Everyone who is into DIY manicures knows the feeling when you devote yourself to perfecting the look of your nails, but after a few days you start seeing chips, faded color, and imperfections on them. While most attribute the cause of such nail failures to bad nail polish or clumsy application of it, in reality the main reason lies in the omission of two extremely important components in any manicure – gel base and top coat. Even experienced aficionados do not always realize how significant the role played by a good quality gel base and top coat in the process is. The following article will discuss everything there is to know about the use of gel base and top coat in manicure.
What Exactly Are Gel Base and Top Coat?
At first glance, one may think that gel base and gel top coat are similar in nature since they are clear liquid gels contained in nearly identical packaging. However, although these two types of gels look similar, they cannot possibly be interchangeable with each other when performing a gel manicure.
What Is a Gel Base?
Il gel base serves as the primary component of any gel manicure process and is applied to well-cleaned and manicured natural nails prior to gel polish coloring. As for the special properties of a qualified gel base, it should be noted that its composition is specifically chosen to enhance adhesion. Primarily, the gel base is meant to create a smooth surface free of irregularities such as small nail ridges and other imperfections on the nail plate. In addition, the main function of a gel base lies in its ability to protect natural nails from being stained due to colored polish and help avoid the discoloration of the nail plate from dark pigments. Besides, it can make fragile nails stronger.
Che cos'è un top coat?
If the gel base serves as the solid base for a manicure, then the top coat will be the firm roofing. Being the last step of the overall nail care process, the top coat is applied on fully dried colored gel polish. With its strong composition, the top coat creates an adhering layer that seals nail color tightly. This way, it protects your nails from any damage like chipping, scratches, or discoloration, increasing the durability of the manicure significantly. Moreover, the glossing top coat provides a mirror-shiny effect which enhances the saturation of nail color, whereas the matte top coat may bring an edgy velvet feel. Many fast-dry top coats also increase curing efficiency of manicure products.
Basic Difference between Gel Base and Top Coat
In order not to confuse gel base with top coat, we have gathered some basic differences in an easily comprehensible manner. It is commonly noted that people usually mistake these two for one another and end up with peeling or short-lived manicures because of that.
- Function: gel base is used to enhance adhesion, protective qualities, and nail smoothing; while top coat is used for sealing the color, improving resistance, and creating gloss.
- Sequence of Application: In any manicure session, gel base should be put on nails first as the base coat, whereas top coat should be put on last after curing the colored polish.
- Formulation: The cured gel base remains slightly sticky, whereas top coat cures into a hard and non-sticky finish.
- Appearance: The colorless gel base will not be visible underneath colored polish, but the top coat creates clear gloss on nails.
It is clearly stated by professional nail organizations that the reason why gel base cannot be confused with top coat is due to their specialized formulas.
Why Must You Use Both Gel Base and Top Coat?
While some manicure fans choose not to apply the gel base or the top coat, thinking that they could save a lot of their time, this practice never works for them. According to the findings of dermatologists’ research on nail care, the application of a manicure that consists of the gel base and top coat will help double the lifetime of a nail. In case there is no gel base applied, the colored particles will be in direct contact with nails, leading to the permanent coloring and bad adhesion of the polish. As for the top coat absence, unprotected color layers get damaged easily.
Premium Safe Gel Base & Top Coat
While selecting gel base and top coat, the two most important factors are the safety of their ingredients and good performance, and one brand which is best among others in both regards is Chroméclair. Following the philosophy of safe beauty, always ensures that its nail treatments are beneficial for the health of the nails. All of the gel base and top coat products offered by do not contain any harmful chemicals like HEMA and TPO; hence, they ensure that no irritation occurs on nails.
Regarding their performance, Chroméclair’s high adhesion gel base successfully eliminates nail ridges and provides a solid grip to polish. In addition, its various types of top coats offer excellent color retention, and your manicure will remain fresh and beautiful for 21-35 days. The use of environmentally friendly ingredients and new trend products make Chroméclair the perfect brand for manicure lovers seeking beauty and health of nails.
Professional Application Tips for Gel Base and Top Coat
However, regardless of the high quality of the gel base and top coat, they cannot provide an ideal outcome without proper application techniques. Below are some tips that will be easier for novices to implement:
How to Apply Gel Base Properly
First, ensure you clean the nails properly by eliminating all traces of oil and dust. Also, shape the nails using a buffer. You should wipe any extra gel from the brush, then apply a thin layer of gel base across the nail plate. Always make sure to cover the entire nail and seal the nail tip to avoid flaking.
How to Apply Top Coat Perfectly
Now that the polish has dried completely, shake the bottle which contains the top coat polish to ensure that the ingredients are well mixed. You can now apply the top coat polish by applying a very thin layer without much brushing since this might leave marks. Make sure that all tips of your nails are well covered.
Domande frequenti
1. Could I replace the gel base with top coat?
Absolutely not. The hard formulation of top coat cannot achieve the necessary stickiness needed for bottom layers, while the soft gel base does not have sufficient surface hardness to serve as a top coat. If you interchange these two items, the result would be quick peeling and poor coloring performance.
2. Can I wear gel base alone?
Absolutely yes. A single layer of transparent gel base can strengthen nails, present a natural bright nail color, and is perfect for minimalist daily nail looks.
3. How frequently should I apply top coat?
To get a long-lasting shine, it is advised to apply a fresh thin layer of top coat every 2-3 days.
Pensieri finali
The perfect gel manicure is not only determined by the use of vibrant colors; the quiet role of gel base and top coat cannot be underestimated. Gel base ensures safety and stability for your nail bed, whereas top coat provides an armor for your manicure with extra shine. No matter whether you love giving yourself DIY manicures daily or professionally perform them, do not forget about these two critical factors. With the help of such high-quality items as gel base and top coat by Chroméclair, one can achieve salon-quality manicures with ease without damaging nails.
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