When gel polish won't stay put, the product is usually the first thing to get blamed. In practice, ten times out of ten the cause is technique or equipment. Here's how to work out which one applies to you – by looking at how the coating comes off.
Lifting at the cuticle
This almost always means the base coat has touched the skin. The coating is gripping the cuticle rather than the nail, and when the skin moves naturally, the layer lifts. Push back the cuticles more thoroughly and leave a tiny gap between the coating and the skin.
Chipping at the tip
The free edge hasn't been sealed. Run the brush along the end of the nail after every layer – after the base, after the colour and after the top coat. It takes a few seconds and is the step most often skipped.
Coming off in one piece
Poor adhesion to the nail. There are two causes: the nail wasn't degreased, or the surface wasn't buffed at all. The natural shine of the nail needs to be removed with a buffer, and then the nail wiped with a dehydrator or cleanser. Cleansers and degreasers.
Coating is soft and leaves a mark when pressed
It hasn't cured. Either the layer is too thick or the lamp is no longer delivering enough power. UV lamp bulbs wear out after roughly 6 months of heavy use – they still light up, but they no longer emit the right wavelength. LED lamps last longer. Choosing a lamp.
Bubbles appear
The polish was shaken or stirred too vigorously. Gel polish should be rolled between your palms, not shaken. Bubbles also appear when you apply polish that is too cold – let it warm up to room temperature before you start.
Wrinkles while curing
The colour layer is too thick. The top cures faster than the bottom, and the surface shrinks. The fix is always the same: two thin layers instead of one thick one.
Lasts a week, then comes off
This is often a sign of thin or peeling nails – the coating holds, but the nail beneath it breaks. In that case a strengthening base or a rubber base helps, as it is more flexible and better absorbs the nail's flexing.
Lifting on one hand only
Most often on the thumbs or the dominant hand. Thumbs sit at a different angle in the lamp and receive less light – cure them separately. The dominant hand takes more strain, so it is especially important to seal the tips carefully.
In short
Almost all problems come down to four things: a layer that's too thick, poor prep, an unsealed tip and a tired lamp. Check them in turn and you'll find the cause. We've described the whole correct process in our gel polish application guide.