With the right tools, you can even do nail art at home. Soft gel is very versatile and favoured by manicurists when it comes to nail art.

You can even buy glitter gel polish in clear or coloured formulas, as well as shimmer topcoats for something different. There are hundreds of shades of gel polish available. Regular gel polish is the type of gel that provides the most variety. While it does offer some protection for your nails compared to regular nail polish, it's not as hard as builder gel or hard gel. Soft gel isn't strong enough to build nail extensions or be used as a builder gel. It's the traditional gel polish that is cured with UV light and can be soaked off. Soft gel polish is the polish most people think of when they want a gel manicure. When people talk about using gel polish, it's most likely they're talking about soft gel. Check out Instagram for some amazing inspiration. To create a manicure that wows, consider some 3D flowers or hearts. Thanks to its sculpting properties, hard gel can create raised texture in any shape you can imagine. Hard gel nail polish doesn't just extend or protect your nail - it can be used in nail art too. Acrylic nails are rigid, which means any movement can damage the nail plate by creating small cracks and chips. Gel is flexible, which increases their resilience. With hard gel, the application is different, and it allows the nail to be better nourished and protected. This can mean when the acrylic extensions are removed, the health of the nail is worse than before the manicure. Acrylics use more solvents in their formula, which can be drying to the natural nail, causing it to weaken. Hard gel is more flexible and durable than acrylics. Acrylic nail extensions can achieve a similar look, but contain more allergens, which is why hard gel is so popular.Īnother issue with acrylics is they can cause more damage to your natural nails than gel manicures.

Most forms of hard gel polish are hypoallergenic, which is a huge bonus for those with sensitive skin. It's not the same as regular gel polish (which is much softer) as regular gel doesn't cure hard enough to extend nails.īecause hard gel polish is a type of builder gel, it too can be used alongside other gel polishes. It can be sculpted and shaped to artificially lengthen your nail. Hard gel polish is another type of builder gel. After a few months of treating yourself to builder gel manicures should allow you to grow strong, healthy natural nails. The builder gel should prevent any breakages, so when it's time to refresh your manicure, your nails should be much longer. With a reinforced nail plate, your nails are much more likely to grow through longer and stronger. This fortifies the nail plate and makes breakages less likely. The gel fills in any cracks on the nail, then bonds to it as it's cured. If your nails are prone to breaking and flaking, builder gel nails will help with that. The builder gel strengthens the nails by covering the nail plate, which reinforces any weak areas. Because the range doesn't have any overpowering colours, you can easily use gel colours from the rest of our range without the base being visible. The range of Cally Builder Gel features several neutral shades that work well as a base, a backdrop for nail art or a standalone colour.

Alternatively, because the polish is available in a range of colours, it can be used as a polish in its own right. This can lead to stronger, longer natural nails as the durable coating helps prevent nail breakage.Ī builder gel manicure is wonderful because it can be used as a strong base to help protect nails and it looks great. Builder gel nails are a great way to strengthen your nails because they create an extra hard, durable layer over the nail plate, which protects it.

Gel overlay vs gel manicure