I receive a lot of questions about UV and LED lamps for curing gel polish, and thought it might be helpful to provide a brief comparison of the two.
| UV | LED | |
| Cost | More affordable | Generally more expensive, though prices are starting to come down |
| Curing Time | 2 minutes | 30-60 seconds |
| Efficiency | Use more energy (less efficient) | Use less energy and are more eco-friendly |
| Bulb Life | Bulbs need to be replaced periodically | Bulbs last the life of the lamp and never need replacement |
| Types of polish | Effectively cures ALL types of gel polish | Only cures polishes that are formulated for LED technology |
Most soak off gel (SOG) manufacturers sell lamps that are compatible with their products, and you would likely get the best results when using a lamp provided by the manufacturer. I personally like to use a variety of brands and find that my Thermal Spa UV lamp is very reliable when it comes to curing all different types of gel polish. As I mentioned above, not all polishes are formulated to work with LED lamps so if you own one you should check with the polish manufacturers to determine which ones are compatible. Many believe that LED is the future of SOG and most brands will provide LED formulated products over time. In the meantime, I’ll keep my UV light handy!
I will also comment quickly that both types of lamps emit UV light, and that one lamp is not “safer” than the other in terms of UV exposure. Read my previous article about two quick and easy things you can to to minimize UV exposure during your gel manicure.
Below are a few lamp recommendations:
Thermal Spa UV Lamp: I own and love this lamp. I’ve been using it for 2 years and haven’t had to change the bulbs yet (knock on wood). You can cure both hands at once in this lamp and it has a timer so it turns off automatically when the curing time is up.
Shany UV Gel Lamp: This lamp was recommended by friends as a cheaper alternative to the Thermal Spa unit. This lamp also has a timer built in. It’s more compact and is only big enough to cure one hand at a time.
Harmony Gelish 18G LED Lamp: Gelish makes and recommends this lamp for curing their products. If you read my blog, you know that I’m a huge Gelish fanatic and recommend their products. Some of my fellow SOG addicts use and recommend using this lamp with all LED polishes. It cures Gelish foundation in just 5 seconds, and colors in 30 seconds! Many pros use this lamp, and it’s on my personal wish list. Edited: I originally said that this will cure both hands at once, but it’s only big enough to do one hand at a time (all five fingers).
Orly Smartgels LED Lamp or Red Carpet LED Light: These are smaller and cheaper LED lamp options, but you can only cure four fingers at once and have to do the thumb separately. They don’t have a timer, but how hard is it to count to 30?
DuoLite LED and UV Lamp: Esther’s Nail Center sells a combo lamp that has both types of curing technology in one unit!
This is Carnival Hangover by Gelish. All of the swatches that I’ve seen for this polish have looked more purple, but mine looks like a bright pink. I’m not sure if this one might be a color changer and changed in the bottle before I opened it. I just purchased it a couple of weeks ago, so it hasn’t been sitting around here for too long. Hmm… I do love the color though. It’s an awesome shade for spring/summer and I’m sure I’ll get some wear out of it. You can also see this color in my recent zig zag skittlette manicure.
This first picture was taken in my lightbox.
The next two photos were taken under my OttLite, in attempt to better show off the shininess and holographic glitter effects.
And finally, two macro shots to give an even closer look. 
I also couldn’t leave well enough alone and eventually added some loose holographic glitter to it. This pic is intentionally blurry to show off the holo effects
Today you may notice that all of my Gelish swatches have a new watermark symbol on them. Unfortunately, I’ve been having a lot of issues with people and companies stealing my images and cropping out the watermark (aka copyright infringement!). I really didn’t want to cover my pictures with invasive watermarks, but I don’t see any other way to protect my property.
I spend countless hours polishing my nails, taking photos, editing and writing blog posts in an attempt to create a valuable resource for nail polish lovers. I don’t make a lot of money doing this… it’s a labor of love. All I ask in return is that if you use my pictures, please leave the watermarks in tact and give credit! It’s really that simple. Just because you find images on Google or social media sites doesn’t mean they are free for the taking and you can do whatever you like with them. These photos are my property and I reserve all rights to them.
If you see my photos in use without the proper credits in place, please let me know through my contact form. Don’t post their links in the comments because we don’t want to send any traffic or business their way! Thanks for understanding.
I made a video showing how to achieve this glitter gradient using soak off gel polish and loose glitter. View the original post here.
This is #5 (Saturn), and it shifts from teal blue to a deep purple. This gel polish is NOT the soak off variety… it has to be filed off if you apply it by itself. If you use this polish I highly recommend wearing undies under it (use a soak off polish underneath). I applied Saturn over top of two coats of Gelish My Favorite Accessory.
These were purchased directly from Indigo as part of a large group order. Shipping to the states is rather high, so it’s helpful if you have other people to go in on an order with you.
Update: These polishes do not cure with some LED lamps, UV is the way to go.
In person I really can’t tell a huge difference between the two, so I don’t see the need to own both. Twinkle is a little more of a yellow gold, and it has some holographic glitters sprinkled in the mix. I applied three coats of each in the swatches below.
This is Golden Treasure:
And this is Twinkle:
I’m also working on some gel polish FAQ’s. Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll try to address them in a post this week.
Here is an example of the #6 gel brush that I mentioned, and this is the Bundle Monster brush kit that I use.
How do you prevent gel polish “shrinkage”?
You may have noticed that some gel polishes tend to shrink back or pull away from the edges when you apply them. I’ve heard many recommendations to dry brush your foundation before applying the color. It’s just like it sounds – you just take a dry brush and brush the tacky layer of your foundation in one direction, then apply the color. I have tried this and really didn’t notice too much of a difference. I find that some colors are just a little trickier to work with.
My solution for this problem is to apply the color onto one or two nails and then put them in my UV light for 10 seconds to give them a partial cure. It stops the shrinkage while I apply color to the rest of my nails. Once I have all of my nails polished I cure them for the full length of time.
Also, make sure that your polish is well mixed/shaken (shaking can cause bubbles, so be careful). Sometimes the ingredients will separate if they’ve been sitting for a while and this also causes shrinkage issues.
How do you work with polishes that are thick and tend to “wrinkle” when curing?
This has been an issue with some of the new collections that Gelish has put out lately. The formula of the polishes is thicker than normal and they will sometimes wrinkle when you cure them in your lamp. With these polishes you need to apply very thin coats. Try warming your polish before using it by placing the bottle in some warm water or by using body heat. You can also use a gel polish thinner to make the consistency a little thinner and easier to apply. I have done this with a few of the wrinklers and it helped a lot.
Can acetone be used to thin gel polish?
No. Gel polish has has a special formula that allows it to cure with UV technology. I recommend using a thinner that is specifically for gel polishes. I use this LaRosa GELish Thinner.
Why does my gel polish chip or peel off after only a few days?
To be honest, this isn’t a problem that I experience often (maybe because I change my polish too frequently!). However, I have found that what holds the gel polish is place is the bond of the foundation to your natural nail. To get the best bond, lightly buff your nails and make sure that they are clean and free of any oils. If you moisturized your hands recently, wash them, use alcohol or the cleansing solution to clean your nails really well, and apply the pH Bond. Also be sure to cap your tips when you apply the foundation gel as well as all of the other coats of polish that you apply.
Do you have a list of gel polishes that fade?
These are the Gelish colors that I have experienced fading with or have heard from a friend about fading:
Can I mix and match gel polish brands (ie, use Gelish foundation and TIO with another brand of color)?
Yes. I often use my Gelish foundation and top coat with other brands.
Can gel polish be used for stamping?
In my experience, no. Gel polishes tend to spread out making it very hard to try to get crisp lines when stamping. You also don’t usually get full opacity with one coat, so it just doesn’t work well. I normally use regular nail polish to stamp on top of my gel manicures. I apply the top coat, wipe it clean, stamp, and then top coat again. And if you mess up when stamping you can just wipe it off and try again!
Can I use regular nail polish with a gel foundation and/or top coat?
Yes, but your manicure will not last as long. I have applied the Gelish foundation and Structure gel on my nails and then polished them with a regular polish and regular top coat. When doing this it is possible to remove the regular nail polish with a non-acetone remover and then reapply another color. I don’t recommend using a glitter polish because that requires some soaking and will damage the gel base. Also, the base will start to wear/peel after a couple of applications/removals.
I have also applied regular polish in between the Gelish foundation and top coat. When doing this you have to be sure that the regular nail polish is completely dry before applying the top coat. If it’s not dry you can get some puckering in the polish and you can still mess up your nails if you bump them on something.
As I mentioned above, I also use regular nail polish for stamping. Since stamping generally doesn’t cover the whole nail my stamped manicures usually last just as long as a regular gel manicure.
What type of lamp do you use and can you recommend a good UV or LED lamp?
I use a Thermal Spa UV lamp most of the time. I recently wrote an article about lamps with some recommendations. Read it here.
How do you swatch gel polish? Doesn’t it take a lot of time to apply and soak off?
It does take time, but I have learned a few tricks to make the process go a little faster. When I’m planning to swatch several colors in one session, I don’t apply the foundation gel and apply the color directly onto my nails. I used to think that it was the top coat that makes the soak off take longer, but I found that it’s actually the foundation. Without the foundation, I can file off the top coat real quick and then the soak off with acetone only takes a few minutes. I also only polish the four fingers on my left hand when I’m doing a swatch session.
I recently learned another new trick for when I want to wear a color for only a couple of days. Instead of using the foundation gel, I use a regular nail polish base. This keeps my nails from getting stained, but it doesn’t allow the gel polish to form that bond with my nails so I can soak it off faster when I’m ready to change colors.
How do you care for your hands and cuticles and keep them looking good with the frequency of your polish changes?
I don’t have a lot of tips to share here. I always moisturize my hands after applying gel polish and just when my hands feel dry in general. My favorite lotion right now is True Blue paraffin lotion from Bath & Body Works, and I’ve been using a cuticle oil and the nail and cuticle serum from Julep. I also use CND cuticle remover about once a week, and I occasionally use my heated spa mitts or parafin bath when I want to pamper my hands a little. 
What type of lighting and camera do you use for your swatch photos?
Most of my pictures are taken in a lightbox that I created out of a cardboard box and some tissue paper. You can read more about that here. This lighting sometimes washes out the shimmer effects of some polishes and I can’t capture duochrome or holographic effects very well with it. I also use an OttLight for taking pictures sometimes, and it’s also the light that I work under when doing my nails. All of my photos are taken with my iPhone 4S… no fancy cameras here.
Here are links to some other articles I have written with gel polish tips & tricks:
Today I remembered that I had some zipper water decals and thought what better to pair with denim? I applied a regular nail polish base over top of my gel manicure, painted on some colored triangles and applied my decals. I then topped everything off with Seche Vite. I’m sure the art won’t last long this way, but you know I’ll be ready to change up my mani soon again anyway!
Struck Upon a Star has a purple tinted base and is loaded with different colored glitter in a variety of shapes and sizes, and some of them are iridescent and holographic. There are also holographic stars in the mix. I was a little worried when I first saw this polish that the stars might not lay down well, but I didn’t have any issues with them at all. After applying three coats and a top coat, my nails had a nice glassy finish and the holographic effects were very cool.
I Did Love Him Once has a pink shimmer base and red, black, and white square and hex glitters. It also has some bar glitter and red hearts. I had to do a little fishing to get the hearts, but I like that you could wear this with or without the hearts if you choose.
Valley of Ashes has a grey base with a silvery shimmer and is loaded with black hex and micro glitters. This might be my favorite of the three since I think it’s very versatile and could be worn with almost any outfit. (Yes, I try to match my nails to my clothes LOL).
This is Gelish You’re Such a Sweet-Tart from the Candy Land Collection. It’s a fun, bright green with a subtle shimmer. This is a great spring/summer color.
At the request of many, I created a short video that shows how to remove gel polish using the foil method. In general, the longer you soak, the easier the removal will be. Let your nails soak for 10-15 minutes before checking on them and then scrape off what you can with an orange stick. If your polish doesn’t come off easily, put the foil back on and soak longer. You don’t want to damage your nails by scraping with force to remove gel polish that’s still stuck on the nail.
You can read my previous article about how to remove gel polish here.
The nail art was all done with Gelish. The leopard print nails started with a base of Medieval Madness, and one coat of Twinkle for some gold sparkle. Then I used a dotting tool and drew on the leopard spots using Sweet Chocolate and Meet the King. The “bling” finger has a base of Meet the King, and I brushed on some loose gold glitter into the tacky layer before applying the top coat. I wasn’t able to get the glitter perfectly smooth, so there are some small imperfections. On my thumb and pinky, I applied two coats of Sweet Chocolate and then used nail art striping tape to create the triangle shapes that I filled in using Meet the King. And finally I applied some gold stud accents that were purchased at Michael’s craft store. Whew! This took some time.
I also found a cute little leopard print ring at Charming Charlies.
Here is a closer look at the pattern of the dress and the belt that I’m going to wear with it. You can see where I got the inspiration for the thumb and pinky with the round gold studs.
