A hand holding ZOYA Zelda showing the color on her nails.

Common Manicure Mistakes and Fixes

Struggling to get that perfect polish application? Manicures can be tricky, which is why we are going through common manicure mistakes and our tips to avoid them in the future. Plus, see our tips for Gelie-Cure manicure application specifically.

Polish Layers Are Applied Too Thick

Have you ever seen wrinkles or bubbles in your new manicure? If you have, chances are you applied your polish too thick. A little goes a long way when it comes to layering. So, the thinner your polish coats are, the better your manicure will look! We recommend waiting 2 minutes between each of your thin layers.

Top Coat Is Applied Too Soon/ Free Edge Is Not Capped

Are you noticing shrinkage in your polish after only a few days of your new manicure? If you are seeing fast tip wear, you may have applied your top coat too quickly, or you didn’t wrap the tip of your free edge with polish. To avoid tip wear or shrinkage, we recommend that you wrap the tip of your polish after every layer, and wait a full 2 minutes before applying your top coat.

Common Mistakes with Gelie-Cure Application

Gelie-Cure is a unique system that involves the use of a clear, demi-gel layer to be cured under an LED light. When used correctly, it can seal in your manicure or be used as a durable base for polish. If you find you are struggling with the proper application, check out these tips!

Too Much Serum Is Used

If the Naked Gelie is sliding off your nail, too much serum has been used under the Gelie and it has not been fully rubbed into the nail. When using the Rescue Serum under the Repair Base and Naked Gelie, it’s important that you only use a pea sized amount for all 10 nails, dividing that amount equally on all 10 fingers. Rub from cuticle to tip and sidewall to sidewall until the serum is dry.

Gelie is Not Cleaned Up with Orangewood Stick

If you find large sections of your Gelie peeling, this means that the Naked Gelie was applied on your cuticle, sidewall or upper corner of the free edge. We recommend cleaning your nail with the orangewood stick provided in all Gelie-Cure kits prior to curing. Always double check your application before curing.

We hope you found these application tips helpful! For more tips on Gelie-Cure, watch our tutorial on how to spot and fix Gelie-cure issues.

Feature photo via @lackschaft.