Hi there everyone!!!!

I was looking for some advice about artifical nails. I currently hold an svq 2 in nail services which covered manicure, pedicure, silk extentions, nail art and nail technology.

I am based in Edinburgh and looking to further my studies and skills as the silk training was very basic and I was not a fan of this method.

I now wish to do either an acrylic course or a gel course but I am confused as to which is the better method and which is more popular with extention wearers.

Do I need an acrylic qualification to do a gel course or vice versa? Also which companies are the best to do these with. I have always heard good things about creative and calgel but are there any others out there that are good?

Also are there any companies that do both acrylic and gel training in the same course? I want to be using the best of products and I know to buy some products you need to be trained by that particlar brand so which ones are the best???

I have heard that it is easier to do gel first and then move onto acrylic as gels are easier to do and will provide a good base of skills to move onto acrylic. Is this true?

Any advice would be a great help as I am very confused.

Thanks xxxx

hiya, i would do your training with creative nail design, i did my training with salon systems first then my conversion to cnd and the difference ws increadible i wish i just went to cnd first and not wasted my money.
As to acrylic or gel i personally do acrylics 99% of the time i dont know about anyone else on here
hope this helped xx

Hey hun, why not train in both!!! Creative (cnd) do both there is the brisa gel and the liquid and powder (acrylic).
Other brand to look at are...young nails, NSI, odyssey, entity, nfu.oh, ez flow, why not do a search on here on these brands and see other opinions. Make sure you go with a good quality training provider. If you ring the number on the websights for good brands (easily found using google) they will give you the information on what cources they do. Try www.sweetsquared.com for creative there brilliant . Hope this helps xx

i agree with the learn both. Either way the application and brush action is totally different whichever one you learn first, if you do gel- i see girls trying to " massage" the acrylic and if you do acrylic i see girls trying to apply it in beads in 3 zones. Both are hard- its all about practice.

I would also do both. One system is not better than the other .. it is more about being able to offer choices to your clients.

You are so fortunate to have CND right on your door step there in Edinburgh and you can contact them on 0131 3333180 or email to fionaewallace@btinternet.com ... great products, great people and great training.

Hey there thanks for all your information and help I am waiting on information from nsi, cnd and calgel. I think I would prefer to learn both methods but not at the same time e.g cnd do an add on day for gels and I am just a little worried that it may all be too much to take in and practice all at once. ( I will be udertaking my HNC beauty therapy) I have also heard great things about calgel and I have some calgel overlays on at the mo and I really like them!

I am eligable for a lea does anyone know if it is only the scottish beauty school that accepts this? Also what gel product does nsi use and is it any good?

Sorry for all the questions but I am just very confused and have so many options!

xxx

Whats an lea??

I trained with calgel then one of the trainers who works at creative in leeds did some training with me last month in acrylics am sticking with the gel for now as thats what my boss wants me to do.

It really isn't too much to learn at one time, because 99% of what you do with both is the same .. prep, tipping, etc ... the same products and the same method ... the reason why we can offer gel in one day id because the only thing that is different is the product itself and how you apply it.

It makes such perfect sense which is why it is done this way. You don0t have to learn 2 different preps and a whole new set of products. It makes sense.