Leafgel: Extreme Clear Plus Review

I've briefly reviewed some Leafgel shades before, but this time I'll be reviewing their base coat, the blue ribbon'd extreme clear plus. It can be difficult to tell which one is the base and top due to the sort of ambiguous names (it took me a long time to remember which was which), but "Extreme clear plus" is their base gel. 

About the brand and how to order: 

I'm pleased to report that there has been a huge improvement the accessibility of Japanese soft gels since 2021! There are now a variety of places which you can purchase Leafgel products from outside of Japan, and you also will not be needing a certification or license for these, which makes everything far easier. 

If you happen to be visiting Japan, TAT has many stores around Japan and don't require any certifications (although you may be entitled to 15% off if you have a license), although the prices can be slightly higher. For those located in hong kong, both jasminenail and beebeenail have physical and online stores that sell leafgel. For those located in Australia, atipsnails sells leafgel and ships internationally, and zillabeau which is located in America with a physical shop and also ships internationally. The pricing will probably depend on where you're located and shipping fees, so please double check which option is best for you, but if you are located in Hong Kong, I recommend you purchase from local shops as TAT often has slightly inflated prices and will be simliar, if not slightly more expensive than buying from either jasminenail or beebeenail.  

You can purchase this in a 4g, 8g or 25g form, and it comes in Leafgel's standard dark navy screw top pots. 

Description: Extreme Clear Plus Base Gel offers excellent adhesion in a nice medium viscosity that is easy to apply and control. It adheres extremely well to the natural nail but can also be used as an overlay and mixing gel. Soaks off easily in 7-10 minutes with acetone with no damage to the natural nail plate when gently removed. Comes in 3 sizes. Curing time is recommended at 20-30seconds for LED and 1m for UV units. 

My thoughts: 

I think this is one of the best performing soft gel bases that I have tried (of the many I have tried). If you're beginner looking for a salon level base gel system, I highly recommend trying leafgel. Despite some base gels not playing well with different types of nails, I've personally find that extreme clear is consistently reliable across the board with most people's nails, and as it's become relatively accessible to purchase, this one is worth checking out. The official description says that it's formulated to last up to 3 weeks of wear, but my own personal experience has seen around 3-4 weeks wear with minimal chipping and lifting after 3 weeks wear. I wipe with acetone and then prep with 85% alcohol and lightly buffing the nail plate. It's not recommended to not buff during prep, but I've had decent wear even without buffing the nail - although longevity is greatly improved if you're thoroughly prepping.  

For application, the viscosity of the gel is relatively thin and liquidy - I personally prefer to do two layers to build up the nail, a thin layer first to make sure the edges are cleaned up without flooding the cuticle, and then a second layer to build more of a structure on the nail. I often find there is slight shrinkage around the edge of the nail during curing, so I would recommend flash curing and double checking the edges of the nail's application. I also tend to get better wear with this base when I layer it with a builder gel as an overlay (as most gels tend to have stronger structure and wear with an overlay).  

Leafgel offers a few base gels, a peel off, a non-sanding plus and the extreme clear plus (which is an upgraded version of their old base gel extreme clear.). If you're debating between non-sanding plus and extreme clear, the difference in performance is relatively similar, however, extreme clear is more viscous and slippy, and also soaks off much easier, and is recommended for salons due to its easy removal process. Extreme clear also doesn't have any noticeable scent, whereas non-sanding plus has a very strong scent. Extreme clear also has a hardness of 2/5, slightly less than sanding free plus, which is a 3/5. 

For the price point, it's comparable to most higher end Japanese soft gel brands, and from my experience, I believe that this has the best performing soft gel base out of the similarly priced options.