A manicure by @sedjames showing ZOYA Ella with two French tip accent nails.

Extend Your Gel Manicure with Defend + Shine

If you typically wear gel manicures, then you know how they start to look dull around week two. If you’re looking for a way to extend your gel manicure and renew the shine before your next salon visit, then you need Defend + Shine. This system was made for traditional ZOYA Nail Polish, but can also be used with the gels of other brands.

When to Apply Defend + Shine

With traditional nail polish, we recommend waiting a minimum of 12 hours for the full manicure to set before applying Defend + Shine as a seal. Gels are slightly different from normal polish in that you won’t need to apply Defend + Shine the next day after your manicure. Instead, wait until you notice your gel manicure losing its shine. Gels tend to lose their shine after about two weeks of wear and its around this time that they can develop slight horizontal lines in the polish. By applying Defend + Shine at this point in your manicure, you can smooth over those polish lines and refresh the shine for another week of wear!

System Overview

Application

The system revolves around two products, Naked Gelie and Clear Shine Spray. When you want to use Defend + Shine, you’ll apply a coat of Naked Gelie to your nails and cure them under the LED light provided with the system. Once you’re finished curing, you will swipe the nails with Clear Shine Spray to remove residue and reveal the shine!

Removal

If you will be removing your gel before your next salon appointment, don’t worry; removal is simple. The removal process is no different than removing Naked Gelie over a normal manicure. The only difference is the added minute it takes to soak the foils. You’ll saturate a cotton ball with ZOYA Remove + and wrap the cotton over your nails with soak off foil sheets. Leave the foil on the nails for 3 minutes, and then remove. If any gel or Naked Gelie remains, you can simply swipe it off the nail with more remover. It’s that simple!

We hope you use this hack for using Defend + Shine to extend your gel manicure until your next salon visit. Get a free removal kit when you buy the system today! 

Have more questions? Read our Defend + Shine FAQ!

Feature photo via @sedjames.