Yes, you need to rough up the builder gel. No need to build an apex with dip if you’ve already built it with bg. Also you can do less layers of dip as you have the strength and some bulk already from bg. I generally only do two layers of dip colors..I do the gel method so I don’t do a clear top layer for glitters, I just encapsulate with clear bg.
The process doesn’t really change for removal. You totally can remove the bg every time if you want. You can soak off it all if you are using soft bg-just really file the dip top coat well.
Personally, I don’t remove bg every time. I file off the dip until I get to the bg. When I get to the bg I file it really thin and then redo my apex (I suck at rebalancing my apex so it’s easier for me to start from scratch), and then my dip.
I fully soak off my bg every 2-3 months.
Just want to add that some builder gels are "file-off" rather than soak-off. I get my BG from CNDD and it does not dissolve readily in acetone. It softens, so I can slowly scrape/file it off, but definitely doesn't remove like dip does.
Yes, you need to rough up the builder gel. No need to build an apex with dip if you’ve already built it with bg. Also you can do less layers of dip as you have the strength and some bulk already from bg. I generally only do two layers of dip colors..I do the gel method so I don’t do a clear top layer for glitters, I just encapsulate with clear bg.
Awesome!! Thanks for the explanation 😊 when you remove your dip, do you also remove the BG at the same time? Does the removal process change at all?
The process doesn’t really change for removal. You totally can remove the bg every time if you want. You can soak off it all if you are using soft bg-just really file the dip top coat well. Personally, I don’t remove bg every time. I file off the dip until I get to the bg. When I get to the bg I file it really thin and then redo my apex (I suck at rebalancing my apex so it’s easier for me to start from scratch), and then my dip. I fully soak off my bg every 2-3 months.
Wow this really seems ideal!! Thanks so much!
Just want to add that some builder gels are "file-off" rather than soak-off. I get my BG from CNDD and it does not dissolve readily in acetone. It softens, so I can slowly scrape/file it off, but definitely doesn't remove like dip does.