#NailTechNailedIt: Weeks 13 & 14

Class is done! We've learned all the lessons from the book we can, so now we're prepping for our baby boards. As I've mentioned, these are practice practical board exams. We'll also be allowed to take tests called "The Hundreds", which are tests of 100 or so questions based off the real exam. We're allowed to take as many of these as we'd like in order to prep for the exams.

While we gear up for that, we're continuing practicing on real clients. Last week, I had three full sets of acrylics on real clients (not students or friends).

The first set here is a set I did on a 16-year-old client. She was a walk in Thursday night, and I accepted the challenge. Her sister was getting married on Saturday, and she was the maid of honor. She wanted a full set of a basic French, and wanted them short and manageable. As you can see in her "before", she had really short nails to begin with, so keeping them relatively short was essential to a normal look.

BEFORE

See her "after" following the jump!

AFTER

Don't worry, the small dark spot on her middle finger is just a bruise. :)

My second acrylic client came in on Saturday. Lo and behold...it's the bride! So that added an incredible amount of pressure for me, but we were still able to give her something she loved. She had really short nails as well (forgot to take the before picture), but wanted her's to be longer than her sister's. She also wanted some nail art, and ultimately decided on a blue polish with a glitter tip. The blue is OPI OPI...Eurso Euro. 

This was by far my best set yet. Very smooth and even, and it only ran about 20 minutes longer than planned.

My final acrylic client was no newbie to acrylics. She showed me pictures of her nails before, and said she usually gets them done by a nail artist in Denver. I don't remember her name, but she did amazing 3D work, and I hope I'm able to meet her one day. Maybe this Thursday, when I attend Nail Talk Denver, a nail networking event IN DENVER! Shocking!

So the client wanted long acrylics with tons of bling. Unfortunately, her appointment ran long, as long acrylics naturally take more time to apply, and the gluing of all the rhinestones was time consuming. By the end, I couldn't give her all the rhinestones she wanted, and this was the final result.

Since she provided her own rhinestones, she was happy with this end result. She said she'd go home and finishing adding them where she wanted, and sent me this picture later of the final look:

DAMN! BLING!

All these ladies were fun to work with, and I feel way more comfortable with acrylic than when I started. It's incredibly draining though, and the fumes gave me a headache by the end.

So my comfort level with acrylics has gone up, but my desire to do them as a specialty has gone down. I'll stick to nail art. ;)

Are there any readers who are nail tech students or nail techs? If you live close enough to Denver, come to Nail Talk Denver on Thursday night! I'll be there, and I'd love to share cocktails and network with you!

#NailTechNailedIt: Weeks 8 through 11

A candid shot of me doing Rachel's nail art (at the bottom of this post).

The 14 weeks of nail tech classes is starting to feel attainable. The long road of classes has been a whirlwind though. It doesn't feel like it's been 11 weeks of classes! I've learned so much I never dreamed of. Here's a recap of what weeks 8-11 had in store for me:

• Acrylic enhancements, including;
• Odorless product
• Traditional monomer/polymer powder products
• Brush technique
• Enhancements on tips
• Enhancements on forms
• Electric files
• Hair removal

I've really been enjoying learning acrylics. I never dipped into that aspect of nails prior to classes, so it feels like starting from scratch. It's admittedly frustrating to be so adept in one aspect of nails, and so clueless in another.

There are so many factors to consider when working with acrylics, which is the generic term for nail enhancements that use monomer liquid and polymer powder.

First, if your client wants to elongate their nails (as most do), should you do the service with a tip, or with a form? If you use a form, do they want the two-color method (forming a white tip with white powder) or the one-color method (where you can choose to only use pink powder)? Whether their nails be constantly painted is a big determinant for this decision.

Second, which product works best for you and your client? Some products are odorless. If you've been around a salon that was performing an acrylic service, you've probably smelled the products. I don't think it's a bad smell necessarily, but it is pungent, so a sensitive client who understands the products may insist on an odorless combination. (It's not actually odorless, it's just less odor.) Unfortunately, whether you want to or not, you need to be skilled in using odorless, because Colorado's state board requires the use of odorless products. I'm still undecided about which I prefer. One thing that I did quickly realize is that odorless products dry more slowly. So to learn, they are a great medium, as you have more time to sculpt and work the product to look like you want.

Acrylic application is actually a lot about the size brush you use. The brush sizes vary, usually in increments of 2. So 2, 4, 6, 8, 24! I've never seen a size 24 brush in person, but searching online has revealed that they do exist. Has anyone used that size? I'd love to get some nail tech chatter going about the preferred size, manufacturer, and shape of brush to apply acrylics!

Mastering acrylics hasn't come to me yet. I imagine it will take lots of practice! I have laid a set on a friend in the salon though, and so far, they're holding up! It's been about a week. Here's what they looked like after application and polishing was complete:

The polish did a nice job of covering up some of the flaws, but you can see edges that aren't completely clean, and I worry that they will lift. After a week though, they're still on, and the gal wearing them is a hair student, whose hands are constantly in water.

This week, we started learning about the electric file. I feel like Rosie Riveter when I use power tools like that, and I can't wait to use it to smooth out enhancements and edges! Hopefully that will make my acrylics more beautiful than anything!

Using the file is really an art form. There's a dance between speed and pressure required to use the drill comfortably for yourself and your client. Too much of one or the other will result in pain, heat, or what is unfortunately called "Ring of Fire". (No...not the feeling after a fiery burrito, or an after-birth effect. Gross guys.)

Electric files have become much more strictly monitored in salons. In previous years, salons would run out to Home Depot and buy dremels to use on their clients. This led to all kinds of problems, so an agency called AEFM (Association of Electric File Manufacturers) stepped up and started providing education on the proper use of electric files. It's now a recognized seal, and if you want to be electric file certified, you want to attend classes with that seal of approval. At the end of our classes, we will be certified in that manner.

One final big thing I picked up in class is hair removal. As a nail tech, I'm allowed to wax clients from their toes to their knees, and from their fingers to their elbows. Not gonna lie...it's not really a service I love, but, it's something I can say I know how to do, and would bolster my resume when it comes time to look for a job in the industry. One problem I foresee is that I learned on a very specific kind of waxing technique. It's not the wax that hardens, it actually stays warm as you apply it to the leg, and melts more if you rub it on the leg. Or arm. Or toe. Yeah...waxing toes is something I've now done. o_o

With Halloween just around the corner, I'm hoping with all hope that clients will want some fun nail art this weekend! Luckily, last night during class, a client came in, and the student who was scheduled to perform her manicure was not in. So I did an emergency manicurotomy and stepped up. The client was a blast to talk to, and she had brought stickers to doll up her nails! I recommended we do something more unique, and offered to do some nail art on her. She agreed, and here's what we did:

Cute! We did this on regular polish (a bright orange-red from OPI called My Chihuahua Bites!). 

After her, Rachel (my classmate), also wanted some subtle nail art. We did her's with Gelish, and spooked it up with some bats flying past moons:

So my questions for you nail techs are as follows:

• What's your favorite size brush for applying acrylics?
• Is there a brand you recommend buying?
• Which shape of brush do you like?

#NailTechNailedIt Weeks 5 through 7

Weeks after the first few start to blend together in Beauty School, especially with a pretty catastrophic flood breaking everything up. In total, I missed four days of class because of the flooding events, but we're back now, and slowly getting back into the swing of things.

Before the flood all began Wednesday night, I performed my first set of gel enhancements, again on my wonderful model Clare. It took forever...I think we racked up three hours. Ultimately, neither Rachel or I were very happy with the final results:

Chunksville USA!

When we returned to school almost a week later, we talked about it with Concha. She identified some of our key problems, which included placing the tips (the white parts of her nail you see there) too far down near our clients' cuticles. If you place them too far down, there's more tip that's required to adhere to the natural nail, and that leaves more room for lifting.

I also hate the way they're leaning toward being duck feet. I was forcing the tips onto her nails, even though they were too small, so they splayed out too wide and I didn't file them evenly along the side walls.

Finally, the chunky, uneven bumps you see on most of them is a major result of a) not removing the ridge between tip and natural nail and b) not removing the ridges after finishing the service.

I wanted to see how a pro did it, on a real nail, so Concha did a few of my nails. She took her time and showed us how to properly glue, and also how to size the tips. Her technique made much more sense, and I easily saw what I did wrong.

Fast forward to yesterday. I did another service (on my friend Chloe this time) keeping all of these things in mind. I'm still unsure how the longevity of the service has improved (Clare's popped off in a few days) because Chloe didn't want to keep hers. But check out how much smoother, shallower, and more even they are!

Much better! Still not perfect by any means, but much better! Check out that pinky! I'm least happy with the hand on the right's ring finger, but I know exactly why. From the beginning, I sized it to be too small, which meant I had to put it farther down her cuticle to get it to stick. So the end result is a too-big white part, and more bumps to fight with.

Smoothing it all out was also much easier, as I found my niche in a buffer. Previously, I used a buffer that was too flexible, with too strong a grit. This time, I used the flip side of a file, which gave me more control, and a finer attention to detail.

Am I totally comfortable with UV gel enhancements? No, not by any stretch. But I am excited to see progress and improvement.

Theory-wise, we didn't do anything too exciting. We spent an ungodly amount of time on two chapters (anatomy and skin diseases), which I'm sure all you Milady textbook readers can attest to loathing as much as I do. Anatomy, while interesting, is extensive to an unnecessary degree. I understand that I need to learn more about the integumentary system, but what could I possibly need to know from the excretory system?

The best part of these past weeks was Saturday, when Chloe and Shayna came in for NAIL ART! I got to spend all day dolling them up in neons for an event we were all going to later. Here's the final looks they chose (though my camera was less than cooperative in capturing the real appeal).

Chloe's are actually a neon pink and neon yellow gradient, much brighter than shown.

Shayna's are a mishmash of neon colors with black, bold lines and studs. I gained inspiration for these from ChrissyAi's look.

What do you think so far of nail tech school? We're just about half way through the class portion of it all, and just have a few more chapters to go, and a few more services to learn, including the all-exciting acrylics and waxing (elbow to fingers and knee to feet).

#NailTechNailedIt Weeks 3 and 4

As I'm entering my 5th week of school, I realize I've shorted you all two weeks worth of posts on nail tech school! It's taking over my life...but I couldn't be happier about it. The two weeks sort of blend together at this point, but I'll cover the basics for you. Stay tuned till the end to see some pictures I know will excite you!

And while I've got you, please please please go vote for me as the Most Inspiring Manicure! You can vote as many times as you want just by refreshing the page, and I need all the votes I can get to beat the current leader, MissJenFabulous from YouTube. If you like my original tutorials, please show your support, you have until Sunday the 15th at 11:59 pm ET. Vote here!

In weeks 3 and 4, we really ramped up our learning. Here's what we covered in-class:

• Pedicures
• Gel enhancements
• Wraps
• Basic chemistry

This rapid fire learning of new stuff was a lot to remember, especially since it's all so new to me. This is the time in school where I know I need to focus to get everything down I need without getting overwhelmed.

Pedicures are a whole different kind of monster compared to their fingertip counterparts. I've given several pedicures since testing out of them. At this point, upon graduation, I don't think I'll continue giving them if I can avoid them. Feet are just not something I enjoy, no matter how well someone takes care of them. There's a lot of questions when it comes to feet, and the answers aren't necessarily provided. Not everyone knows if they have cuts or fungus on their feet, and it's a fine line to draw. To avoid any kind of discomfort, I've chosen to wear gloves if I'm even remotely unsure about a client's feet. Additionally, our instructors made it perfectly clear to us that we need to have them check the client's feet if we're unsure.

Pedicures also take a major toll on my back. It's inevitable that I'll bend my back at least a little to complete the service. Right now, I know I'm bending over much too far, and I feel it at the end of the day. It's also tiring on my arms, as I hold clients' legs up to file the feet. Legs are heavy!

One thing I do like about pedicures is the before and after. I'll spare you those pictures, but it's pretty impressive how drastic some transformations are. Some toenails reach epic lengths, so trimming them down, softening up the skin, and slapping on a neat polish job makes a huge difference! Clients really love leaving the salon with fresh feet!


We also started in on the nail enhancements part of the course, starting with nail wraps.

Wraps are any type of enhancement that uses fabric. "Fabric" is a term that includes fiberglass, linen, silk, and paper. Hardly anyone uses paper in modern salons anymore. Fiberglass is generally the preferred type of wrap. Linen wraps are the thickest. In our class, we're using the OPI fiberglass wrap system.

Wraps use a combination of adhesive and adhesive accelerator to dry. It's a rapid drying technique that requires no special light to dry. Because it's so rapid, you need to take major precautions not to let the adhesive dry on the skin. If it does, you'll have discomfort from the contact dermatitis (skin contact).

The layers of tips, resin, fabric, and accelerator build the foundation for wraps. Then filing and shaping is done to achieve a smooth finish. Wraps aren't really pretty on their own, so polish is usually added after completing the enhancement.

In addition to wraps, we learned about gel enhancements. Gel enhancements are different than gel polish. The enhancements build structure and thicken the nail dramatically. Gel polish doesn't add a foundational structure to the nail.

Gel enhancements are sometimes used in place of acrylic enhancements, however, Concha told us they don't hold up well in dry environments like Colorado. They're more popular in areas of California and Florida (think Miami and Long Beach). If your salon offers these and acrylics, you might consider these, as they don't put off such noxious fumes, they harden quickly, and they're really shiny. We use the OPI Axxium system for our gels.

This week we started learning a little about acrylics, and played with some 3D acrylic nail art! That part was a blast to me, and I'll share more about it later. 

To close up this long-ish post...I finally got my kit! The pictures and description is all under the cut.




 The kit is great, though it's cumbersome and heavy. Luckily, it has wheels.

It has all sorts of goodies in it that I can't even begin to fully name and classify. I'm starting to figure it out as I learn what the adhesive is for, what forms are, and how tips are used. Here's a virtual tour of my kit. Not everything is in its original packaging anymore, and I added a few things of my own. Again, I don't yet know what everything is, but it will all be explained as the course progresses.

Here's what it looks like all opened up, with the bottom drawer pulled out.

This is the top section, put together the way I decided to set it up. The bottom-right corner of the picture is a small container of implements that scatter around if I don't organize them. I added that container on my own, and below is what is underneath it.

Below is a workbook that comes with the kit. It has all sorts of instructions on just about everything, but the interesting thing is, we don't really use it. We just stick to our Milady textbooks.

These are nail forms (left) and nail wraps (right). Forms are used for building a structure with nail enhancements, and wraps are used for repairs mostly.

All of these are instruction booklets and pamphlets for several of the products included in the kit. The products are shown later.

We get a lot of these. I'm guessing they're kind of place mats for our work surface, so we can wipe acrylics and gel without ruining soft towels.

All of these bottles above are little sized bottles for various uses. Beginning on the left is a bottle of I-don't-know-what-yet, resin for wraps, brush cleaner, 2 bottles of thin set for attaching nail tips, another mystery-to-me bottle, a bottle of adhesive, bondaid (used for UV gel enhancements), bondex (also for gel enhancements), mystery bottle number 3, and some cuticle oil.

We get a buffer (with a VERY fine grit) and a package of toe separators. We only get one package of these, so I don't plan to use them. We normally use cotton rolls.

The four packages are wraps (I think). The wooden dowels are used with forms and acrylics (I believe).

Above is a finger soak bowl for manicures and 3 included dappen dishes.

The most fashionable part of my kit is those snazzy glasses in the top-left. To the right of those are eyedroppers. The bottom left shows three extra brushes to use in case I screw up the included ones, and the gold things on the right are a type of form. I'm not sure why there's three instead of five, or ten.

All of this is for preparing the nail. The block of purple  at the top is a bunch of abrasive boards like the grey one below them. Below that is a 3-way buffer. The top-right implement is the foot paddle (go figure), and at the bottom is a nail brush. In between those is something literally called "The Fluffy". They're both used to clean the nail plate in preparation for service.

We get a lot of high-quality implements that I use regularly. On the left are brushes for gel and acrylic. Beside those is a cuticle pusher, which I prefer to use. Next is a metal file and beside that is another cuticle pusher. Though this is metal and from OPI, I still prefer the rubber cuticle pusher. Lined up on the right from the top-down are tweezers, cuticle nippers, a small pair of scissors (for cutting wraps), nail clippers, and toenail clippers.

The four jars above are all acrylic powder jars. The two shiny ones on the bottom are the gel required for gel enhancements. I'm not sure yet what the jar on the bottom-left is.

As a nail-tech only, I get some special things that full cosmetology students at our school don't. This includes the four bottles on the top-left. They're used for nail wraps and gel enhancements. The two top bottles are a top coat and base coat. The two bottles on the bottom haven't been explained yet, and the three bottles on the right are polishes. That's literally all we get polish-wise for our kit. I was shocked, and a little sad.
 

These big bottles go in the top part of my kit. The left bottle is called Nas 99, and it's just alcohol. Next is lotion, and then hand soap. The pink is hand sanitizer. The smaller spray bottle is a quick-dry spray for polish, and the chunky bottle on the right is monomer for acrylics. Not pictured is nail polish remover that was included and Avoplex cuticle treatment. I moved the remover to an easy-dispense bottle, and I just forgot to photograph the cuticle treatment.

Finally, we get several packages of nail tips with varying colors, opacity, and well depths.

Pretty great kit right? I've added other things to make it easier for me, including:

• gloves
• bandages
• Q-tips
• nail art tools (dotters, striping brushes, etc.)
• a dispenser for nail polish remover
• cuticle remover
• nail polish thinner
• 3 buffers of varying strengths
• a touchscreen stylus (for clients to use when they're wrapped in foil but want to use their phone)
• nail wheels (for displaying a nail art menu)

I'd love to hear your questions about all this! I don't know everything, but I will learn, so please refrain from asking about things I specifically said I don't know yet. I'll explain it eventually.