Redcarpet Manicure - any new tips and observations?

[Polly Esther]

Yes thanks, ill try to get some isopropyl alcohol. Wonder if vodka would work?!

 

[jordie_tart]

But if you use acetone over the top (to remove the sticky residue) it would start to shift the top coat too.....wouldnt it?

A quick wipe does no damage at all - it takes a good 10 minute soak to remove the gel.
If/when I put normal polish over the top , then want to change colour I use my cheap & nasty acetone remover to remove the polish - no damage to the gel.

 

[amn]

I use non-acetone nail varnish remover in ace of the blue one (big bottles cheap from Lidl and mot supermarkets) and nail varnish remover with acetone in place of the pink one.

 

[SallyMc]

Thanks for that - shame it doesnt work like that for me.

When I tried to remove my normal toe varnish, just holding the cotton wool with remover on made my Red Carpet manicure on fingers, sticky and rough and I only held it for a very brief time :doh:

However, when I WANT to remove it, it takes an age :blush:

 

[rosey]

Has anyone found an alternative to the blue liquid (that removes the sticky residue). I'm sure there must be an alternative....is it just alcohol?

I am sure one of the old RCM threads on here or on a beauty blog suggested using surgical spirits instead of the purify. Have a search and see if you can confirm this - or just give it a try it is really cheap, so worth a go.

 

[iloveshopping]

I agree Rosie I think someone said that surgical spiritcould be used instead of the blue 'purify' lotion. I'm still on my first bottle from last august.

 

[Nicky-j]

Yes thanks, ill try to get some isopropyl alcohol. Wonder if vodka would work?!

Sounds like a terrible waste of perfectly good vodka to me!

 

[steelerannie]

I've just changed my manicure, but when I put the top coat on it seems to have gone crystalised! Has this happened to anyone else? I've managed to put a coat on but it's not very smooth, there's definitely bits in it!

 

[amn]

I've just changed my manicure, but when I put the top coat on it seems to have gone crystalised! Has this happened to anyone else? I've managed to put a coat on but it's not very smooth, there's definitely bits in it!

I've not had it crystallise but sometimes if I've not quite got all the last lot off it feels a bit rough like there's bits in, IYKWIM.

 

[Nicky-j]

I've just changed my manicure, but when I put the top coat on it seems to have gone crystalised! Has this happened to anyone else? I've managed to put a coat on but it's not very smooth, there's definitely bits in it!

That's not happened to me, but I'm wondering whether (since all the polishes and base and top coats are designed to solidify with exposure to light) you might have had it too near the lamp while you were curing your mani? Or in a sunny spot? I know the bottles are dark and so this should minimise the exposure, but it might be a possibility?

 

[angelicannemarie]

My brush cured in UV sun light, that's what may have happened

 

[madmax]

I do think that they need to emphersise (sp) the fact you need to keep the bottles in a cool dark place while you are not using them, even though they are "dark" we have had some very high UV levels in the past few weeks (much higher then normal) so it may have affected the polish/top coat.

 

[iloveshopping]

I've just bought a bottle of hot white to do a French manicure. Any hints on how to do it? I've also ordered some nail guides as well.

 

[Vikki]

As RCM is more or less the same company as Gelish, I have been using gelish as well, tried IBD gel which also works well,,and I recently ordered some cosmetic grade glitters and burnished them onto the base coat plus two lots of top coat for blinging nails, when applied, the silver glitter looks like minx nails it's fab I also have found that the gellux remover works better than the RCM remover although not tried their polish. I keep all my gel stuff in a ROO nail case so everything is all in one place and it keeps gels separate from normal nail polish which I haven't worn since Feb as I've been using the gels.

 

[madmax]

I have used Sensational gel polish with my lamp and it has worked really well. The nice thing is that you can pick them up in Asda so no P&P and you can use them the same day. They also have a facebook page where they have "flash sales" and offer a polish for a fiver.
So I think you can use any GEL polish with the light so if you go on Amazon there are 100 to chose from.

 

[Nicky-j]

I have used Sensational gel polish with my lamp and it has worked really well. The nice thing is that you can pick them up in Asda so no P&P and you can use them the same day. They also have a facebook page where they have "flash sales" and offer a polish for a fiver.
So I think you can use any GEL polish with the light so if you go on Amazon there are 100 to chose from.

Thanks for that! Our local Boots sells Sensational polishes and I did wonder whether they would work or not!

 

[Nicky-j]

Under advice from Alison Young, I applied my latest RCM just as I had my Haute Polish - with a coat of Nail Envy underneath. I have had this one on for 12 days and no sign of lifting, wear or anything else untoward. You do have to make sure that the Nail Envy is VERY dry, but is works just fine - is an extra layer of protection and is treating your nails underneath the gel. I have also been applying my Nail Envy to the reverse of my nails as it grows out and that works well too!

 

[madmax]

Under advice from Alison Young, I applied my latest RCM just as I had my Haute Polish - with a coat of Nail Envy underneath. I have had this one on for 12 days and no sign of lifting, wear or anything else untoward. You do have to make sure that the Nail Envy is VERY dry, but is works just fine - is an extra layer of protection and is treating your nails underneath the gel. I have also been applying my Nail Envy to the reverse of my nails as it grows out and that works well too!

Oh I was wondering about getting some nail envy but couldn't work out how to fit it into my RCM, now I know and will buy a bottle next time I am in Boots.

 

[iloveshopping]

I need some more 'purify' lotion. Can I just use surgical spirit instead (I think that is the same as the 'prep' item)?

 

[jordie_tart]

I just use my cheapo acetone remover (£1 from tesco) as prep and remover

BTW
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