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Is there any such a thing as a "universal" UV light?

November 1, 2009

Light Elegance and CND have light units that will cure all of the gels on the market. They are different from other lights (such as a 36-watt light unit) because the lamps (UV bulbs) are very close to the fingers and this results in a more powerful light and better curing. The next best option would be a 36-watt “tunnel” light. These have four 9-watt lamps for 36 watts of curing power, but the bulbs are farther from the fingernails and as such they are not as powerful. (Tunnel lights are available from Young Nails, LCN, and Nailite, as well as others.) These 36-watt tunnel lamps will cure nearly all gels – except for CND’s Brisa gel. Brisa gel does require the use of a CND or Light Elegance lamp to cure completely.

It is equally important to be sure to use good 9-watt bulbs in your light unit. It is best to purchase SLI, Philips, or Sylvania. These UV bulbs need to be changed regularly. If you have 30 to 40 gels clients a week, the bulbs need to be changed every four to six months. If you have 20 gels clients a week, you will want to change your bulbs every six to eight months. Once a year is sufficient for fewer than 20 gels clients a week. – Jim McConnell is president of Light Elegance.

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What's the trick to getting dark glitters to cure when doing gel nails?

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So on my last client of the day, I finish her fill, buff her nails, apply gel top coat to one of the hands and it turns out fine. But on the next hand, I do everything like I usually do, but when I put the hand in the light to cure the gel top coat, disaster happens. One finger looks like it has a hole in it (in the top coat) and the others look like the gel has literally shrunk, and they’re bumpy too. I file it all off and start again, but the same thing happens. I try one more time, and it’s still the same. I do it all one more time and even use a different lamp, but get the same results. My bulbs in both lamps are about four months old, so they shouldn’t need replacing yet. What could be causing this shrinking?... read more

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