Gel Polish

Curing Is Not Drying, and Lamps Are Not Interchangeable

Gel hardens through a chemical reaction triggered by a specific wavelength of light, which is why it stays liquid indefinitely in the pot and sets in seconds under a lamp. UV and LED lamps emit different wavelengths, and a polish formulated for one may cure incompletely under the other. A tacky or wrinkled surface after curing almost always means the layer was too thick or the lamp was wrong, not that the polish was faulty. Thin coats cure fully and thick ones cure only on top, leaving soft gel underneath that dents days later.

Why a Color Looks Different on the Nail

The shade in the bottle is the pigment at full depth; the shade on the nail is that pigment in two thin layers over whatever sits beneath. Sheer and jelly formulas shift most, because the nail plate shows through them. Pale and neutral shades need a base underneath to read true, since the pink of the nail bed tints anything translucent laid over it. Glitters behave differently again: the density builds with each layer, so a second coat is a different color rather than a stronger one.

Getting a Cat Eye Effect to Actually Appear

Magnetic polishes carry metallic particles that line up when a magnet is held near the wet layer, which is what creates the band of light. Nothing happens without that step. Hold the magnet close but not touching, for several seconds, before curing, and cure each nail immediately after drawing the pattern rather than doing all ten first. A dark base underneath makes the effect visible, since the contrast is what the eye reads. Moving the magnet changes the direction of the band, so the angle you hold it at is the design decision.

For preparation, removal and the tools that go with them, the wider category sits in Nail Care, and the routine this fits into is covered in Beauty.