peel-off or soak-off: choosing your base coat
One bottle at step 02 decides how long your colour holds, how it comes off and where you can wear it. The honest matchmaking between your nails and the two bases.
Step 02 is the quiet fork in every miure manicure: two base coats, and everything follows from the choice, how long the colour holds, how it comes off, even which nails it belongs on. The good news: there’s no wrong answer, only a wrong match. This is the full guide to making the right one.
start with your nails, not the shelf
Every manicure starts with the same question, and it isn’t which colour. It’s what your nails are like. Strong, hard nails carry the soak-off base coat beautifully: maximum hold for the long run. Flexible or fragile nails do better with the peel-off base: it moves with the nail, where a rigid layer of maximum hold would get chips instead of wear. Bend beats break, and a base that bends with your nails is how flexible nails get their full run of days.
bend beats break
the two bases, and running both
the peel-off base: up to 12 days, gone in one piece
Up to 12 days of wear, and an exit that takes a minute: a drop of cleaner, lift the edge, one clean peel, no soaking, no acetone. It’s also the one layer in the entire routine that air dries, about 30 seconds, no lamp needed. Two honest boundaries: it’s for hands only, toenails take the soak-off base. And it rewards the sealing habit more than anything else you own, every layer over the free edge, every time.
the soak-off base: 14+ days of maximum hold
The base for strong nails that mean it: 14+ days of maximum hold, on hands and feet. Slightly thicker, so it fills ridges and evens the surface while it’s at it. After curing it keeps a sticky layer, on purpose, that’s what your colour holds on to. The exit asks about ten minutes and a little patience, the removal guide walks through every step.
or honestly: both
The smart setup for a lot of people is two bases in the drawer. The peel-off base on hands, for colour that changes with your calendar. The soak-off base on toenails, where hold matters most and shoes test it daily. Just remember which nail wears which, because the removal method follows the base, always. And whichever bottle opens at step 02: every colour and every cat eye shade in the range works over both.
the two bottles
frequently asked questions
Can I switch between the two base coats?
Freely, manicure by manicure. The bases don’t leave anything behind that limits the next choice: finish one manicure, remove it by its own method, and step 02 is an open question again.
Why is the peel-off base for hands only?
Because toenails live inside shoes, and that constant friction asks for maximum hold. The soak-off base is built for exactly those conditions, 14+ days, feet included. The peel-off base was designed for hands, where its clean exit is the whole point.
Do the two bases apply differently?
One real difference: the peel-off base air dries in about 30 seconds, no lamp, the only layer in the routine that does. The soak-off base cures under the lamp like everything else and keeps its sticky layer on purpose. Both want the same habits: thin layers, sealed free edge.
