Ugly Duckling Premium Sculpting Gels

Ugly Duckling Premium Sculpting Gels

Ugly Duckling self-leveling hard gels are designed for effortless sculpting. Extra strong, and tough high shine.

Our UV ONLY Clear Gel is a little bolder. Slightly thicker than our LED/UV combo cure, with ultimate adhesion. For problem lifters, we recommend a thin base coat of the UV only gel before building.

Clear products are always stronger than pigmented ones.  For maximum strength with any product, use your colors cosmetically, and cap them with clear.

APPLICATION: This is what we do...

New Set:

  1. Clean the nail plate. Push back cuticle with our Ugly Duckling Cuticle Tool.
  2. Etch the nail plate with our Ugly Duckling Medium Zebra File. If you prefer to use a buffer, our Ugly Duckling Coarse Buffer will work fine, as long as it is new and not worn.  If you prefer an e-file, a medium arbor band works great!
  3. Remove all dust (dust is the enemy!) Do not use a cleanser. Cleansers contain oil.  If you feel you need an extra clean, we recommend 50-70% alcohol. 
  4. Apply Ugly Duckling Prep to all 10 fingers.
  5. Apply Ugly Duckling Primer to all 10 fingers.
  6. Apply Ugly Duckling Clear Tips or Forms.
  7. Sculpt your nail. You may choose to do all 4 fingers and cure, or you may apply 1 finger at a time and alternate hands, freeze curing (5-10 second cure) in between. If you are freeze curing, you will need to do a final cure after each layer is applied.  Your final cure is 2-3 minutes UV, or 60-90 seconds LED. The gel color and thickness will make a difference - but you can't over-cure it.  If it is under-cured, that is where you may experience lifting, breakage, or a dull finish.
  8. File, and finish with your choice of Ugly Duckling Base/Top gel or  No Wipe Topcoat for a high shine top gloss, or simply a final layer of clear gel . You can apply it right over your roughly filed, dust-free surface.  If you choose to finish with our Ugly Duckling Gel Polish, you will need to finish file with our Ugly Duckling Medium Zebra File. If you prefer to use a buffer, our Ugly Duckling Coarse Buffer will work fine, as long as it is new and not worn.  If you prefer an e-file, a medium arbor band works great!
  9. We recommend applying a thin layer of Clear (UV or LED) sculpting gel as a base before applying Pink or Fufu Pink to the natural nail.  This will provide the maximum adhesion.

**Always apply gel to a rough finish (not fine buffed), or a tacky (dispersion) layer.

Please feel free to contact us for more information and product support.