File control!! Part 3 - Perfect Finishing

Have you ever noticed on some of the advertisements in the nail magazines that the nails look (shall we say) far from perfect examples of a beautifully finished nail enhancement?
How can you tell?
Usually the light shining in the photo on the nails looks all wobbly or patchy which shows up all the flaws on the surface. Or the outline of the nail (what I call the form) is not pleasing to the eye. Or the shape (the view from the side) has apexes all over the place!

On the other hand, we all remember those images in the advertisements of beautiful sleek gorgeous shiny nail enhancements done by (shall we say) technicians who really know what they are doing.
How can you tell?
The light shining on the nail surface in the image is consistent in width and straight as an arrow and there are no flaws on the surface to mar its beauty. The form is perfect (beautiful straight side walls) and the shape is a natural and gentle curve with the apex in the right place.

If you are not happy that you are getting a perfect finish to your nail enhancements, then use this valuable tool (what we call the line of light) to help you achieve the ultimate flawless result you want.

But first, before you use the 'line of light' to guide you, you need to finish off the enhancement nearly all the way before you look, and your finishing will be easier still if you stick to the rule of trying to make the perfect nail with your brush and not rely on your file to do it for you; better for the life of the enhancement, better for the natural nail, and better for you because as we have said before ... filing is boring!! Both for you and your clients.

For the purpose of this tutorial, we are going to assume that you have not made the perfect nail with your brush. The reason being that I want to go through all the steps of perfect finishing and what each step achieves for you so that you will know why you are doing it.

So we are looking at the unfinished nail enhancement. And we are going to make a soft square shape.

The first thing I correct is the Form (the outline). Using a medium soft abrasive (I use a 240 grit), make sure that your sidewalls are absolutely straight (no bulges at the waist and no free edges that look wide and unattractive).
File gently up and down each side of the nail, keeping the abrasive trapped gently by your thumb on one side or by your index finger on the other, to make sure the abrasive does not deviate from the straight line at all. It is a common fault for right-handed people to pull the abrasive across to the right when doing the left side of the nail (the opposite for lefties); this tends to round off one side of the enhancement whilst the other stays nice and straight. Very annoying and difficult to correct once you have done it without making he nail shorter which could annoy a client who wants them long.

Next shape your free edge into a gentle curve and from underneath just angle the abrasive to remove any harsh corners.

My next move is to lay the abrasive flat onto zone 3 of the nail and gently blend any excess product right away into the nail so that it is impossible to see where the enhancement actually joins the natural nail. This job done, you will have no need to go to zone 3 or the sidewalls again ... which is a good thing because now you can concentrate on the business of making that shape perfect and there will be no need to go near any soft tissue because the fiddly bits are done.

Now, The 3 paths to success!
Looking at the whole enhancement held with my fingers, I mentally divide the nail into 3 vertical paths. One down the middle and one down each side.
The perfect shape is achieved by looking at the side view of the nail first and seeing where, if any, corrections need to be made with my abrasive to make the side view perfect.
Don't worry about the side paths yet, just concentrate on the curvature of the nail. Then using the same medium soft abrasive, and working in an east to west direction, start at the north end of the nail and work south putting more pressure on the abrasive where you want to remove any undesirable lumps or bumps. Keep going up and down until when you look from the side, and see that the curvature is how you want it to be. Once it is, then you can concentrate on the sides.

Next move is to go to each side in turn and working from the side to the middle, in one direction, bring the sides up to your middle path and the curve you have created there. You must work with your abrasive in a nice curvey motion as if you were filing the surface of an egg. This will give your enhancement a really natural C curve.

Now for the line of light!
Apply some solar oil and rub into the surface of the enhancement. Now check under your light and see what the line of light is telling you, as you slowly rotate the finger to see the light play over the surface.

You should be looking for a even width all the way along the light line.
If it widens ... you have a flat spot.
If it narrows ... you have a facet.
If it wiggles ... you have a dip or a high spot.
Make any necessary adjustments with your abrasive and check again.
Finally finish off to a high gloss shine. Your soft buffers will not change the surface other than to make it gleam and reflect your fine workmanship.