UV/LED Gel comes in a pot or in a bottle (builder in a bottle). It is a one step process where the gel goes directly onto the nail and is cured in a UV/LED light lamp.

Acrylic on the other hand requires a two-step process where a brush is dipped into liquid monomer, and then dipped into acrylic powder before it is applied onto the nail. Acrylic does not need a lamp to cure.

UV/LED gel does not come in a powder form. If you go to the salon and ask for UV/LED Gel and they bring out powder, know that this is an acrylic service you are getting. “Vitamin C Powder Gel” is an example of this.

At Elixir Nail Studio, we strive to educate our clients on products, services, and what is safe and unsafe to use on nails.

Due to marketing when gel nails were new and becoming increasingly popular, salons started using some brand names as the name of the services. Bio Gel is a great example of that; it is a brand! The service you are actually getting is just UV/LED Gel.

In a gel polish manicure, the nail is prepped and base gel is applied and cured before applying a gel polish colour.

In a structured base gel manicure, the nail is prepped and a rubber base is applied in a small bead to create an apex, and then cured. This adds more strength, and durability to the manicure

This is a deep dry manicure service that will leave you with beautiful, soft, and clean cuticles. With the “Russian manicure” technique, several e-file bits, as well as cuticle scissors are used to safely remove excess dead skin, exfoliate and polish the skin around the nail plate. This also allows for that crisp “under the cuticle” gel application. This is a service that requires a minimum of 40 min to complete for beautiful and meticulous results.

A refills most important purpose is to rebalance and restore the strength of the gel. A refill should be done at the 3 week growth period of your gel service for happy and healthy nails. If this isn’t done in an appropriate time, it leads to stress and pressure on the natural nails which can cause damage. If your natural nails grow very quickly, or are generally oilier, you may need to book a fill at the 2.5 week mark for best results!

Do not worry, this is normal and not damaging!

Heat spikes are caused by polymerization- the chemical reaction of the gel binding onto your nail plate.

Some gels have higher heat spikes, while others have little to none at all!

We believe hygiene and safety is the core of every good service!

We do not reuse nail files and buffers; they are either disposed of at the end of the service, or given to the client to take home if desired

We are certified with PreEmpt Infection Control, and comply with health and safety regulations in salons as per the Ontario Ministry of Health. We use PreEmpt CS20 for sterilization, and PreEmpt One Step disinfectant cleanser wipes to maintain a safe and clean environment.

After disinfection and sterilization, implements are stored in sterile pouches that are only opened at the beginning of each service

We also ensure your safety by keeping our studio and lavatory disinfected after every client. We value maintaining a safe and hygienic environment