Hello lovely ladies and gentlemen out there..

I was sitting at home reading a lot of posts where the issue of mix-ratio came up. As it is a huge deal I ust wondered if there's a way of telling if it's correct that works with all brands?

I know about the look of the bead, and with CND when you place the bead on a pad or form it shouldn't flat out/sink more than I believe it's 25% (oh just don't know if I it's clear what I mean, sorry but Danish so it's hard to know every word)

But is this a way of telling with all brands or is it just CND? I just realised that I actually don't know this, and feel it would come in handy, for many more that just me...

All L&P systems have a recommended mix ratio so it's hard to have a general discription for all. However when you remove your brush from the powder look at it and make sure that all the powder is absorbed before you place your bead. If you look at the bead and there is powder lingering around the edges of the bead than it is too dry. If the bead is too shiny and wet looking your bead is too wet.

You can test your bead by dropping it on a practice sheet the bead should dome out and level about 25% with no ring of liquid around the base. If there is a ring of liquid and the bead has dropped more than 50% you are working too wet, and if its too dry it will hold firm shape and not drop.

hth

This is spot on for CND, which is a 1 1/2 part liquid to 1 part powder mix ratio....However some other brands have a different mix.
EzFlow Q & A system is a 2 parts liquid 1 part powder, and their HD range is a 1:1 mix!!!
Also some systems pick up the bead of the right mix ratio and then drain their brush as it doesn't need any more liquid...whereas with CND you don't as you need to keep liquid in your brush to keep the bead workable.

This is one of the main reasons that a Conversion course for a new brand/system is always recommended.

Good thread.

Ok, I'm probably going to get stoned for this but how do you know exactly what is what measurement wise?

When I first started I tried to work it out and do it the product related ratios, eventually after wasting a lot of expensive product, I went with what looked and felt right, not on clients of course(at first), then on me then clients. Eventually after getting a "feel" for the product, I just done what became second nature.

I can see now now if a bead is right or wrong, it's all about "knowing" your product and how your bead looks when you pick it up, and more importantly how it behaves when you work it.

hth

No stoning required

Eventually it is all about the look and the 'feel' of the product, when working with it. You just KNOW when it is right.

When teaching, it does help to point people in the right direction of this though. with ...... going, going, gone to time things and different ways to pick up a bead....dragging, patting etc.
Every little helps...:

Of course it does Izzi, and of course I am not saying not to follow the going, going, gone scenario. I just cannot and never will get my head around the apparent correct measurement, to me it is judgement and something you have to learn like we all did through trial and error and of course following the product guidelines.

I am the same, you just get the feel for it but when I was learning I was soo lost and didn't think I would ever get it right

So true Stevie, I was to, but no-one does everything the same, do we all dip our brush the same? Do we all then pick up our powder the same? Nope, I don't think we do and while we have product guidelines, I truly believe that it is something that we all have to adapt to ourselves, hence my answers on this thread.

This is a great thread - I have to say it took me ages to get something that seems so simple right - probably the fact that my training so far has consisted of my tutor giving a 5 minute demo on someone and then lettering us get on with it! Nothing about beads being too wet or dry or how to pick them up! I've just practised myself and as others have said, you get to just "know".

ok,i am new to the and have just purchased cnd,i have no idea with the mix ratio,especially dipping the brush part,if the ratio is 1.5 liquid does that mean you have to wipe your brush one and a half times...

How have you managed to purchase CND?? I take it from your post (no clue with mix ratio etc) you haven't completed the CND training??

If you've bought Creative liquid and powder you would have taken a conversion course, in which case you would know about mix ratio as it would have been taught during the class.

Would I be right to think that you've bought it from somewhere other than the authorised distributor in the UK?

yes i did a short nail course last year and have been toying with the idea of using creative,so a girl i used to work with had done creative training, she ordered me a retention kit, since then she is no longer employed with us...hence she didnt get to show me the mix ratio.If i can get to work this product i am strongly thinking about doing the l and p course with them...

I'd suggest doing the l&p course with Creative first then you will definately be able to work the product

I'm sure I've read on here somewhere, with a response from Geeg about mix ratio & how it cannot be exactly measured out the the perfect degree - it's all about the look & feel of the bead - all this is re CND btw!

It depends on what size brush you use - as in pro styler, ultra sculptor etc (again CND brushes) one is bigger than the other.
A bigger brush will hold more monomer than a smaller brush, so each person has to work out which works best for them based on which brush size they use & submersing the brush & properly expelling air bubbles from the belly of the brush, withdrawing the brush from the dappen dish & wiping the brush up the side of the dappen dish etc.

As a general rule, base on CND Retention +, the ratio is as given above.
Then, having removed and wiped your brush from the dappen dish, to check the length of time the brush is dipped into the powder & lifted out, the count as the monomer soaks up the powder, the application of the bead onto the nail - the count to allow it to settle - is there still lumps? (Too dry) Is there a wet ring of monomer around the bead (too wet).

It's, to me, probably one of the hardest things to get to grips with in L&P. (I'm in my 6th year here!!!)

It does all come down to your training in your brand of L&P, what is recommended for the brand and the look & feel of the bead on the brush & on application to the nail.