ABSOLUTELY NOT. Primers and bonders should NEVER be used with Crystal Clawz gels. The use of Primers and Bonders may, in fact, cause our products to lift.
We have deliberately avoided all products that need bonders and primers for 2 reasons:
1. These products dehydrate the natural nails far more than is necessary for the application of product.
2. Bonder and Primer application adds cost and time to the job
Crystal Clawz Gels are hypo-allergenic and we have a good record of clients who have reported that they had mild to severe allergic reactions to other brands, and no reaction at all to Crystal Clawz products.
NO. Rubber Base Gel is both a BASE coat and a Builder Gel. It needs no base products. Simply prep the nail as usual and wipe down with isopropyl alcohol, then apply the Rubber Base Gel.
This is very rare and below are the most common reasons:
1. Nails are not prepped correctly and wiped down with sanitiser (at least 70% isopropyl alcohol) to remove natural oils – no additives.
2. Used primers, bonders or acetone/nail polish remover as a nail cleanser.
3. Use of other brand product as base coat.
4. Edges have not been capped/sealed which allows moisture to seep in under the gel.
5. Client has trimmed/filed the nails shorter without re-sealing the edge
6. Product/Gel/Top coat flooded side walls and cuticle area.
In the case of our Base Coats and Builder Gels: Yes, we have tested with a number of other brands, BUT we cannot guarantee that there will be no reaction between our products and those from other manufacturers.
Reactions can range from lifting to chemical reactions that can cause an allergic reaction.
Yes, all gels contain HEMA, but there are different types of HEMA and different concentrations from one brand to the next.
Crystal Clawz products contain BOUND HEMA. Allergic reactions are generally to UN-bound HEMA.
For more information have a look at https://youtu.be/dxiMMmljqVo
Hybrid Gels are a mix of Gel and products used to create nail polish, including solvents.
The advantages of a PURE gel are:
- a reduced likelihood of an allergic reaction as there are none of the solvents present in a hybrid
- product is stronger than a hybrid and will last longer on the nail
- offers additional strength to the nail
Our Gel Polish and Rubber Base Gel are Soak Off gels. Builder and Velocity Gels are Buff Off gels.
All Crystal Clawz Stamping Plates are made from stainless steel.
Your plates will last a lifetime if they are properly cleaned after every use. Remember to store them carefully because, once the protective film is removed, they can be scratched and these scratches may show up on your design.
Have a look in-store at the storage pouches we offer to protect your plates.
We do not recommend this. Some nail polishes may work, but most will not, and neither will gel polish as the consistency is not ideal.
There are usually 2 possible reasons:
1. Check that the blue film has been removed from the plate.
2. Not working quickly enough. Stamping polish dries very quickly - have ALL of your equipment ready before you apply the polish to the plate.
Silicone stampers do NOT require any preparation. They are ready for use when you receive them.
You can roll the stamper head over paper, use a sticky lint roller (even sticky tape will do the trick) or simply wipe with a cloth soaked in warm, soapy water. NEVER, EVER clean the stamper with acetone – this will damage the silicone.
1. The best way to clean your stamping plates is to use cotton pads or balls soaked with 100% pure acetone and then wipe the stamping plates. Avoid using nail polish remover to clean your plates as many have added chemicals such as oils and moisturizers. These oils usually take a while to evaporate and leave a thin layer of oil over the plates which can interfere with your stamping.
2. Wipe from multiple angles - you need to wipe the stamping plates from various angles to get between the grooves of the plates. If you just wipe in one direction you might miss spots and leave some polish behind.
3. Clean your plates after each stamp - always clean the area of the plate that you use immediately after stamping a design. If you wait too long to clean up, the polish will dry and be much harder to clean, also if you intend to use the same area on a plate multiple times you will need to clean that part of the plate after each time before stamping the same area again to avoid smudging.
Make sure your plate is totally dry before applying polish to stamp again.
The best solution for this is to use Liquid Latex. Apply around the nail area and wait for it to dry – a minute or two will do the trick. Then stamp on your design. When you are done, simply peel off the latex.
Foil Gel is a UV/LED gel that needs to be cured. It is self-levelling for a smooth finish.
Glue will dry to a tacky clear layer – no curing needed. Care must be taken to level the glue to prevent lines on the foil design.
The transfer foil design is on one side of the strip. If it is not coming off, try again using the other side of the strip.
It is easy to tell which side to use on some foils – it appears and/or appears matte, but other foils are not as easy to identify and can be applied the wrong way round.
The Foil Glue is not self-levelling and if you have not made sure it is completely level before it dries, these grooves will show up as brush lines under the design.
There are usually two possible reasons for this:
1. The Gel has not been fully cured (we estimate the amount of time for curing, but your lamp may require a little linger) or the Glue has not dried/set.
2. The foil has not been evenly pressed onto the Gel or Glue so part of the design is left behind.
