Kokoist Mega Stick Base vs Platinum Bond Duo Builder

Kokoist Japanese Gel is a quality soak-off gel nail brand. It wears like a hard gel, only slightly thinner, and most importantly, it soaks off. Their color collection is stunning; their brushes are of the highest quality. Now, because Kokoist manufactures their gels from scratch (working with their own personal chemist, btw) you can expect to get distinct, unique formulas. So, be ready to put what you think you know about gels behind you and clear your mind to fully understand and work with a whole different texture of gels. Enter Kokoist Mega Stick Base and Platinum Bond Duo…

Working with potted gel systems allows for more control, trains the hand to be delicate, and minimizes product usage. 

Kokoist offers both bases on brush-on bottles and pots, and I always get this question: Is there a difference?

It’s the same product; the one in the pot is Platinum Bond Duo, and the bottle is Bonding Duo. When a product comes in bottles, they have to thin down the viscosity of the gel; therefore, the bottle form is slightly diluted for more effortless workability. 

Ok, back to the million-dollar question. What is the difference between Mega Stick Base and Platinum Bond Duo? I’ve seen many people having trouble with Platinum Bond Duo (or PBD); trust me, I get it. It’s a different gel, and you must treat it as such. 

If you decide to use Kokoist as your primary gel system, your only system, then definitely stick to using only their clear gels, so you don’t have any issues. 

Consistency

PBD and MSB (Mega Stick Base) are both medium-thin viscosity. In other words, they are runny gels, maybe more fluid than what you are used to. Both of these bases can be used as a gel nail overlay. They can be structured and applied thicker, thicker than regular gel polish. 

PBD has to be applied much thicker, like twice as thicker as MSB.

Mega Stick Base is considered more of a soft gel finish, and both bases are soak-off, meaning they can be removed with acetone. 

PBD has the word Duo in the name because this gel has a base and a builder component in one gel. You don’t need a separate base gel to make it work; apply a thick overlay (keyword thick). It works like a hard gel. Kokoist is the biggest gel company in Japan, so they must be doing something right, creating a product, a gel, a system that works like a hard gel but soaks off. 

The best way I can describe PBD is… like a glass material; think like thin glass. Almost like a hard gel but thinner, you can create extensions with PBD but only tiny extensions, like 2-3mm off the free edge, that’s it. 

Mega Stick Base is bendy, flexible, and will work with 80-90% of your clientele without any issues. You can create natural nail overlays with MSB; for example, for someone with long nails, like a bit off the fingertip, you can overlay them just using this base. That is what we now refer to as a structured manicure. You can also apply this base relatively thin. I only recommend applying these gels thin if it’s OPI or Gelish type of product but not Japanese gels. These gels, like Kokoist, Bio sculpture, and Calgel, add volume and structure to the nail.

For example, lip fillers plump up the lips to give them a fuller look, just like Japanese gels plump up the nail and give them a more aesthetically pleasing look and feel. You never brush your Japanese Gels on thinly; you give them a little volume and structure. 

When to use it?

PBD will work best for clients with strong nails, nails that don’t bend too much, nails that are not damaged, and long natural nails, and it will work with around 50% of your clients. It will only work with some of your clients, it can work, but you have to apply it thickly. 

On the contrary, MSB will work with most of your clients, and there will not be issues. 

With Japanese Gels, you are here to rebalance the entire nail. You have to restructure, relocate the apex, reshape, and refill in the growth. You can do this with either product, but here’s where you pay close attention.

Fills

When you do a fill with PBD, you must apply it thickly and remove any lifting. This will be good for medium to long nail fills because it’s hard and rigid. If you use MSB on long nails, the clients will experience bending and be very aware of bending issues; you could use it if the client returns every two weeks because the growth won’t be much. 

If you are a beginner or new here, this might sound a bit too much, but don’t worry; I go over everything in my program MGN where I teach you everything you need to know about how to master Japanse Gel Nails; I’ll leave the link here in case you’re interested after this reading. 

What I want you to focus on right now is the texture and the workability of each, ok?

Gelip

If you use Gelip full coverage tips from Kokoist, I will stick to MSB to adhere them to the natural nails. MSB will work great with soft nails, nails that could be stronger.  

I will use PBD more for overlays because of the base + builder component; if you use it for Gelip, you could experience lifting. Remember, PBD is more for long hard nails. 

Now, you might be thinking. Hey, what about overlaying both bases?

You totally can. Add a thin layer, a generously thin layer of MSB, and then a thick layer of PBD all over the enhancement; that is ok. You don’t have to because of the adhesion components in Platinum Bond Duo, but you can for extra durability.  

Let me show you Platinum Bond Duo in action and what I mean with the thick application. 

Now, this is Mega Stick Base. Can you see the difference in dollop size? 

I know this is a lot to think about, but if it still needs to be clarified, reread this blog, watch the video to see how the gels move, or even check out my upcoming Kokoist certification class in November 2022! This is one of the funnest certifications I teach; you will learn to love and master Kokoist products and how to solve any hiccups you could encounter if you’re interested, sign up for the waitlist and receive all the deets. 

Thank you for joining me today! I hope I have clarified the differences and similarities and these two base gels from Kokoist and sparked your curiosity to try them. Let me know if you have any questions in the comment section below, and I hope to see you at the next one. Bye for now. 

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