stamper moves whilst on the nail the design will smudge.

Some Matte top coats can do this, if this happens it is recommended to apply a thin layer of Planet Gel Polish Base Coat, curing it for 60sec (405nm LED) or 2min (365nm UV) before applying your final Matte Coat- this will provide a protective layer preventing the matte from smearing your design. 

Your Jelly Stamper may not be prepped for Stamping Gel. If you are using both Stamping Gel and Stamping Polish we would recommend to have 2 Jelly stampers, one dedicated for each medium as the prep for each medium differs. Please watch the video below on how to prep your jelly stamper for Stamping Gel:

45 SV QT Gel Stamper from Planet Nails on Vimeo.

 

No, the ELLA ZALA Art Gels as well as the Gel Liners all cure without a tacky layer making them a great option to use with Chrome. 

This is an indication that the gel hasn't cured properly and can be due to a few reasons; 1. The gel was applied too thick, preventing a proper cure. It is best to apply this product in super thin layers and curing it for the recommended cure time. 2. Not curing the gel long enough. We recommend to cure this product for 90sec (405nm LED) or 3mins (365nm UV) in a lamp of at least 48 watts. If your dual cure lamp does not emit the same LED wavelength (405nm) you must follow the UV Cure time to ensure a proper cure. 

The pigments in this gel needs to rise to the surface before curing, it is recommended to allow some time after application to allow this to happen before curing: