Am I the only one who skips the base coat on nail sets?

Every other cosmetologist I know swears you need a base coat or gel won't stick. I tried skipping it on a client named Sarah last Thursday because I ran out of time. Her nails held up for two full weeks without any peeling or lifting. Has anyone else experimented with dropping that step?

3 comments

3 Comments

claire_wells871mo ago

You said you ran out of time and it held up two weeks. That sounds like a lucky break honestly. But here's something I haven't seen mentioned yet - the type of nail plate matters way more than the base coat. I've got oily nail beds and if I skip base coat, my gel lifts in three days flat. Meanwhile my sister has dry brittle nails and she can slap color on bare nails and it'll last a month. Base coat is probably a safety net for the average person but not a universal must.

margaret_taylor421mo ago

Not quite right, the real issue is prep not nail type.

blair_dixon1mo agoMost Upvoted

Wait, hold up - your sister can put color on bare nails and get a month of wear? I'm sorry but that sounds insane to me. Are we talking about the same gel polish that I use because I've never seen anyone get away with that. I actually don't believe this for a second unless her nails are made of some kind of magic material or something. That just goes against everything I've learned about gel in the last ten years doing my own sets at home.