Good wear starts with the base. A gel base coat grips the natural nail and gives your color something to hold on to, which means fewer lifts and chips by the end of the week.
Classic base or rubber base?
- Classic Base Coat: a thin, easy-to-spread base for gel polish on healthy nails. Also available as a pro pack for salons.
- Rubber base: thicker and flexible, it evens out ridges and strengthens soft nails. See the full range of shades in our rubber base gel collection.
How to apply
Prep the nail and remove oil with our nail dehydrator and primer. Apply a thin layer of base coat, cap the free edge and cure under your UV or LED lamp, then continue with your gel nail polish. Every base is HEMA-free and TPO-free, 10 ml, formulated in France.
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Rubber Base Collection, Set of 10
Rubber Base RB05 Menthe Glacée
Gel base coat: the first layer of a gel manicure that lasts
A base coat is the layer applied straight onto the prepped nail, before the color. Cured under a UV or LED lamp, it bonds the natural nail to the gel polish: adhesion, and so wear, depends on it. A manicure that lifts after a week almost always comes from rushed prep or a badly applied base.
This collection gathers 12 products: Classic Base Coat and our rubber bases, clear or tinted, which strengthen the natural nail. Every formula is HEMA-free and TPO-free.
What does a base coat do, and can you skip it?
Gel polish does not stick to the natural nail on its own. The base coat grips the keratin, makes a smooth, even surface and keeps color pigments from staining the nail. Without it, the color lifts quickly. Base coat and top coat always work together: the base holds the manicure from underneath, the top coat protects it from above.
Classic Base Coat: self-leveling, for every manicure
Elegelli Classic Base Coat is a fluid, self-leveling base: it spreads into a thin layer on its own and smooths out small ridges, without flooding the cuticles. It combines grip and flexibility, so it moves with the nail instead of cracking, and holds up to 21 days without lifting or peeling. It soaks off in 10 to 15 minutes and works under any brand of gel polish, as well as under our cat eye gel polish.
Rubber base or classic base coat: which one?
A classic base suits healthy nails that only need adhesion. A rubber base is thicker and more elastic: it coats the natural nail, strengthens it and evens out its surface. Our 10 rubber bases come in clear and in milky tints, from nude, pink and peach to blue, mint and lavender, and can be worn on their own for a natural manicure. To build length, move on to builder gel.
How to apply a base coat: prep, thin layer, cure
Push back the cuticles, lightly buff the nail, then cleanse and dehydrate it with Prep Booster and a primer. Apply a thin layer of base, keep it away from the cuticles and cap the free edge, then cure under the lamp. A base that is too thick or touches the skin is the first cause of lifting.
Gel base coat questions
Can you apply gel polish without a base coat?
No. Without a base, the color grips the natural nail poorly, lifts within days and can stain it. A base coat is essential under gel polish.
What is the difference between base coat and top coat?
The base goes on first, on the bare nail: it gives adhesion. The top coat goes on last, over the color: it seals, protects and sets the finish. Both cure under the lamp.
How long do you cure a gel base coat?
Like the other gel layers, the base cures under a UV or LED lamp. Follow the time given for your lamp, usually between 30 and 60 seconds under LED.
Does base coat damage nails?
No. What weakens nails is heavy filing or peeling the gel off. Applied well and soaked off with acetone, the base actually protects the nail from color pigments.
Can a rubber base replace a base coat?
Yes. A rubber base works as the base under the color, and also coats and strengthens thin or brittle nails.
Do you need a primer before the base coat?
On oily nails or nails that lift easily, yes: a dehydrator followed by an acid-free primer clearly improves adhesion. On normal nails, the dehydrator is often enough.