A client comes back at day six with a lifted sidewall and you reach for a different brand. Usually the brand was never the problem. Lifting has three common causes, and each one leaves a different signature.

Lifting at the cuticle

If the product is pulling away at the base within the first week, the nail plate was not clean when you applied. Oil is the usual culprit - either natural oil that returned between prep and base coat, or cuticle oil a client applied that morning.

Push back the eponychium properly, remove the shine with a 180 grit buffer, and dehydrate immediately before the base goes on. If more than a couple of minutes pass between dehydrating and applying, dehydrate again.

Lifting at the sidewalls

This is flooding. Product that touches skin has nothing to bond to, and it takes the adjacent edge with it as it peels. Leave a hairline gap at every sidewall - close enough that it reads as full coverage, far enough that nothing sits on skin.

Chipping at the free edge

Not lifting at all, but often reported as the same thing. The free edge is unsealed. Cap every layer including the top coat by running the brush along the tip edge, and the chip resistance changes immediately.

When it really is the product

If prep, sidewalls and capping are all right and sets are still failing at ten days, check the lamp before the polish. LED beads dim with use, and an under-cured layer will not hold no matter how good the chemistry is.