Dip powder liquid sets are an essential part of a dip powder manicure. The liquids are used to bond the powder to the nails and create a smooth, even finish. You will need the six dip essentials for the dipping method: Bond, Base, Activator, Top Coat, Nourish Oil, and Brush Saver. Ultimately, proper care of the liquid bottles is important to ensure that the liquids last and that they provide the best possible results. To learn how to care for your bottles correctly and learn from our troubleshooting guide, read on.
My dip powder top coat doesn't look shiny—how do I apply it properly?
Prior to applying the Dip & Dap - 4 Top Coat, make sure you clean your nail thoroughly with a lint-free wipe. If you are having a cloudy or matte finish this means that the Top Coat may be activating too fast, or the surface is not cleaned well enough.
I can't open my Dip Base and Top Coat—how can I open it, and how can I prevent this from happening?
To open your bottles you may soak your bottles in warm water to loosen up the liquids for 10-15 minutes. If you are unable to open your bottles please do not force them open as our bottles are made out of glass and can cause serious injuries if broken.
While this is a totally common occurrence from any brand, there are 2 ways you can prevent this from happening:
1. Make sure you clean your bottles' lids/neck well with acetone or alcohol after each use. This will help prevent product buildup drying around the lid, which will cause the issue you are having.
2. Take your Nourish Oil and apply it to the neck and rim of your Dip Base and Top Coat to make them easier to open for your next use!
My Dip Base & Top Coat look very thick, gummy, or stringy. Is there something wrong with it? Why does this occur?
There are 2 reasons that this may happen:
1. Your storage temperature.
This normally occurs during the colder seasons and is completely normal. To resolve this you may heat up a cup of water and leave the bottle in the warm water to loosen the liquid inside the bottle until your desired consistency. You may also roll it in your hands - do not shake it as it may cause you to have bubbles in your manicure.2. The bottles' position when stored
When storing your bottles, make sure to always keep the bottles closed all the way to prevent any air from sipping through, which can cause the liquids to harden, become gummy, or become stringy. Store the bottles in an upright position at all times and keep them in a cool dry area.3.You may have accidentally contaminated your Base/Top Coat.
If your brushes had come into contact with Activator that was not thoroughly cleaned off, it will active the Top/Base brush and cause your brush to harden. If this happens and you return the brush to the bottle, it will contaminate the rest of your liquids and make it gummy/stringy. To avoid this make sure you are cleaning your nail thoroughly with a lint-free wipe before you apply your top coat. This is a common occurrence and is also why most nail techs have replacement brushes on hand.
One of my Dip Liquids' brushes has hardened; how can I save it?
As previously mentioned, we highly encourage you to wipe each nail with an oil-free wipe to remove any excess Dip & Dap - 3 Activator and prevent it from contaminating your liquids. If you don't do this properly, the residual activator will turn your base and/or top coat gummy and harden any brush that may have come in contact with it. We also recommend waiting for 2 minutes after applying the activator. To bring back the brush to their condition, follow the steps mentioned below:
1. Remove the dirty/used brush that you would like to clean and wipe off all excess product.
2. Repeat this step with the Brush Saver brush.
3. Swap the brushes so that the dirty/used brush is now soaking in your Brush Saver bottle.
Related blogs and articles:
Dip & Dap Powders
Everything You Need to Know About Dip Powder Nails
iGel Beauty encourages all sorts of questions and suggestions! Your questions will help us improve our troubleshooting articles too! Kindly email us at cs@igelbeauty.com for further assistance. Alternatively, you may join our iGel Beauty Facebook Community for more tips, tricks, and nailspiration! We can't wait to meet you, iGel beauties! ♡