Frequently asked questions about nail styling

No. The fact that the plug fits and the lamp turns on does not yet mean that the device is reaching its nominal operating parameters. A lamp designed for a 24 V DC and 2 A power supply will also start with a 1 A or 1.5 A adapter, but the result can be incomplete photopolymerization, wrinkling of the product, discoloration and reduced durability of the manicure, and for the lamp itself faster wear of components and the risk of losing warranty coverage. Use the original power supply included with the lamp.

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Four elements: the wavelength of light (Excellent PRO lamps emit a 365 and 405 nm band, matched to the photoinitiators in the products), the diode type (first generation, non-quartz), the lamp power (Excellent PRO products are tested in 48-54 W lamps) and the diode arrangement and distance from the nail - too great a distance causes a drop in light intensity and can lead to incomplete curing.

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Not necessarily. Quartz diodes are stronger, but their intensity can cause yellowing of milky products and color changes in pigments, especially in light and pastel styling. That's why Excellent PRO lamps use first-generation, non-quartz diodes, and example curing times (e.g. Grafen Base or Top No Wipe) are 60 seconds.

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Excellent PRO advises against combining products from different brands. Photopolymerization depends on the type and wavelength of light, the type of diodes and their power and arrangement in the lamp - these elements determine whether the product cures completely and evenly. The Excellent PRO lamp is designed as part of a system and guarantees correct photopolymerization of the brand's bases, gels and tops as well as color stability. It's the manufacturer who should ensure compatibility - not the stylist.

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The most common causes are too thick a product layer (light doesn't penetrate into the depth of the gel, even the best lamp cannot cure the entire volume of mass), too weak a lamp (with 36 W or 48 W lamps you need to extend the curing time according to the manufacturer's table) and heavily pigmented gels - 90% coverage gels are designed for a thin color layer, and a thicker layer limits light penetration and leaves a soft, sticky middle. Build the nail in stages, in thin layers.

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Burning is the effect of heat generated during the curing reaction - the thicker the gel layer, the stronger it is. It is intensified by a weakened, filed nail plate and by too strong a lamp or quartz diodes, which initiate polymerization very violently, especially with thin gels like Hard Liquid Gel or All-in-One. What helps: the Low Heat Mode function, curing in stages (e.g. a 2s, 2s, 60s cycle) and thin layers of product.

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The changes concern ergonomics and construction: after inserting the hand, the motion sensor starts a 60-second countdown, the keys have G markings (recommended curing time for the Grafen base and most gels) and T (time for tops like Top No Wipe or Grafen Hard Top), the bottom is metal mirror instead of a mirror insert that wears off, and the LED display got a mask that improves readability. The light emission system is identical: 36 Dual LED diodes, 365 and 405 nm, maximum power 54 W.

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The Excellent PRO Portable UV/LED Nail Lamp 10W has UV/LED diodes exactly the same as in standard lamps, so it's fully compatible with all gels of the brand, and milky, light pink and powdery products don't yellow and don't gray after curing. The large lighting area (instead of a point) makes it excellent for dualforms, attaching tips and precise flash-curing of 3D decorations, rhinestones or brooches before full curing in the large lamp.

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With milky gels, proper photopolymerization is crucial. The manufacturer recommends working with the Excellent PRO system, that is, using both the products and the lamps of the brand - a properly matched, compatible lamp lets you keep the snow-white shade, no yellowing after curing and color stability over time. You then have the certainty that the product will cure according to the manufacturer's specifications and will not change its shade.

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Speed Base is a thinner, very elastic base with excellent self-leveling, created for fast salon work and short natural nails. Fiber Base contains polyamide fibers - it's more stable, gives you more working time and works better on a problematic nail plate and for stronger building. Grafen Base Color combines base, color and gentle building in one product, so it lets you create finished styling with just one product.

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Fiber Base - the addition of polyamide fibers increases its strength and stability, the base gives you more working time and allows stronger building of the natural nail plate. If an elastic base like Speed cracks or lifts on a client, reach for a harder product: Fiber or Grafen Base Color.

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Three steps: dehydration (Dehydrator or Multifunction Liquid removes water from the upper layer of the nail plate), bonder (a monomer dissolved in a solvent reaches all the nooks between the corneocytes of the nail plate) and Multifunction Grafen Base applied by painting, not rubbing, in a thicker layer cured for a full minute in the Master Line lamp. The whole system is best done in about 1.5 minutes, because the plate absorbs water from the nail bed and we want to connect grafen with the driest possible plate.

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Grafen Base creates a transition layer between the flexible natural nail plate and the hard building product and isolates the plate from pigments. Thanks to this you can work with any Excellent PRO product on any nail plate without the risk of air bubbles. Skipping steps of the system, rubbing-in instead of a thicker layer of grafen or shortened curing in an inappropriate lamp risk air bubbles, gel pulling away from cuticles and shortened styling durability.

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Multifunction Grafen Base is a transparent, self-leveling base with exceptionally wide application: a transition layer under hard gel, refills and renewal, extensions on a form, tip or dual form, isolation under hybrid polish or glitter, and even attaching rhinestones and 3D decorations directly onto the cured top. For a full guarantee of adhesion, work with the full Excellent PRO system and cure in the Master Line 54W lamp.

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Yes, Multifunction Liquid Adhesion Plus cleans and dehydrates the nail plate in one step - it removes lipids and dust after manicure, so you no longer need a separate dehydrator. Additionally, it effectively removes the inhibition layer of any gel, dries damp cuticles before manicure and color, gives shine to tops with a sticky layer, deepens the matte effect, supports acrylgel modeling and cleans stamping plates.

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If despite the full Excellent PRO system one or two nails regularly get air bubbles (usually the index or middle finger), the cause is most often constant mechanical pressure, e.g. from a pen or scissors in clients who work at a computer. The solution is an acid primer: after the dehydrator, apply it just in the problematic spot, wait until it evaporates, apply a bonder and paint the nail plate with Grafen Base. The acid primer etches the nail plate and increases the adhesion of the product.

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Excellent PRO describes 4 workflows for working with hybrid bases. The simplest for beginners is workflow 2: you do the anchor and leveling layers with one product, Grafen Base Color, which reduces the number of needed products and gives a natural effect of a delicate filter on the nail. The anchor layer is a thin base layer spread across the entire nail plate and cured in the lamp. Workflow 1, which skips the anchor layer, is only for advanced techs.

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Yes, the toenail plate is often more porous, offers better adhesion conditions and is less exposed to mechanical damage, so the workflow can be simplified to: Dehydrator or Multifunction Liquid, base (Speed / Fiber / Grafen Base Color) and top. Key rules: the nail must be healthy, cut down maximally to the fingertip, and the styling very thin, because pressure builds up on the nail plate inside footwear.

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Cloud Mousse combines the properties of a jelly with the control and smoothing of a self-leveling gel. It has a light, fluffy, mousse-like consistency - it holds its shape, doesn't run to the sides and doesn't flood the cuticles, and at the same time erases brush marks itself, so often there's no need to file at all. After curing it's the hardest Excellent PRO gel, ideal for long extensions and salon work.

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Not in Cloud Mousse with flowers - thanks to the unique consistency, the flowers are suspended in the gel structure, they don't sink to the bottom and don't require intensive mixing. Most of the flowers stay whole, you can see full petals, so from start to end of the jar you have a uniform, natural effect.

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Currently the hardest in the range is Cloud Mousse - a jelly with a cloud consistency that self-levels under brush movement and lets you apply gel to as many as four nails at once. Also very hard is Gelatix 2.0, a classic jelly ideal for long extensions and extreme shapes, and All in One, which despite its thin consistency is one of the hardest gels in the range after curing.

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Instructor Gel works great - a combination of self-leveling gel and jelly, which from below doesn't pour out like strictly self-leveling gels, and after removing the excess with a thin brush the underside surface levels nicely, which significantly reduces e-file filing. Cloud Mousse is also good for dual forms, as is Principessa 2.0, a hard glitter gel with which you don't have to worry about filing protruding particles.

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It depends on your working style: Cloud Mousse Milk Harmony (80% coverage) is a fluffy jelly for extensions and dual forms, Hard Liquid Gel White Cloud is a very thin gel for express salon work and ultra-thin stylings, Builder Gel With Thixotropy Construction White covers approx. 90% and gives the most snow-white effect for constructive french, and Gelatix 2.0 Luna Bianco is a stable constructive jelly for long extensions. In total there are 9 milky gels in different consistencies to choose from.

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The classic Light French Pink is a light pink shade on a milky base with the effect of a subtle pink marshmallow foam, while version 2.0 has a more transparent base and restores the tone of the classic from before the photoinitiator change, giving a lighter, more natural effect on the nail plate. Otherwise both gels are the same: the Thixotropy series, thick, self-leveling, hard and durable for correction and extensions, about 80% coverage.

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In Fiber Gel Polyamide Plus the fibers are responsible for increased surface tension - the product doesn't flow off and remains stable even when working on 2-4 nails at once, despite its thin consistency. The gel has excellent self-leveling properties, so you can bring the surface to near perfection without filing. After curing it's hard and works both for short and long stylings.

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Instructor by Excellent PRO maintains stable application properties even in high temperatures - its consistency behaves like a jelly, it doesn't run onto the cuticles but at the same time self-levels, which minimizes filing. It lets you work on four nails at once, gives heavier dust during work and is great for correction, structural french, long extensions and working with dualform.

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Clear 0% is available in four consistencies: Gel with Thixotropy (medium-thick, self-leveling), Economic Gel (thinner, fast to work with), Cloud Mousse (a mousse-like jelly that self-levels) and Gelatix (a classic jelly with no self-leveling). All are perfectly transparent, so they're perfect for corrections, embedding decorations, structural ornaments and thick work without the risk of undercuring. The transparency scale in the range goes up to 60%, e.g. Holographic or Rainbow Miracle.

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Use the Excellent PRO gel table - it summarizes products divided by services and nail styling techniques: hybrid manicure, natural plate reinforcement, refills, renewal and correction, extension on a form or tip, and work with the dualform method. It's a practical cheat sheet, and filtering by type, hardness and self-leveling is available in the interactive gel comparison tool.

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Grafen Hard Top has an inhibition layer, which after curing (2 minutes in an Excellent PRO lamp) must be removed, e.g. with Clean & Prep, Cleaner Shine & More, Multifunction Liquid or acetone, and then the surface must be buffed vigorously - during correct buffing you can hear a characteristic squeak. In return you get maximum resistance to scratches, abrasion and loss of shine, which is why it's the top for clients who work a lot with their hands.

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If the french is one of your most frequent designs, Perfect French Creamy White will be best - developed specifically for the french, with a consistency between a hybrid polish and Gel High Pigment. It gently sticks to the brush, which makes it easier to draw a perfectly sharp smile line, and even a thin layer provides full, snow-white coverage. Choose PRO Colors 069 Extreme White if you like working with a classic hybrid polish, and Gel High Pigment if you need stronger coverage and also do surface nail art.

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It wasn't designed for that - it's the thickest and most pigmented product in the whole comparison, created for very fine nail art like one stroke, zhostovo or the wet-on-wet technique. The thick consistency makes painting the smile line uncomfortable, and with a thicker application the product may not cure properly. Experienced nail techs can mix a small amount of Master Art with a hybrid polish or a base, but this requires a very good understanding of photopolymerization.

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MASTER ART by Excellent PRO are professional decoration pastes with a creamy consistency and intense, deep pigmentation - you get full coverage with minimal product. They work in techniques like Micropainting, Zhostovo, One Stroke, Ombre, wet-on-wet and Realistic Flower, as well as with stamps.

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Most often the culprits are crooked, decalibrated or low-quality bits, which cause microvibrations - at low speed they can work stably, but at higher revolutions they strain the mechanism and can destroy bearings even within a few weeks. Add to that handpiece and bit falls, no dust extraction (dust combined with moisture forms a hard deposit that prevents the head from closing) and the habit of twisting the handpiece during work.

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The shank should be inserted into the collet to a depth of 27-30 mm - the greater the part of the bit that remains exposed, the more strongly the centrifugal force acts on it and the easier the shank deforms. The most popular shank standard in cosmetic drills is 2.35 mm (3/32 inch) according to ISO 7785-2 Type 2. Work according to the principle: high rotational speed = low pressure force.

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Most often it's overloading the device: dust accumulated inside the handpiece, or a blunt bit and too strong pressure, which force the motor to do much more work. Regularly unscrew the handpiece and remove the dust with a small brush (not compressed air, which packs the dust into hard-to-reach places), and remove the mass at high speeds with light guidance of the bit. Efficiently removing the mass from both hands should take about 3-5 minutes.

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In five steps: remove the protective cover, gently rub the bristles between your fingers to break up the securing resin, thoroughly soak the bristles in a hybrid base so that it reaches every hair and forces the air out, drain the excess base in a dry, dust-free cotton pad, and put the cover back on if you don't plan immediate use. The brush should be flexible, but it must not swim in the base.

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To start you need bits (e.g. Nail Makeover 1 for removing product, Nail Makeover #8 for cuticles, Nail Makeover #3 for the underside), 150/180 or 180/240 files, scissors or nippers, Clean & Prep for degreasing and removing the inhibition layer, a gel matched to your training, a top coat (e.g. Top No Wipe), a UV/LED lamp and an e-file, e.g. Master Power 2.0. An important rule: after training, work with products in the consistency you learned on.

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Excellent PRO recommends three products for beginners: Gel With Tixotropy (stable during work, levels well and gives great control), Cloud Mousse (a mousse-jelly consistency that gives more time to build the nail architecture and doesn't run onto the cuticles) and Polyamide Plus Gel (thinner, with polyamide fibers, for shorter styling on the natural nail plate).

More in the post: What to Buy to Start Nail Styling? The Beginner Nail Tech Essentials